2009 Kona Kula Deluxe or 2010 Cube

jcw2
jcw2 Posts: 4
edited May 2010 in MTB buying advice
As a long time lurker I thought I should come out from under my shell.

I know many of you get bored with these kinds of question but here goes anyway.

I am a road bike man but my children now want to get off road so I need a bike to take them and also to have a bit of fun when they are not around.

I have looked at the Cube Reaction RX which seems to have pretty much everything or possibly the Cube LTD Race which still has a good front fork but lacks the XT Crankset.

I have had a ride on an LTD Team which I thought was pretty good but (understandably) nowhere near a Scott Scale 30 which just felt alive in my hands. I can't justify £2k though.

I can get a 2009 Kona Kula Deluxe for about the same money as the Reaction RX but it would have to be mail order since no-one near me has one in my size.

My dilemna is that the Kona comes with Shimano SLX rather than XT and I am told by my LBS that the 2009 SLX is inferior to the 2010 stuff. I am told that the 2010 SLX is much closer in quality to XT, just a bit heavier.

So, what do you think: go for the new 2010 bike with XT kit or the 2009 well liked Kona with possibly inferior SLX (or save a few hundred and get the LTD Race)?

Comments

  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    You are doing the right thing by trying them out. And unless you have some upgrade plan, the fork makes much more difference than the crankset.

    Your LBS is plain wrong. All SLX stuff is the same until the groupset is redone.

    Go for what what feels best.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • jcw2
    jcw2 Posts: 4
    Thanks SS. Perhaps I should have included the 2009 GT Zaskar Expert in my list since I can still get a 2009 model around £1100.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    You can get the Zaskar Expert Carbon for 1200
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • jcw2
    jcw2 Posts: 4
    Just had a test ride of a Kona Kula but it was only on the road. It felt as though it fitted me a bit better than the Cube I rode but that could easily have been the set up which needed tweeked.

    It fely a bit heavier or lethargic than the Cube but then again it was just the base Kula and not the gold or deluxe versions which are both lighter and according to the bike shop have different frames also.

    No GT Zaskar's in sight though and the only GT bikes were at the £400/£500 level and hardly give a comparison to the others I am looking at.

    Now completely undecided.
  • rchip
    rchip Posts: 102
    jcw2 wrote:
    Just had a test ride of a Kona Kula but it was only on the road. It felt as though it fitted me a bit better than the Cube I rode but that could easily have been the set up which needed tweeked.

    It fely a bit heavier or lethargic than the Cube but then again it was just the base Kula and not the gold or deluxe versions which are both lighter and according to the bike shop have different frames also.

    No GT Zaskar's in sight though and the only GT bikes were at the £400/£500 level and hardly give a comparison to the others I am looking at.

    Now completely undecided.

    hello! just to let you know incase you buy it thinking it has a different frame, the kula gold frame is the same as the normal kula frame. The bike has better bits hung on it though!

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