Thanks, I felt pretty good going and talking to this guy since my friend is a hard core biker (mountain, cyclocross, and road) and the guys who I talked to owns the shop and is his really good friend. I just wanted to double check.
So I'm guessing based on that second to last line that him fitting it for me for free is a good deal? Since its a 2013 it's already 20% off and he's gonna get me totally set up if and when I buy it.
Another question, how much of a benefit are clip ins? And how much would that run me approximately?
Kona does make some pretty good bikes (as does Trek, Giant, etc). Personally, I'm a Specialized fanboy (and I'm not admitting to be a fanboy for many things!), so I'm always biased to Specialized (as are many, many other bikers).
But, I'm also more of the true-mountain biker, so I would trust PD's rec on this Kona over my opinions for which bike to get.
Yup, you usually gotta pay (depending on the shop maybe $50 or more) for a bike fitting, so that is hard to pass up if he will do it for free. BTW, in my book, free is always a good deal
About the "clip ins"..... I use Shimano SPDs. Technically, I think these are "clipless", but I dunno if that is marketing because it seems to me that I "clip in" when I use them. The Shimano SPD is pretty ubiquitous in mountain biking, there is probably better (and more $) on the market, but I've only used SPDs. Depends, but for that, you need the pedals and the shoes. New, you're probably looking at the $150 range and on up (maybe a little less if you look around enough). I bought mine "used" on Ebay for silly-cheap (it's been too long to remember how much I paid), but they were pretty much new. I'm sure someone bought them, tried them, and didn't like them, I put more wear on them by my 2nd ride than they had on them when I got them.
Now, the big advantage of the clips is that you can now push AND pull with each leg. It gives you more powa and more efficiency. It does take just a little time to get used to it, but now that I'm used to it, it feels funny when I ride my other bikes without the clips. If mostly riding on pavement and flat areas, then you won't get the most out of the clips. If riding on hills, mountains, gravel, then you will definitely appreciate the clips.
Also, I rec a cheapy pair of gloves (you can go expensive, but I just don't see putting the $ there) and a Camelbak. And the helmet.....don't skimp out on that, and wear it! That is certainly not a place to try to save a buck!
