We have a guy in our crew that shows up on a clapped out hybrid hardtail bike that he got 3rd hand. I'm fairly sure the fork is completely ornamental. He doesn't go quite as fast as us on the downhills, but rides all the same trails, and has a great time. He usually beats us to the top, hauling a 24 pack of cheap beer in a backpack that I'm pretty sure he got in middle school. No dropper. Half the time he pedals with his seat all the way down. I'm fairly sure he is experiencing the same thrills as I am.
Also, speaking of cheap Konas, I built my up my used 2014 Kona 134 frame for less than 2k, and it's amazing. I'm fairly sure I'll be riding it for another 8 or 9 years before it breaks.
One thing that is a little different about mountain biking compared to other sports, like rock climbing for instance, is that spending money definitely increases one's ability to ride more difficult terrain. More than about $2k seems pretty incremental, but the jump in what feels easy on a 2k bike from a $300 bike is pretty extreme.
Nov. 8, 2017, 9:21 a.m. - Morgan Heater
We have a guy in our crew that shows up on a clapped out hybrid hardtail bike that he got 3rd hand. I'm fairly sure the fork is completely ornamental. He doesn't go quite as fast as us on the downhills, but rides all the same trails, and has a great time. He usually beats us to the top, hauling a 24 pack of cheap beer in a backpack that I'm pretty sure he got in middle school. No dropper. Half the time he pedals with his seat all the way down. I'm fairly sure he is experiencing the same thrills as I am. Also, speaking of cheap Konas, I built my up my used 2014 Kona 134 frame for less than 2k, and it's amazing. I'm fairly sure I'll be riding it for another 8 or 9 years before it breaks. One thing that is a little different about mountain biking compared to other sports, like rock climbing for instance, is that spending money definitely increases one's ability to ride more difficult terrain. More than about $2k seems pretty incremental, but the jump in what feels easy on a 2k bike from a $300 bike is pretty extreme.