Single speed mountain bike - terrible idea?

[Chris]

I'd go with whichever is easier to get spares for (derailleur hangars, etc) and service in the event that you have an issue with the frame.

My downhill bike is from a Canadian company (Devinci) and as a result it's an extra expensive, time-consuming pain in the ass to get spare parts for it. I love the bike, but if I had a mulligan I'd just buy a Santa Cruz again simply because it's easier to get parts for them.

[bulletbass man]

I have a trek superfly ss and love it. It’s a great mountain bike and I often used it as a commuter too. I’ve ridden a kona unit and it was sweet as well. The dropouts on the trek are next level, but really anything horizontal is ideal and you can get away without dropouts if chain tension isn’t a huge deal( or you can use a tensioner). I personally prefer rigid unless it’s a serious trail. My bike weighs roughly 25lbs with enduro tires. There were a lot of options in the ss hardtail market like 5 years ago so finding a used frame with good geo shouldn’t be too hard. Specialized Cruze was another one I tested that I liked but I got a sweet deal on the trek when they discontinued the model.

[Drew]

Surly is a cheap brand making bikes out of a bunch of welded steel tubes. They're heavy and durable, but I've never heard expensive used to describe them. They're definitely the hipster brand of bikes, since they make all sorts of weird niche stuff. Their parent company owns Salsa, so whenever Surly stumbles upon something that becomes popular (like fat bikes), then Salsa usually comes up with aluminum and carbon models.

Only other thing I'll add is the guys at Surly are supposed to be a blast - they come into town once a year to do a small group ride with my shop and my shop is trying to invite me along for the next one even though I don't ride a Surly. They take turns towing a beer cooler behind them while they ride, it's THAT kind of an outing.

[Chris]

Only other thing I'll add is the guys at Surly are supposed to be a blast - they come into town once a year to do a small group ride with my shop and my shop is trying to invite me along for the next one even though I don't ride a Surly. They take turns towing a beer cooler behind them while they ride, it's THAT kind of an outing.

So it's exactly like Dave said - they do hipster things to appeal to hipsters.

[Markus]

Yeah, well the Surly is more expensive than the Kona that's also just a bunch of steel tubes welded together, so I'll probably go with the Kona. I'm still not at the level where I consider a 1500€ bike cheap.

[Drew]

So it's exactly like Dave said - they do hipster things to appeal to hipsters.

I mean, basically, but they're supposed to be a fuckin' LOT of fun to drink with!

[bulletbass man]

The Unit's a good bike and you won't be disapointed. Just make sure to upgrade the brakes if you're going to hit the trails. Those tektros are fine for commuting but you'll want more modulation and power for dirt. Even just an upgrade to some M6000s or SLXs will make a huge difference without a big cost to your budget.