[propellant]

Greetings,

I am looking to get a new bike to hit the trails with. I am looking at the Krampus and Karate Monkey.

Is the Krampus worth the additional 1000$ over the KM? I haven't been able to find any direct comparison between the two. I would be using them on the local trails which have a decent amount of rocks and roots.

Everyone seems to love their Krampus and Karate Monkey. Anyone have both? What one would you keep if could only have one?

 

[big_papa_nuts]

KM gets marks for versatility. I have mine set up with fenders, a rear rack, gears, and 40s and it makes a nice commuter/tourer. My roommate has has one hat started as a geared hardtail that has become a rigid townie. And a coworker has one that goes from geared hardtail to rigid SS, and back, all the time. I have also seen them with Knards front and rear.

Though the Krampus will shine more for aggressive riding, and has the big headtube that may provide useful in the future.

For MTBing I'd think of the KM as more of an xc bike and the Krampus as more of a trail bike.

 

[seat_boy]

I've had a KM and various other similar 29er hardtails, and now I have a Krampus. I've only got a few short rides on the Big K so far (another one this morning aborted due to drivetrain issues), and I really like the way it handles and just rolls over stuff. That being said, you can get a lot of the benefit with a 29er front wheel and as big a tire as you can fit in the rear--a 2.4" Ardent is a popular choice. I ran something like this on my Niner before I got my Krampus, and it worked pretty well. For $1000, it's a very reasonable compromise.

 

[vikb]

Greetings,

I am looking to get a new bike to hit the trails with. I am looking at the Krampus and Karate Monkey.

Is the Krampus worth the additional 1000$ over the KM? I haven't been able to find any direct comparison between the two. I would be using them on the local trails which have a decent amount of rocks and roots.

Everyone seems to love their Krampus and Karate Monkey. Anyone have both? What one would you keep if could only have one?

Is it worth $1K. No. Not in the sense that you'll do anything radically different on the Krampus than the KM.

I'm into year #2 on the Krampus and I have not gone anywhere I wouldn't have on another 29er.

Having said that I enjoy the big tires and the great roll through on rough terrain of the Krampus. I would buy it all over again without hesitation.

My GF doesn't enjoy spending $$ on bikes and we are looking at building her up a 29er bikepacking rig. We may 29+ her Pugsley frame, but if we started from scratch we'd go for a straight up 29er like the KM. To her $1K in the bank is more important than anything the Krampus has to offer.

So the answer is it depends on how you feel about spending that $1K.

 

[pursuiter]

It might be worth an extra $1K if there was more than one tyre made in 29+.

 

[vikb]

It might be worth an extra $1K if there was more than one tyre made in 29+.

+1 - tire selection is definitely an issue. Lots of new 29+ rubber announced, but not much actually available to buy.

I'm lucky because the Knard meets my needs pretty well, but it's clearly not the tire for everyone.

 

[pursuiter]

...Lots of new 29+ rubber announced, but not much actually available to buy....

I'm only aware of the DirtWeed and the Maxxis tires (both with Fall '14 ETAs), are there others?

 

[vikb]

I'm only aware of the DirtWeed and the Maxxis tires (both with Fall '14 ETAs), are there others?

Vee Rubber had at least 1 if not 2 tires they announced.

 

[big_papa_nuts]

The KM will take 29+ tires and rims, so I comes down to what geo suits the type of riding you plan to do.

 

[vikb]

The KM will take 29+ tires and rims, so I comes down to what geo suits the type of riding you plan to do.

A Rabbit Hole + Knard barely fits into the rear of a Krampus.

I haven't seen that combo work on a KM.

I have seen a KM with a Knard on a skinny rim with the axle near the rear of the dropout. Not sure how well that works. I only saw the intial test fit post. No follow up from the owner.

If you are running a full 29+ setup on your KM I'd love to see pics and hear about it. :thumbsup:

 

[big_papa_nuts]

http://forums.mtbr.com/surly/pics-rabbit-hole-knard-non-krampus-frame-837160-3.html

Sorry, your right. But I still bet that almost no one could tell the difference between a 2.5" and a 3" tire on a RH in a blind test.

 

[vikb]

But I still bet that almost no one could tell the difference between a 2.5" and a 3" tire on a RH in a blind test.

I run 2.5" tires on 35mm rims and 3" tires on 50mm rims as well as bigger fat tires on even wider rims it wouldn't be hard at all to tell the difference. Going from 2.5" to 3.0" you increase the tire volume by over 40%.

 

[PaMtnBkr]

http://forums.mtbr.com/surly/pics-rabbit-hole-knard-non-krampus-frame-837160-3.html

Sorry, your right. But I still bet that almost no one could tell the difference between a 2.5" and a 3" tire on a RH in a blind test.

Actually, I've been running Specialized 2.4 Purgatory's on my Rabbit Holes because I have been doing a lot of urban rides instead of trails because of muddy conditions. I got to ride them on some rocky trails a week ago and then switched over to my Knards for another ride in rocky terrain and the difference was pretty substantial. The Purgatory's had to be run fairly firm to keep from pinch flatting but I was able to run my Knards at a lot lower pressure w/out pinch flatting. The Knards really provide a nice cush in the rocks.

 

[Jeff Stevens]

With the Krampus you'll get a geared drivetrain and much better wheels and tires for roots and rocks for the extra $830. If you buy a wheel, cassette, derailleur, chain & shifter to make a KM geared the price difference is much closer.

I have a SS Qball that would compare very close to a KM. The Krampus is more stable, just as easy to maneuver and is more comfortable on long days. The down side is it weighs more and it took me some time to get use to the heavier wheels and tires.