Kona/Norco/GT

[wokkawokkawokka]

ok I've been trolling the forum trying to learn what I could before asking stupid questions, and now i think I've narrowed my bike choice down to 3 bikes;

Kona Scrap

Norco Sasquatch

GT Chucker

I like the scrap and sasquatch because they seem bulletproof but I like the GT because I am coming from a BMX background.

Basically this bike is for fun, riding will include freeriding, bmx tracks, stairs and urban hucks etc. I am looking at a small to medium size in the bikes, but being 6'3" and 95kgs I am a little worried about the strength of them especially the GT, anyone who has had experience with these bikes (especially big boned boys like me:D) maybe you can help me out with suitability

cheers

[benni]

Norco, no doubt about it. im pretty sure it has way better spec than the others aswell. the gt is a heap of shit if you ask me look at the forks and other components!

[Sam!!]

yeah i just bought a Sasquatch as my muck around bike and for dirt jumps
you should get it,there just so reliable

[norcorulz]

Basically this bike is for fun, riding will include freeriding, bmx tracks, stairs and urban hucks etc. I am looking at a small to medium size in the bikes, but being 6'3" and 95kgs I am a little worried about the strength of them especially the GT, anyone who has had experience with these bikes (especially big boned boys like me:D) maybe you can help me out with suitability

cheers

With the above information i would highly recommend the Norco Sasquatch. Having previously ridden and 05 Norco Bigfoot and ridden a mates 06 Sasquatch i would highly recommend it up to the abuse it will partake in. And you can't beat the lifetime warranty on the frame either!

A mate of mine has a 05 chucker and quite frankly it did't hold up too well to the abuse he gave it. he only rode a bit of 4x and dirt jumping and had problems with the gears, wheels, and brakes within the first 2 months.

I would also consider the Kona Scrap. Having ridden a 06 Stuff (next model up) i would have to say it is a very good 4x/dj/urban bike. It held upto my 78kg with plenty of cases and hard/flat landings.

In my opinon the best bet it either the Kona Scrap or Norco Sasquatch. Hope this helps.

[flying high dh killer]

They aren't on the same level in regards to price and spec. The GT on the level of the sasquatch is the ruckus (the chucker is a kid's bike). Having owned the GT and my friend having owned the sasquatch, i spent alot of time on both bikes and preferred the GT. It's a lighter and smoother ride though it's more street/dj oriented than the norco. As for the scrap i can't really comment as i haven't ridden it, or any kona for that matter.

[bodgie]

Hey my vote is for the sasquatch. I got one earlier this year and its an awesome bike. Good for basically all sorts of riding. And now they're cheap as. You can pick them up just under $1000 now.

[DH Boy]

Hey my vote is for the sasquatch. I got one earlier this year and its an awesome bike. Good for basically all sorts of riding. And now they're cheap as. You can pick them up just under $1000 now.

hey
the sasquatch defiently but i havent seen thekona scrap. Just to tell u this i have a GT Chucker 1.0 and it is crap ive had it for 11months and ive brocken the derailler 3 times and the arm 2 times.
what ever u do do not buy the chucker im just saving u a couple of hundred dollars in repairs:cool:

[NICK ATKINS]

Defiantly the sasquatch

[warrior]

I had an 07 sasquatch, great bike. I'm 90kgs and had not troubles.

[LIAM?!]

Kona = no
Norco = maybe
GT = hell no

I think you should broaden your search again, because you can get heaps better bikes than those for the prices they retail at!

[bodgie]

What actually is your budget? If its just around the $1000 mark your not going to get a better deal than the sasquatch. From what i hear not many people like the GT even the people who have them hate them. The kona frame is nice but the spec inst real great. The sasquatch will definitely give you the best bang for your buck.

[LIAM?!]

Umm what about a Specialized p1, shits all over a Sasquatch! even though its a single speed (which is a good thing for me :D) you can do everything u said with a single speed!

[bodgie]

I wouldnt really say shits all over the sasquatch. They are sweet bikes though. The red hubs on them look bling. Only downside really is they have mechanical disc brakes (although the bb5's are pretty good as far as mech disc brakes go) also you only get rukiton cranks.

[wokkawokkawokka]

Umm what about a Specialized p1, shits all over a Sasquatch! even though its a single speed (which is a good thing for me :D) you can do everything u said with a single speed!

maybe if a 2nd hand p2 comes up..., just out of curiosity do many of you guys free ride with single speed?

thanks for all your help guys I was originally headin to the sasquatch but the gt just seemed more familiar to what i used to ride. I'll keep trolling the forums and see what i can find on the cheap

cheers

[DWN-HLR]

I Raced A Kona Stuff In Ht Dh Which I Just Sold

I Used It For Everything Xc,dh,fr,4x And Anything Else You Can Think Of

Very Strong And Very Nice To Ride


And Incase Your Wondering Y I Sold Mine?

