Bike for KT.

[DAVID J]

I'm going to the kingdom trails for the first time.What would be better;a rigid or a 5" fully.I've heard the trail are real smooth.So whats the best bet?

[Jisch]

Between those two I think I would pick the rigid bike. There are no rocks, but quite a few roots. Last time I was there I rode with AoF who was on a rigid 29er.

I think the ideal bike would be a HT. I rode my 4" FS bike last time up there and it was fine, but its more of a race bike. One of the other riders had a Prophet (5" FS) and he did fine...

John

[C.P.]

Simple answer, Bring the bike you LOVE the most...

Or, to confuse you even more, Darling Hill side is primarily "XC" and you could link together a 20 miler no problem - there are hills to climb - hardtail would be nice.
But...if you're up on Burke Mtn side, there are a bunch of fast flowy rooty (not much rock) downhill sections coming off the top part of the mtn, and if you're a speedaholic, you'll appreciate suspension.

[Mt.A TODD]

I am soooo glad I brought my Prophet to KT for both sides, I would not have had as nearly as much fun there on my hardtail or been able to go as fast, I burned out all of the grease in my rear hub… I will never bring my HT there, never! Full suspension is the way to roll if you want to go fast, I was surprised how rooty some of the trails were. I suppose a 29 HT would be a different story, but even then some of the twisty tight trails needed a lot of body english to hammer back and forth and weave between the trees and keep up a fast clip. I can see how a rigid bike would be fun on SOME of the trails, and yes it is one of the best trail systems for a single speed, but there is just no way I would have been able to hammer down Tody’s, Sidewinder and the Moose trails without FS. It was like my geared squishy bike had a knob that went all the way up to 11!

Really none of the climbs are that much of a lung buster, difficult or really that long, so the advantage of having a light bike is really disadvantage IMHO for the majority of riding that can be hammered out.

[radair]

I am soooo glad I brought my Prophet ....blah de blah blah

Pansy. Hardtail SS is too much fun at KT, particularly on the Darling Hill side.

[Superb Man]

Basically any bike will do-xc dualie is my pick--but then again that's my only bike!

[edge]

Between those two I think I would pick the rigid bike. There are no rocks, but quite a few roots. Last time I was there I rode with AoF who was on a rigid 29er.

I think the ideal bike would be a HT. I rode my 4" FS bike last time up there and it was fine, but its more of a race bike. One of the other riders had a Prophet (5" FS) and he did fine...

John

hey john, that was me on the prophet. re sidewinder @ 10g.s, holy **** that was a fun ride.

dave. did you sell the turnerburner? if you still have it that's what I'd bring. 4in xc bike would be great up there.

if it's gone. bring the hardtail. that place is smooth compared to the stuff we ride ;) prophet is overkill cept for a few sections.

[DAVID J]

Still have the Turner but the rear hub needs some love.I'll bring my Prophet this time,maybe the wifes rigid next time.

[edge]

Still have the Turner but the rear hub needs some love.I'll bring my Prophet this time,maybe the wifes rigid next time.

you'll have a blast there dave. put the prophet in the 69d ha setting, with 10 extra psi in the tires and crank. go to sidewinder. when you get there go as high on the banks as you can. no fear. that trail is designed like no other I've ever been on. when you're done for the day jump in the river behind the bike shop. then walk across the street and get a turkey gobbler samwitch and a beer. kingdom.

[ArmOnFire]

I've done it on a geared 5" FS and a rigid SS.

Had a blast both times.

Just go and ride it.

-Dan

[grnbkr]

I rode Kingdom with Liam on by Iron Horse Azure and had a blast. this bike I thought was perfect for these trails. I was glad at the end of the day I brought a light bike with gears to help me on our 20+ mile outing. i never felt like this bike wasn't "big" enough to handle the trails there (we rode everything but the trails on Burke Mtn)

[DAVID J]

Next time I'll bring my Burner.The Prophet was alittle overkill.

[Mt.A TODD]

What would be better;a rigid or a 5" fully.
Hey!You didn't say anything about a Burner.

[pk]

I've ridden KT on a dualie, a tandem and a rigid SS, and I've had a blast each time. It's hard to go wrong. However, climbing to the top of Burke Mtn. on a SS was a bit taxing. ;)

pk

[Adam]

Hey PK, did you ride down the access road from the top of the mtn. where that picture is from?

The last day we ride KT a few of us made a rapid descent from the summit of Burke Mtn. to the CCC road trail. 1 wipeout (my buddy didn't quite make one of the switchbacks) and a 54mph blast down the last straightaway make for quite a hoot before ducking into the woods! HT, rigid, or fully..just make sure you've good brakes:)

[BigMac]

Basically any bike will do-xc dualie is my pick--but then again that's my only bike!

your only bike, you still have the cannondale classic don't you:har: