The Kobain, by a noticeable margin. It's roughly two pounds lighter, has a slightly steeper head angle that's quicker to steer through switchbacks, and runs a shorter wheelbase that's easier to maneuver on tight uphills. Both share a 75° seat tube angle, so seated pedaling position is equally efficient — the difference shows up in how the bike handles climbing terrain, not how hard you have to pedal.

The Growler isn't a slow climber, but reviewers across Pinkbike, Bike Magazine, and Bigbluetire consistently note it feels "sluggish" on tight technical ascents, where its long wheelbase and ultra-slack front end work against you.

The Growler, clearly. The 64° head tube angle, 150 mm Marzocchi Z2 fork, and 1,210 mm wheelbase (md) give it genuine high-speed stability — multiple reviewers, including Mike Levy at Pinkbike, said they rode it "like a full-suspension bike," committing to lines they'd never try on a more traditional hardtail.

The Kobain handles chunky descents, but it asks more of the rider. Its 65.5° HTA and 130 mm fork put you in trail-bike territory, not enduro territory — composed and capable, but you'll need to pick lines, not plow them.

Big. The Growler ships with a Marzocchi Bomber Z2 — a genuine air-sprung trail fork that reviewers consistently praise as "without flaw" at this price point. The Kobain SX 12s ships with a RockShox 35 Silver R Coil, which is a much more basic unit; coil springs are heavier and harder to tune to rider weight, and the Silver R sits at the bottom of RockShox's trail-fork lineup.

If you plan to upgrade one component first, on the Growler it's the brakes; on the Kobain it's the fork.

Both bikes officially clear 29 x 2.6 Maxxis Minions stock, and Devinci publishes a 66 mm clearance figure for the Kobain — that's enough room to run a true 2.6 with mud clearance to spare.

Neither bike is a candidate for a plus-tire (2.8"+) conversion, and 27.5+ wheels aren't supported on either frame.

The Kobain is the better first mountain bike for almost anyone. Its more moderate geometry rewards developing skills — quicker steering, better climbing manners, and easier handling at low speed all matter when you're learning. Reviewers across Singletracks and Pinkbike specifically call it a "gateway" hardtail.

The Growler can be a first bike, but it's set up for a specific style of riding. If you already know you'll be hitting steep, fast trails or bike park flow lines, it'll grow with you faster — but it won't help you learn to ride tight, technical singletrack.

Both bikes ship with two-piston brakes, and both have been dinged for it. The Growler 50 uses a Shimano MT4100/MT420 setup that reviewers consistently say "lacks initial bite" and recommend upgrading to metallic pads, larger rotors, or a four-piston caliper — especially for aggressive riders, which the geometry actively encourages.

The Kobain SX 12s ships with SRAM Level T two-piston brakes, which similarly work but feel underpowered on long descents. For either bike, sintered pads and a 200 mm front rotor is the cheap, high-impact first upgrade.

Both frames are designed around their stock fork travel and the geometry gets weird beyond it. Mountain Bike Action specifically warned that bumping the Kobain to 140 mm "will radically change the bike" — the head angle slackens further, the bottom bracket rises, and the climbing manners suffer.

The Growler is already at 150 mm; pushing it to 160 mm makes it even more downhill-biased and degrades the climbing position further. Stay near stock unless you're doing a very specific build.

Devinci manufactures the Kobain frame in Quebec, Canada — one of the few mass-market alloy mountain bikes still made in North America — and backs the frame with a lifetime warranty to the original owner.

Rocky Mountain designs the Growler in Vancouver, BC, but production is overseas. Frame warranty is 5 years to the original owner against manufacturing defects.