Because I Want Something A Little More Bling Hehe

[Mo]

a medium sasquatch will do everything you want.
although to me the GT looks a lot better.
the scrap had too much of a DJ feel to it. small and constricted cockpit, well im talll so could be a bit biased.

[mtb_slipknot_fan]

I Raced A Kona Stuff In Ht Dh Which I Just Sold

I Used It For Everything Xc,dh,fr,4x And Anything Else You Can Think Of

Very Strong And Very Nice To Ride


And Incase Your Wondering Y I Sold Mine?

Because I Want Something A Little More Bling Hehe

Dont listen to him........

My bro has an chucker 2.0 and its to say the least a p.o.s, id go with the sasquatch if you want to do more all round riding. The p1 would be the way to go for dj street though.

[Yakuza Michael]

What ever you do do not buy the chucker. I have an '06 Chucker 1.0, I've had to replace the fork lowers because the dodgy QR chewed out the dropouts. There are also 2 cracks in the frame around near the headtube, which at the moment im not too worried about but they will probably get bigger. Avoid the GT like the plague!

[DH Boy]

please whatver you do dont get the gt cause ive had it for 11months and already paided 450 on repairing brocken deraillers and swing arms.
And now i have to get a new back wheelset cause i buckled the rims so much and bent the hub and that was only on 4 foot jumps and 7 foot drops.
just get the sasquatch and you'll be happy same wth the p.1 you would be happy with one of those.

[LIAM?!]

maybe if a 2nd hand p2 comes up..., just out of curiosity do many of you guys free ride with single speed?

thanks for all your help guys I was originally headin to the sasquatch but the gt just seemed more familiar to what i used to ride. I'll keep trolling the forums and see what i can find on the cheap

cheers

were the hell is marrayong? in Sealys Cycles they are selling a 2007 p1 for $1000

[kernsy]

yeh i reckon the norco

[wokkawokkawokka]

marayong is near blacktown nsw, thanks for the advice to steer clear of the chucker, you guys have saved me some heartache by the sounds of it. Now all i have to do is ride the p1/p2/sasquatch and get the feel of their differences. Still I have to ask, how many of you guys ride singlespeed for freeriding?

[bodgie]

Hey i really wouldn't imagine that single speed would be good for free riding. I've never actually tried it though so its only a guess. I think for dirt jumping and street it would be great. I've found a gear that i think is perfect for me for jumping and i always use that so i reckon if i was single speed in that gear it would be awesome. But for free riding you'd be out doing drops and stuff in and around the usual single track and downhill trails and i'd reckon you'd want gears to be able to getting there and riding those sort of areas.

[flying high dh killer]

did anyone read my post??

[wokkawokkawokka]

They aren't on the same level in regards to price and spec. The GT on the level of the sasquatch is the ruckus (the chucker is a kid's bike). Having owned the GT and my friend having owned the sasquatch, i spent alot of time on both bikes and preferred the GT. It's a lighter and smoother ride though it's more street/dj oriented than the norco. As for the scrap i can't really comment as i haven't ridden it, or any kona for that matter.

yeah i read it, but from the sounds of things the gt chucker 1.0 (the adult bike) has some strength issues and at 95ish kgs i dont really want to take the risk, if i find a ruckus i'll keep it in mind but there seems to be more stuff/shred/sasqutch's around 2nd hand

[flying high dh killer]

The chucker 1 is still what i'd classify as a beginner bike so would definately be a no go. I recently got a chameleon frame and it feels great. It also has horizontal dropouts so you can run SS if you want. Perfect do-everything bike.

[stp rider]

my mate has a chucker he uses it for everything FR/AM/DJ and the only thing that has broken is the derailer hanger, it has noting on my customised stp but is a good bike 4 the price.

the sasquash isnt a strong bike and i would not suggest it but it does have 150mm travel.

haven't rode a kona so get that one.

[flying high dh killer]

the sasquash isnt a strong bike and i would not suggest it but it does have 150mm travel.

haven't rode a kona so get that one.

What do evidence do you base that on on? You're also recommending a bike based on the fact that you haven't ridden it. Begs the question why you are posting at all?

[User Name:]

Why does everyone hate the Chuckers!
They are good bikes and are very strong. The forks are the only not so good thing on the bike but they still work well and do not have any problems

[SLICK_ZERO]

go the norco you cant go wrong awsome spec and so nice to ride

[bodgie]

my mate has a chucker he uses it for everything FR/AM/DJ and the only thing that has broken is the derailer hanger, it has noting on my customised stp but is a good bike 4 the price.

the sasquash isnt a strong bike and i would not suggest it but it does have 150mm travel.

haven't rode a kona so get that one.

