Beginner here. Wanted to get some extra thoughts. Price points are:
Kona Lava Dome $610
Cannondale Trail 7.1 – $621
Cannondale Trail 5 – 718
Salsa Rangefinder – $803
I am leaning towards the Kona due to color preference and it seems like it checks all the boxes while being cheaper. My friend says it’s worth it to go with the Rangefinder due to it being Deore components and that the fork travel is 120mm. He also has some bias as he owns a Surly.
Is there really that big of a difference between Deore and Microshift Advent?
Any and all thoughts are appreciated.
[https://99spokes.com/compare?bikes=salsa-rangefinder-deore-10-29-2022%2Ccannondale-trail-5-2022%2Ccannondale-trail-7.1-2022%2Ckona-lava-dome-2022](https://99spokes.com/compare?bikes=salsa-rangefinder-deore-10-29-2022%2Ccannondale-trail-5-2022%2Ccannondale-trail-7.1-2022%2Ckona-lava-dome-2022)
by DWheeless
2 Comments
I’d eliminate the Cannonades. The Kona and Salsa are pretty on par. I’d pick the rangefinder, but at those prices that $610 price is pretty good for the lava dome.
The Advent has a clutch and its performance is fine. I’d put it about on par with the Deore 10 speed in terms of performance.
That said, I have a few check boxes I recommend for any starter bike.
1. Air fork – none of these have that
2. Clutched 1x drivetrain. Both the Kona and Salsa have that.
3. Hydro brakes. Kona and Salsa have that as well, but I’d prefer the Shimano ones on the Rangefinder.
Beyond that
1. Dropper post – none have that
2. Tubeless Ready Tires – Rangerfinder says it isn’t, others might not be officially either, You can always try it.
3. Tapered head tube- The Kona and Salsa appear to have that.
4. Thru axles. None on any, accept the fork on the Salsa is.
Personally, I would look used if your budget is between $500-800. You will get way more bang for your buck.
I started on a 2023 Lava Dome and it worked great as my entry into mtb… took that thing down some pretty gnarly stuff. The Microshift Advent set wasn’t noticeably less responsive, functional, or durable than the Deore/SLX combo I have on my current trail bike. The cheap coil fork they come with is pretty lousy, but it got me out and exploring trails and introduced me to my new favorite hobby! No regrets 🙂
Used markets are different everywhere, but I will say that I was able to sell the Lava Dome for $500 when I upgraded to a full suspension; it was nice to get back most of what I’d put into it.