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I can buy either one of these bikes for about the same price in like-new to new condition. I am coming off a K2 Zed 3.0 hardtail that I have been riding for 11 years. I recently had a huge crash and decided it was time for a FS bike that would absorb bumps. I then purchased a Ghost Kato FS 5 from REI that I will be returning because of extreme jittery-ness. I do not like it, probably because the head angle is so different from my hardtail. The thing feels like it wants to zig-zag all over the place and go anywhere but straight off jumps. It’s downright terrifying to ride.
Anyway, which one would you buy and why? I’d like to hear your opinions. Is one a better value than the other? I’m learning towards the Felt Compulsion because the bike *looks* a lot like my K2, i.e. the head angle looks similar. It’s also a 26″ just like my K2. The Diamondback looks completely different but is more mainstream and has received widespread praise, while the Felt is the exact opposite. There is very little online feedback on the Felt.
If I buy the Diamondback, it’ll be brand new for around $2200. The Felt would be $1800, and used, but hardly. It is a 2014 model and some old guy who barely rode it is the owner.
Thanks in advance. Yes, I know the best way is to ride them both, but I’m just looking for your personal opinions about the bikes, in part because it is impossible to test ride the Diamondback before purchase (only available online). -
To be fair it seems like you don’t know what you want. The K2, the Kato, and the Mission are vastly different bikes.
You think the 69 head-angle on the Kato is twitchy, yet your K2 probably has a old school 72-74 head angle, while the Mission is full Enduro with 66.5 and a 36 fork.
You talk about hitting jumps yet are leaning towards XC geometry while pointing at Trail and Enduro bikes that have nothing in common with your K2.
In my opinion you need to get used to modern bike geometry if you want a Trail or Enduro bike, and then pick a bike for the type of ridding you do. Your K2 almost has nothing in common with modern Trail/Enduro bike geometry, even Trail Hardtails.
I’d suggest renting or demoing any Enduro bike because I don’t think you understand the use case or feel of a Mission 2 type bike.
Also do not spend 1800 on a 26″ bike in 2017.
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That was very insightful. Thank you, audacious. I think you’re right.
I guess I’m just looking for a bike that rides like my K2, but that doesn’t sound like a bike with modern geometry. Interestingly enough, this is similar to what the folks at REI just told me a few hours ago. They told me the reason I don’t like my Kato is because it’s a modern platform. I came in to have them adjust the suspension, they told me the sag is set correctly and based off my complaints, I simply need to ride the bike more. They emphasized that there is also a different technique involved in jumping a full suspension bike compared to a hardtail. They said something about preload, but I didn’t quite catch that.
Anyway, I just got back from my second ride on the bike, and I feel ever so slightly more confident on it – still not as confident on jumps as with my hardtail, though. It absolutely flies downhill and rails corners so much faster than my K2, though. Jumps are just kind of sketchy.
Now it’s just between the Kato and the Mission. For better or worse, I’ve already ordered the mission, as I was convinced I was going to return the Kato, but now I’m not so sure. Most reviews give the Kato a three-star rating, but it sounds like the mission is an entirely different platform altogether.
Anyway, thanks for the advice. Just out of curiosity, would the head angle of a Mission or a Kato be, generally speaking, better suited for jumps?
Other than that, it sounds like I’ll just need to ride both bikes and find what is the most comfortable for me.
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That was very insightful. Thank you, audacious. I think you’re right.
I guess I’m just looking for a bike that rides like my K2, but it sounds like a bike with modern geometry isn’t going to. Interestingly enough, this is similar to what the folks at REI just told me a few hours ago. They told me the reason I don’t like my Kato is because it’s a modern platform. I came in to have them adjust the suspension; they told me the sag is set correctly and based off my complaints, I simply need to ride the bike more. They emphasized that there is also a different technique involved in jumping a full suspension bike compared to a hardtail. They said something about preload, but I didn’t quite catch that.
Anyway, I just got back from my second ride on the bike, and I feel ever so slightly more confident on it – still not as confident on jumps as with my hardtail, though. It absolutely flies downhill and rails corners so much faster than my K2. Jumps are just kind of sketchy.
Now it’s just between the Kato and the Mission. For better or worse, I’ve already ordered the mission, as I was convinced I was going to return the Kato, but now I’m not so sure. Most reviews give the Kato a three-star rating, but it sounds like the mission is an entirely different platform altogether.
Anyway, thanks for the advice. Just out of curiosity, would the head angle of a Mission or a Kato be, generally speaking, better suited for jumps?
Other than that, it sounds like I’ll just need to ride both bikes and find what is the most comfortable for me.
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Head-angle is about stability on the downhill. A lower head angle pushes the front tire out forward making it more stable at speed and on the downhill.
Stability while jumping isn’t really affected by head angle. I think your problem is that the Kato probably has a wider handle bar, and the Mission 2 will probably have an even wider handle bar paired with a short stem. So the Mission 2 should feel more twitchy then the Kato if its rocking something like 35-50mm stem and a ~780mm bar.
It affords you more stability and leverage, but if you’ve been ridding on a XC type bars it probably feels twitchy. Basically the K2 lets you be more sloppy on the steering. Again its something you have to just accept and get used to if you want a modern Trail or Enduro bike.
Pre-load on a full suspension just means pushing down into the travel to take advantage of the shock/fork rebound. If you have ever pushed down into your fork/shock in the driveway, you’ve already done a pre-load. If you have proper jumping technique you’ll automatically pre-load anyways, so idk why REI is trying to freak you out with mumbo jumbo. Just push down a bit into the travel just before taking off, you probably do it already anyways.
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