Dude what are you smoking. How can you say a sasquatch is a strong bike but then rave about an STP? Theres a reason the sasquatch's weigh in at close to 17kg. Coz theyre built to be bomb proof. Have you actually got any proof to back up this claim that the sasquatch isnt a strong bike or are you just your typical stp rider that thinks stp's rule and everything else sucks. Seriously there isnt going to be many stronger hardtails around, especially for the price.

[J-ack]

Dude what are you smoking. How can you say a sasquatch is a strong bike but then rave about an STP? Theres a reason the sasquatch's weigh in at close to 17kg. Coz theyre built to be bomb proof. Have you actually got any proof to back up this claim that the sasquatch isnt a strong bike or are you just your typical stp rider that thinks stp's rule and everything else sucks. Seriously there isnt going to be many stronger hardtails around, especially for the price.

Mate, his name says it all.

Wokka, have you thought about an STP? If $1k's your budget then you've pretty much got the choice of a new STP2 or a 2nd hand STP1. I do pretty much anything on my 2 with a couple of upgrades, and it's gone pretty well so far.

Good luck with the search,
Jack.

[*ChuckerKid*]

i have a 3 month old chucker and its great i mabye only 13 but it does everything i can. i have not had any problems either.

[Sutek]

please whatver you do dont get the gt cause ive had it for 11months and already paided 450 on repairing brocken deraillers and swing arms.
And now i have to get a new back wheelset cause i buckled the rims so much and bent the hub and that was only on 4 foot jumps and 7 foot drops.
just get the sasquatch and you'll be happy same wth the p.1 you would be happy with one of those.

Is this the new chucker dually;) They don't have swing arms matey. The rear triangle consists of seat stays and chain stays.

07 Norco Sasquatch with 20mm thru front, now avail $997 brand new at a certain Norco Dealer in Sydney;)

PS, I'm sick of STP riders trying to pretend they own a bike comparable to EVERY other hardtail ever made. STP - Street, Trail, Park.
They are not anywhere near the same as a Sasquatch. They are intended to excel at different things.

[DH Boy]

Why does everyone hate the Chuckers!
They are good bikes and are very strong. The forks are the only not so good thing on the bike but they still work well and do not have any problems

everyone hates chuckers cause they are crap i have ne and i even thng they are crap but i suppose i may be doing stuff a bit above what it is designed for but still they are a very crap bike

[13677meelo]

GT get the hell out of here!!!!!!:mad:
Kona and norco
i would choose norco:)

[noddy]

if your a BMX'er (racer i presume) i'm guessing yould be pretty smooth, so realy the only downside to the chucker is the derailer hanger and the forks don't compare to the others.
the chucker is a lot lighter than the norco.

that said, i would still go the norco, although its heavyer, because it has a much better spec, and is damn strong.

never ridden the kona so i can't give any info on that.

[marcus 01]

no offence to anyone who owns a gt but i think there not all that much dont get a gt

[josh88]

Hey, i'd go the norco sasquatch they are a great bike. If your quick you might be able to pick one up from the bike shed mortdale for $997.

[Norcorider2]

yeah the norco sasquatch is a great buy from that shop, but u better be quick it will be sold out soon.

[earth_head]

get a sassy! there freakin awesome man!

[dhsam]

Norco to the max great freerid/DH yet can DJ awesomly!!! other forks are too stiff and dont have enough trvel on other bikes

[nedz33]

you really should get the norco they are the best hartails out there (exceptions to some).

[partyanimal]

I defy norco! GET TEH KONA! they are unbreakable!

[wokkawokkawokka]

I defy norco! GET TEH KONA! they are unbreakable!
unfortunately im not :( i got sick of sitting around the house with all this crap weather (although we do need the rain) so with this little bit of sun i decided to go for a little run along the M7 where i've scouted a few little fun bits, mainly drops off the earthmounds they put up for soundproofing, well the kicker i set up on the top of one was still good so i checked the landing, it was a fair bit rutted but i thought ridable so i hit it, big mistake, the front bogged down on the bottom of the mound, the forks bottomed out and i went over, and i dislocated my shoulder for the 2nd time this year:mad: woo farkin hoo!!! the bike followed and surprisingly stayed together!! http://forums.farkin.net/showthread.php?t=89544

anyway need to take it easy for a little while, but hopefully will be riding again in 4 weeks albeit a little slowly.

[C.H.B]

get the sasquatch mate cant go wrong :)

[dailywar]

go a Norco Manik, i have one and they are an awesome bike. nothing has broken and its resonably speced for stock.