Would this be right for me?

[DoubleYellow]

I am looking for something to ride a couple of times a week. Mostly singletrack and the odd venture into the countryside. Would like to get involved in the more extreme stuff. Possibly downhill / free ride. I come from a BMX background so am a little more attracted to this style. I have owned mountain bikes in the past and was into dirt jumping and trials. Owned Specialized P3 and Pashley 26" trials bike.

The first bike that has caught my attention is the Kona Stinky. I think that on looking at the spec it could be a bit big for what I need (relating to the long travel and downhill components). Would expect it to be heavy aswell. The Kona Howler (2007) seems like a little more relaxed version of the Stinky which may suit me better. Looks good too!

Any advice would be greatly welcomed.

Thanks,

DoubleYellow

[GHW]

If you want to dabble with a bit of downhill, but keep the ability to get uphill again, I'd go for something with 6 inches of travel at both ends. If you're looking at Konas, then something like a Coiler would be my bet. A Stinky would be a more hardcore for the downhills, but a lot more difficult on the way back up (imho).

Then again, if you're not going to try anything too silly, you can get away with a beefy long-travel hardtail. For most of the trails in the UK, you won't really miss the lack of rear suspension. Even out in the Alps this year I was surprised to find I wasn't the only chap hitting the downhill courses on a hardtail - I'd say about a quarter of the riders there were on hardtails!

[mk1fan]

Long Travel Hardtail (130mm - 150mm travel) would do you fine for the UK (and 90% of the Alps). Kona Hoss would fill this need - if a little weighty. But this just makes it durable an fit for Trai riding.

I ran a Stiffee last year in the Alps and it was great. Not that much slower than the FS guys - although I was more battered by the end of the week. Rode a Hustler this year and the only difference was higher speed - something that isn't that critical on public trails.