Yes, it has been very informative. Doesn't change the fact that there is no such thing as a 2004 Pike, they didn't come out till 2005. So that leads me to disbelieve the message you got from holding a manual in your hand. The fact that Progressive didn't reprint their manuals since 2003 doesn't have any bearing on the shocks either. They need to do a reprint though, since the directions in the manual don't match the stickers on the shocks. But to make claims like IH is using old parts based on Progressive not printing new manuals? That's just silly. And obviously you're wrong about the Pike, I said in my last post that they didn't come out till '05, but you don't seem able to accept that, and that's just a plain fact. Wierd.
Seems like you're trying to justify the fact that you just traded in a sweet no-bob, fully active bike, for a single pivot, faux bar. (Yes, folks, this is called baiting, it can be fun
There's a good quote I've heard about Kona's "overbuilt, underengineered".
Seems like your shop could have handled it better though, but I don't know the circumstances. If I was your shop and I had another Pike available, I would have traded it out and took care of the warranty issues myself. After all, I assembled the bike and sold it to you. Seems like the shop owner could take some more responsibility and stand behind the products he sells, it was people at your LBS that told you to go see a RockShox dealer about the fork, not IH, right?
I haven't had any play on any of my previous full-sussers either (super-v and fuel) so I don't really find that acceptable, I'm with ya there. Then again, I don't notice it at all on the trail, and it seems to be a vertical play, not side-to-side, and it's only noticeable when you lift the bike off the ground. I'll have my new shock hardware installed monday, so should be a non-issue after that, hopefully.
Oh, yeah, I just remembered, wasn't some of the big hoopla about this bike was that it's using the new 7.5"x2.25"stroke 5th element that just came out for 2005, allowing an airsprung bike to use a lower leverage ratio and higher volume shock for a more active and linear feel? 2003 was still 1.5" stroke air shocks. That blows a big ol' hole in the other half of your used parts argument. So we have that settled. Doh!!! but you're still stuck on a single-pivot crappy-pedaling bike. Guess I can't help ya there.
The reason I state the years on the parts is from the manuals I received to care for the suspension parts. The 5th Element was for 2003 and the Rockshox Pike Race was a 2004. No confusion, just what I saw in my hands.
Do you frequently have confusion or delusions about what you're holding in your hand?
Gotta go ride,
d
Turtle01 said:
The reason I state the years on the parts is from the manuals I received to care for the suspension parts. The 5th Element was for 2003 and the Rockshox Pike Race was a 2004. No confusion, just what I saw in my hands. I don't have the bike anymore as it was returned, so I cannot check on the serial numbers to confirm a matching date code. Sorry Todd, "current stock" is a nice way of saying "whatever was in my parts bin for assembly at that time". Not doubting anybody's full statement, I just now what was in my hands.
Somebody also said that all the suspension bikes they have owned have had at least 1mm of "play". I've had a PsycleWerks Wildhare and now the Kona and there is no play in either of those rides.
It was interesting to see that the IH dealer in my area where I got my Kona cringed when I said I checked out an IH MKIII. I didn't tell him I bought one and returned it because I wanted to see his reaction. They don't even keep any stock on the floor because they have QC issue aura around them. The guy who cringed even owns an IH that's a few years old. I was surprised and not at the same time.
I also have a hard time believing that there are only 40-50 MKIII bikes like this in the world that have this problem. That would mean that almost half of them have made it to this board and then I received one of the out of the thousands sold everywhere. Think I might have to by a lottery ticket if that is the case. But, I do not hold the data in my hands for the numbers to disprove, just question.
This whole problem plus the conversation here has been very informative.
Dan