Do people hate Kona?

TheWeldon

Ive just got a good deal on a kona cinder cone 09, (£500) picking it up today. I was very exited and i was just looking on here for some general feedback. But in the reccommended bikes section, no konas. Nobody even mentions the dam things (not that i can see), In other places they say its a good bike for the price, just got me a bit worried thats all.

dave_hill

They do tend to get overlooked, but they're a perfectly good brand. BEen goign over 20 years so they can't be all bad!!

If there's one criticism of Konas that tends to resurface it's that they can be a bit under-specced for the price. There's better value out there for sure but the Cinder Cone is still a good bike.

And in any case, who cares? If it gets you out riding, it's worth every penny, right??

The Spiderman

Konas alway have nice frames,especially theri hardtails.Its just at the lower end the spec isn`t always as good value as what you can get elsewhere.
I still really like the Kula Primo.

TheWeldon

thanks for the replies,
I got a good discount on it which in my mind justifies the overpricing issues people have with kona bikes. Im happy now

geordiefreerider

Shhh Konas are the best kept secret ha ha I love mine mate you wont regret it quality frames just upgrade as you can afford it.

The Northern Monkey

Kona's are great bikes

However, they do seem to be quite overpriced and underspeced compared to the competition! Frames are nice tho

geordiefreerider

When I touch my kona I have a teeny weeny sex wee

dave_hill

geordiefreerider wrote:

When I touch my kona I have a teeny weeny sex wee

Waaayyyyy too much info.... :shock:

Mrs Toast

dave_hill wrote:

geordiefreerider wrote:

When I touch my kona I have a teeny weeny sex wee

Waaayyyyy too much info.... :shock:

It's as bad as Supersonic and his Zaskar 'confession'. :shock:

geordiefreerider

Ha ha, just tryin to raise a few smiles

dave_hill

Mrs Toast wrote:

dave_hill wrote:

geordiefreerider wrote:

When I touch my kona I have a teeny weeny sex wee

Waaayyyyy too much info.... :shock:

It's as bad as Supersonic and his Zaskar 'confession'. :shock:

Yes, but Supersonic is most likely beyond help...!!!

ashfanman

I always found that with Marins. Gorgeous frames, but cheaper components.

But the components will always wear out, so it gives you a better base to upgrade on as you go along. Particularly if you got a discount!

-liam-

Love my kona !

Let the sheep have their spesh's, Giants and Gt's..

Kona owners are special

geordiefreerider

I had a marin rift zone it looked the part but felt flexy and skittish compared to my kona dawg matic which just feels solid and inspires confidence - also my sex appeal has increased tenfold

TheWeldon

ive allways wanted a kona and now youve justified my love for kona, cheers guys, im picking it up in 20 mins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Northern Monkey

Surely the justification should be from how it rides... not 13 posts on a forum

Mr Wu

-Liam- wrote:

Love my kona !

Let the sheep have their spesh's, Giants and Gt's..

Kona owners are special

Dont forget us Orange owners too, BAAAAAAAAAA!

geordiefreerider

Some konas are crap some are good you get what you pay for and even then sometimes you dont, I like mine but then I liked my crappy 5 speed townsend as a 7 yr old !!!!!

Wacky Racer

I have a Kona Blast 09 model, and it is excellent, rides a dream and I reckon the frame is amongst the best out there for the money. I do agree with some other comments that they are often not great value alongside others which get regular mentions on here, but I actually think the frame is more important than the kit, as you change kit out anyway when it wears. However, the value becomes less of an issue when you can get a deal as I did, I managed an 09 model last October for £100 off the normal price, which is pretty damn good for the latest spec.

In addition to that, it is good to get what you feel happy riding, rather than just follow the crowd! My full-suss is an Iron Horse Azure, and I have never seen another one at trails I ride, which are full of Giants, GT's, Spesh's, Treks. I am happy to be different. Oh, and the paintwork is fabulous, my bike looks the mutts nuts!

cee

the other thing about kona's is that they don't seem to hold their value particularly well, which means they can be had 2nd hand rather cheaply...

caveat.. this is entirely anecdotal and based on kona's i have seen for sale.

The Northern Monkey

whats a caveat? :? sounds like your asking directions to a cave

geordiefreerider

Wacky's right about the frame, my dawg frame is 5 yr old now and i've only just had to change rear suspension bearings and headset, I would prefer to have a good frame and upgrade parts as i break em than have a crap frame with loads of trick bits on !

MeddlE

Love my Kona hardtail, never been keen on the full sussers though. Changed shifter and mech to Saint, XT cassette, Halo SAS 24" wheels, Deity bars, lock-on grips, Outland pedals, Charge saddle, single ring front with E-13 SRS. Rides lovely.

topsey_turvey

I've got a Kona Caldera hardtail. Built it up with my own gear and am well pleased with it. Frame seems bombproof.

Raymondavalon

Got a 2006 Kula and I cannot find fault with it.
IMO Kona bikes are great value for money, tough, reliable and if you bought a model with "cheap finishes" they can always be upgraded as the frames are great.

A lot of the Carrera range from Halfords are based on Kona frames too..

stevieboy

Haha, I laugh in the face of people who look down their noses at my Hope'd up Kona Especially when I can haul 35lb up hills that 'those types' can only walk up, dont even start me on the downs

Yes they are under specc'd, and that is the only problem so they get overlooked in tests quite often. But on the flip side, who doesnt upgrade their bikes anyway?

My Coilair is now a proper bike since the addition of a decent set of brakes and wheels, that was all that was required really.

Also, who wants to be a sheep? It'd be a sad old world if we all rode the same bike's *cough* spesh *cough*

Furbes

I for one love my Kona , never let me down
If i sell it , it will be for another one :!:

Nick Dastardly

Kona are the Alfa of the mountain bike world, they're not always technically the best choice but there's something special about them. Wanted one since I was about 10!

Willrideforcake

Love my Caldera. Swapped the forks out ('Zocchi MZ Races) for something a little more robust (RS Revs), and now it's almost perfect.

toasty

I like the brand, I just wish they'd kept a bit more of their heritage. Forget all the On Ones, Cotics and P7s, Kona steel frames used to be the dogs nuts, they also came in a nice range of sizes! Now they're just pumping out generic taiwanese frames like everyone else.

Ah, how I wanted one of those old gold 1996 Cinder Cones

That said, I still like them, interesting bikes to see around. I'd not want one unless it was the old 1996 Cinder Cone or an Explosif though! :P Interesting what was said on resale value, the old steel ones sell really well, couriers love the things for pimping out.

andyturner28

Furbes wrote:

I for one love my Kona , never let me down
If i sell it , it will be for another one :!:

Interesting saddle angle there! Is that your form of male contraception