Do people hate Kona?

dilemna

I'm more into road bikes but last year took the plunge and bought a hardtail - a Kona Kula '08 in red and white at £200 off list price in the autumn sales. I'm well pleased as it's pretty cool, well it would be being a Kula. It handles pretty nicely and suits me just fine. The brakes are good. Woah!!! Been over the front already, ouch. The only change I have made to it is fitting a longer Thomson seat post. Apart from that it is pretty perfect.

I wanted one back in 2004 a cindercone if I remember. Frame was a gorgeous colour I thought - creamy sandy colour. Well I liked it. Alas I couldn't afford one then, still couldn't really last year, but got one anyway.

I tried comparable makes Trek, Specialised, etc, but they didn't fit me that well, not like the Kona and didn't ride as well. Happy peddling.

MeddlE

Kona bikes always feel 'solid', tried my mates Rockhopper and it feels so twitchy in comparison.

tlw1

Toasty wrote:

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

agree & thankfully managed to get an old one to build up as a singlespeed! Worried about getting an old hero - but its turned out ok!

tompug

I wasn't too impressed by by the 08 coilair i tested at Dalby demo day. It was cumbersome in tight slow corners and berms. It was an arse going up hill, and I had push when it was tight and twisty or I would fall off. It was better pointed downhill but not spectacular.

Milkie

Love mine...



Nice relaxed riding position, can easily ride it all day.

Wacky Racer

There you go, plenty of support for Kona!!

What makes me smile are those quick to write off a maker because they do not like one model. All manufacturers, even the very best, make the odd stinker, Kona included. It's a bit like writing off BMW because you once drove a Z3, probably the worst car they've ever produced, but they also make some corkers! Bikes are no different, and one persons dream is anothers nightmare.

Fortunately I learned not to worry about everyone elses opinion, try it before you buy it, and get what rides best for you.

eyes like marbles

have hung onto my 94 cinder cone frame, its graphite.
just lovely.

switchback18

Mr Wu wrote:

-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!

I reckon there's more Konas about than all the others. In what sense of the word do you mean 'special'?

Furbes

andyturner28 wrote:

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

I don't ride the Bike like that !!!
Just finished washing the Bike , didn't set the Seatpost properly there - my Legs ain't THAT long :!:

geordiefreerider

Milkie, being a larger gentleman may I ask what pressure you run your forks at ?

Andy B

geordiefreerider wrote:

Milkie, being a larger gentleman may I ask what pressure you run your forks at ?

So long as you have 25-30%* sag pressure doesn't matter what pressure you have in your forks.

*for general XC usage

dombo6

I love my Kona.

I got a Mokomoko full-sus in Jan 2000 and it was a fantastic bike. In Sept 03 the frame developed a crack at the rear shock pivot point and Kona replaced it with no quibbles with the then top of the range 2002 King Kikapu frame (their reasoning was that as my Mokomoko was built from Easton Ultralite tubing and the current one from cheaper 7005 pipes then only fair to replace with a frame built from the same stuff). So, great customer service too from Paligap the importers.

The pivot point is now reinforced on their bikes.

I have ridden it regularly ever since, raced at Gorrick, a couple of Afan Enduros, done several South Downs Way-in-a-day rides and regular hammering around my local trails. It is light enough for me and very strong. Over time I have upgraded the forks, wheels, bars and brakes, replaced the saddle as it wore out I rode it so much. Only the seatpost and front/rear mechs are original.

I will keep this frame until it dies, then bury it on top of my favourite hill.

I see a lot of Konas older than mine where I ride, they are excellent bikes and I would recommend them to anyone.

GyatsoLa

I can't recall the details, but I think about 6 or 7 years ago there was a hoopla in the States when Kona signed a deal with Walmart to be an exclusive supplier. Local bike shop saw this as an attempt to wipe them out - the shops basically told the big brands 'its Walmart or us, don't expect us to buy or maintain your products if you sell to Walmart', and Kona and the others backed down. But I think it did permanent damage to Kona's reputation in north America as a 'little guy' brand.

I do remember when Kona prided themselves on the variety of sizes and geometries of their frames, now they are just the same as all the other Asian sourced bikes, so they don't have the premium vibe they used to have when I first got into mountain biking about 10 years ago.

That said, I'm off now on my Kona Unit (singlespeed version of the Explosif). Its my single favourite bike of all.

britishseapower

Yeah i love Kona's too. Still riding my 2001 Fire Mountain in gold and its still going great after a few recent changes because the finishing kit tends to be on the cheap side, especially for the 'budget' bikes <£500. But the frames tend to be great quality. Unless i saw an amazing deal somewhere my next bike will probably be a Kona too.

LoUiS1985

I too have a Kona and love it!! got a kula frame and sid forks off e-bay for under £200! built it up and its got better kit on it than some bikes that are more than twice the price! kona all the way!

geordiefreerider

Andy I was trying to be funny - look at milkys picture ha ha !!!

SDK2007

As mentioned – Konas cost too much.
Even last year’s Kona models with £1k+ off are just about priced at right level.

£4.4k for a Coilair or Dawg Supreme – Just what are they smoking !!!