Q: I am getting into bike packing and want to get a bike that I can do longer distance, gravel, some dirt on. Needs to be on lighter end for long distance trips, but as I am new to bike packing, dont want to spend a lot. WOuld the Kona Fire Mountain be a good start? I already have a nice road bike and a fs bike, but it is too heavy. Thanks
Perfect for the starter hard tail.This is the bike that started my addiction. I have upgraded the components on my Fire Mountain over the past few years, and this thing is still fun. Eventually I will add more mountain bikes to my collection, but I Will ride this thing forever
Pros
Best beginner hard tail on the market
Hydraulic Disc Brakes
Frame Geometry = Fun
Cons
| ThankBasic components, but what can you expect with an entry level hard tail
I couldn't ask for more out of this bike at my skill level and was right in the price range of what I wanted to spend starting to get into some more serious mountain biking. I got mine on sale for $450 at a local bike shop. For me the bike is fairly light and super fun to ride just about keeping up with my friend and is FS bike.
Pros
Quick smooth shifting, responsive brakes, and the fork takes quite a bit out of the bumps in the trail. I also like how the cables run under the top tube instead along the top of it.
Cons
| ThankI would prefer softer grips, tend to hurt my hands after a long ride.
Pros
It is easy to pedal and I like the lockout front shock.
Cons
| ThankThe paint
If you are starting out, this is an awesome bike to start with, very upgradeable. I suggest changing over to hydraulic brakes, and putting better derailleurs on it. If you want to have a good adjustible fork, change out the Dart 2.
Pros
Good price for what you get. I put my FMD through some rough terrain with no problems. Great for climbing, and does pretty good on fast descents. The Dart 2 fork has a lockout which works good.
Cons
| ThankThe manual disc brakes, the derailleurs are slightly slower than desired and the bottom braket gets water in it after washing, so you have to take it apart every once in a while, unless you want to buy a new one soon. The color combination, is so so.