Entry Level DS

Any experience with a Giant Yukon SX or Kona Four? They're about all I can think of for a decent all-round DS bike with a budget of no more than $1800.

Use is general trails, eg Manly Dam, Red Hill etc, not out to win XC comps (and not a lot of choice at that price range).

The Giant seems well spec'd for the price, although a tad heavy. I imagine the Kona would be similar if not heavier though?

Edit: Found the weight of the Giant, 15.3kgs.

Any particular reason you want a duallie vs. a hard tail?

FS bikes that are sub 2.5k tend to be too heavy, have cheaper parts, and the bushings/bearings aren't exactly top of the line stuff either, all meaning that it could be a very high maintenance bike.

Below 2k, most people are better off looking at a hardtail, and you can get very well specc'd hard tails in this price range.

n

Yep - it was the bit where I got flung off my hardtail on the Manly Dam track where it's got hundreds of those rocks sticking out.

And when I saw a guy on a FS go down a rock-face section without hesitation where I was carrying my hardtail down

I know what you're saying....it's a tough one, but I think I'd prefer the ability to tackle more, over being able to go fast if you know what I mean.