Over the winter not so much but by the end of the summer my shins are covered in pedal rash, I had a Cinder Cone with none stock tenderiser pedals, I love the bike, it was two inches above what I normally rode, a lot of no feet down at traffic lights, those pedals always caught me every trip.I have an almost new Giant MTB bought through the CTW scheme in a moment of madness, a Steel Kona Explosif, a Roberts White Spider and a few other Retro bikes and have ridden lots of others through the years.
When I ride new, I don't have to think much about what I do, the lines etc etc, let the brakes off and make it home un-bruised but feeling unchallenged ( I guess to some that's good).
Ride the Kona, I go home having felt like I have wrestled a Gorilla, bloodied shins and a great big smile on my face !
And I agree with the above post about components being made of Chinese cheese
er...oh how things change....Direction of prices is UP. And there's no sign of the market collapsing. Gross shortages of product and an increasing trend towards cycling means that if you buy wisely, then you will not lose anything on resale and that resale will be relatively easy. So if you want to 'try off-road cycling and see if it's for you' then you can buy at any price point and not lose money. I like retro bikes. But with an emotional upwelling, not rational thought. For riding anything technical I personally would use a modern geometry bike - long low and slack. That will make riding a far better experience and something you are more likely to stay into. I have been off road since the early 80's and have enjoyed every generation of bike and had a ball throughout that time. But I sure like my modern bikes. I am with d8mok - go modern. Perhaps hardtail - and do your own building. That way you can get something very special for far less than retail. You get the fun of buying components too.
er...oh how things change....
yes please.Boom bust