I've been trying to sell my all mountain rig and had my eye on the Transition Blindside and the Norco Truax. However, someone actually offered to trade me for an 09 Stinky Deluxe. I guess my main question is about FD compatibility. I don't live where there's a ton of textbook downhill, so I am going to be doing some pedaling. Ideally I would be riding something no more than 37 lbs or so with a front derailleur. I am hoping to give it a quick test run tomorrow, but feedback never hurts.
What is the verdict on the Stinky Deluxe?
Teqtonik
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I've been trying to sell my all mountain rig and had my eye on the Transition Blindside and the Norco Truax. However, someone actually offered to trade me for an 09 Stinky Deluxe. I guess my main question is about FD compatibility. I don't live where there's a ton of textbook downhill, so I am going to be doing some pedaling. Ideally I would be riding something no more than 37 lbs or so with a front derailleur. I am hoping to give it a quick test run tomorrow, but feedback never hurts.
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83 Posts
Do what will be best for you in the long run. If your not going to travel much or move or visit parks and all you have is FR/AM Terrain around you, you can still have a blast on a bike like that. But, i also have rolling hills around me with some decent DH access, but its all only assessable from riding, walking or getting dropped off at the top i almost all the time walk my 43 pound rig up. Because i choose to do DH and dont mind walking up and sweating my nuts off. So like i said do whats best for yourself and follow your interest. You may have to sacrifice or you may not.
No experience with the Kona, but I know guys that ride the Norco Truax and love the thing to death. Very little pedal bob even with a coil shock and great on the way down. I've ridden the Aurum and can say the suspension works great. I'd get the best bike for what you want to do. If you have your eyes set on something else I'd try and still get it vs. taking the quick way out. My gut tells me that a 2011 Truax is going to be lighter and ride better than a 2009 Kona, but I'm sure there's also a price difference involved.
Currently have a BMC TrailFox01 that I am trying to sell. I had it listed at 2600, dropped to 2200, then really just wanted to get rid of it and dropped it to 1700. The guy is selling his stinky on consignment for 2300, so he'd probably be getting about the same. When push comes to shove, I would probably rather have the cash and get a Truax, even though the closest dealer is 5 hours away and I would be paying $3500 for a new one. Something about having a frame warranty makes that extra money not seem like too much. I live in eastern NC and there just isn't enough elevation change within a 2 hour drive to justify a 40 lb bike. I'm still going to give it a test ride, but I have still gotten a good bit of interest at the current price level and will probably just go for cash.
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42,883 Posts
eff the delux....you wont use it that much...heavy and suspension bounces in chatter bumps..look into a Canfield "The One"
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4,963 Posts
totally different price range?
Wouldn't that be the day when someone emailed me from craigslist and instead of wanting to trade my trail fox for a "new in box laptop" or a "quality firearm" they would have a nice Canfield to unload.
I was looking pretty heavily at the blindside, actually. I am looking at something in the 6-7 range and ultimately would like something designed for a coil rear shock. However, the four bar of the Norco seems to be better on the climbs than the linkage driven single pivot. They both weigh about the same and have very similar specs though.
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1,851 Posts
the Stinky is a heavy pig. It's tough and the suspension feels nice and smooth, but it pedals quite poorly compared to more modern floating pivot suspension designs. If you ride lifts 80% or more of the time, it's fine. If you must pedal up to ride down, I'd hold out for something better. IMO, Kona is a good company, but they have fallen far behind in the past 5-7 years. They seem to have one foot stuck in the old Karpiel/Bender/plow bike days, and the other foot can't move forward as a result.
And yes, I'll add another unsolicited vote for a Canfield.
And yes, I'll add another unsolicited vote for a Canfield.
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2,502 Posts
amateurs!!!
ask someone like me who has 2 2010 stinky deluxes & a 2009 stinky air. they are great big fat heavy bikes---but not bad. Yes there are better out there, but there are better
other things as well: cars, trucks, women, food, homes...u get it.
there's no stinkin' front derailleurs on them 2009-2010. If you have legs you can pedal it,
but if not its just a point down bike. These two have the hammerschmidt so you can pedal efficiently.
that is all. ....and when asking, ask someone who actually has one, please!
and the reflectors are gone.
ask someone like me who has 2 2010 stinky deluxes & a 2009 stinky air. they are great big fat heavy bikes---but not bad. Yes there are better out there, but there are better
other things as well: cars, trucks, women, food, homes...u get it.
there's no stinkin' front derailleurs on them 2009-2010. If you have legs you can pedal it,
but if not its just a point down bike. These two have the hammerschmidt so you can pedal efficiently.
that is all. ....and when asking, ask someone who actually has one, please!
and the reflectors are gone.
Attachments
Thank you, Fatcat. That is what I was looking for all along. One of the first things I asked about was Hammerschmidt compatibility. He said he could get me one for $575. I just rode the thing around a mall parking lot and hit some curbs with it. It didn't feel as heavy as I thought it would. However, something about all that heft made it feel like I was riding a 29er. My main issue is that it's a large frame, but still really short. I am 6'3" and had the seat maxed and it still felt small. I am gonna get together with him to ride some actual trails like I would want to be riding the thing regularly to see how it feels.
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2,502 Posts
yeah, too bad it wasn't the XL 17" frame. Much better suited. And adding the
hammerschmidt is too much $$$ for a 2009 bike, Lord knows who rode it and how hard.
Despite me being a Stinky fan, I's rather see people making better judgements
than pushing a bike because I like it. Good for you.:thumbsup:
x2
I'm a Kona fan as well, though my Coiler is far from a Stinky. Definitely would not be a good deal on your behalf. Sell the bike for some extra cash and buy what you want :thumbsup:
I can personally attest to the 09 stinky deluxe as I have been riding them most of the summer. At steamboat, CO the bike shop rents the 09 stinky deluxes as the main downhill bike, and the bike does not climb super well, but for a relatively inexpensive downhill bike, it is pretty bomber. I think if you have to do a significant amount of climbing, i would stray from the stinky deluxe because it is heavy as ****, but if your trails are more of a flowey XCish trail (if that makes any sense) the stinky will be fine. The front crank is small enough that you can shift to a high gear and pedal up almost anything, but you may not make a super fast ascent. sorry if that doesnt make sense, good luck on the bike!
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