What do you think about the Kona Blast

wardy235

Is there any good/negative points about the Blast

Wacky Racer

Great frame, but shocking fork. I bought the 09 Blast just over a year ago as my first venture back into biking after a few years away, if I could have been bothered I would have upgraded rather than sell on because the frame really is excellent, to be fair Kona always make good frames.

Cons -
1) Dart 2 fork, just couldn't get it set up properly, frequently bottomed out no matter where it was set.
2) Slightly disappointing very clicky 24 speed, which I could only ever get around 20 from.
3) The large chainring lost its teeth quickly and needed replacing after just 300 miles.
4) The stock pedals are useless, replaced after a week.
5) The grips were poor, twist very easily, replaced with lock-ons.

Pro's -
1) The frame is immense, rock solid and looks good in the flesh.
2) Great saddle, very comfortable WTB speed.
3) Brakes - Don't be kidded that Mechanical disc brakes aren't as good, they are frighteningly good on this bike in wet and dry, and they have a nice feel to them rather than being on/off like alot of hydraulic discs.
4) Alex Ace rims are really robust and lasted very well.
5) Tyres - Maxxis Ignitors seemed to suit the bike so well, plenty of grip in all conditions I faced on it.
6) Kona XC riser bar, perfect for me, gives good control given that it's an own brand component.

If you want something for the shorter term I wouldn't choose this bike as you can get more for your money, but if you want something to upgrade then you've got a superb frame to work with. Make sure you try for size, it's a relatively large frame, you may need a size lower than you think.

Where are my stabilisers?

Love mine too (2006) - excellent frame, have upgraded lot's of bits over the last couple of years... the fork is next to go, although it probably should have been the first! Thing is, you can't expect an awesome fork for the price of a blast - there has to be a compromise somewhere.

Such a great ride though, I'm not getting rid of mine anytime soon, just upgrading parts when required

simonp123

I have a 2009 Blast Deluxe.

I agree about the poor fork, especially if you are 17 stone like me! I soone upgraded to a Tora 318 Solo air fork. Pedals rubbish too (what standard ones aren't), and grips not great.
I had no gear problems with mine.
The wheels put up with my weight over some pretty harsh terrain, same for the frame.
The hydraulic brakes on the Deluxe are fab.

Great starting point as the frame is good and upgrades will be worth doing whne things wear.

Dirtydog11

At this price point the choice is likely to be Suntour or Dart 2/3.

Given the choice between Dart 2 forks and a set of Suntours I'd have the Dart 2/3 s any day of the week. The seals on Suntour forks are absolute crap and they have been that way for years. I can't comment on the bike iteslf but you could do a lot worse than Rock Shox Dart 2s on a bike.

Whackyracer I think your being a bit harsh.

Point 1. Sounds like you had too soft a spring fitted ? If I where to hazard a guess I'd say you are a heavy guy on a 18inch or less frame. 20 inch frames and larger would tend to come with a firm spring fitted.
Point 2. Sounds like an indexing/cable/setup issue that can and does happen on lots of bikes irrespective of price.
Point 3. Fair Enough
Point 4. You should be gratefull it came with pedals as a lot don't.
Point 5. Most grips do twist, even more expensive aftermarket ones unless of course you do as you have done and gone with lockons.

Where are my stabilisers?

Hardly ever had a problem with the gears on mine (deore) - in fact I'm having more trouble with the X0 set up on my other bike at the moment! Just needs a bit of tinkering.

The only things I've HAD to replace in nearly three years have been the pedals, bottom bracket and gear cables. The pedals had toe clips - not for me, and the bottom bracket finally died at the beginning of this year (probably should have replaced it sooner mind). I changed the chainset at the same time as it was getting worn. Cables obviously need replacing every now and then.

I think everything else I've changed has been done just to upgrade or pimp it up a bit!

And to be honest, it's only since getting my full suss with a revelation fork on it, that I've realised how rubbish the fork on my blast is. It used to do the job fine, but now I've been introduced to a higher class/price fork, it shows up the performance difference. But like I said before, I love the frame, so I'll be saving up for a new fork rather than a more expensive hardtail.

The blast has had some great reviews in recent years, so if you can get it for a bargain price in the sales and you like the feel of it, I think it's well worth it..... just my personal opinion obviously

wardy235

more reviews appreciated as at the mo got it down to the kona blast, Carrera Fury and rockrider 8.1other ideas appreciated tho

Wacky Racer

Whackyracer I think your being a bit harsh.

I wasn't being harsh, I was being honest, in fact on the whole I was happy with the bike, and for the price it met my expectations. Also would like to point out that I am 12 stone and was riding an 18" frame.

Point two may have been specific to my bike, but even my LBS could never quite sort it out as it should be, and was always gears short. I can only comment on what I found.

As for pedals, it's a relevant point, if someone has a budget and can't afford to upgrade the pedals they need to know.

The grips issue is an easy one to sort out for a few quid, but it's a fact.

My positives about the bike outnumbered the negatives, but I am not one to gloss over the shortcomings, just because it's a £500 bike.

Instead of people getting all defensive because they own one, it's best to give a fair balanced review, and I stand by what I said, it's a great frame with great brakes and well worth upgrading, all stated in my original summary.

Would I buy again? Yes, because I recognise that at that price nothing is perfect, but I would appreciate a warts and all review rather than one through rose tinted spectacles.

supersonic

I noticed you were using 20 gears from the 24 - ideally you should be using 14 or 15 as you skew the chain in some conbos and simply replicate gears that can be had more efficiently elsewhere.

Some bikes won't even change into the big/big or small/small combos.

Wacky Racer

I noticed you were using 20 gears from the 24 - ideally you should be using 14 or 15 as you skew the chain in some conbos and simply replicate gears that can be had more efficiently elsewhere.

Certainly my LBS said that it was not extraordinary that I couldn't get 4 of them, due to exactly the reason you stated. It's not a major issue anyway. I never used as many as 20 in general riding, probably no more than a dozen, but when I first got the bike I ran through all gears to check everything was ok and the small/small combo was poor. More of an issue was how clicky the gear change was through all the gears, with a bit of help from my LBS we managed to improve it but it never went away altogether.

Dirtydog11

I'm not having a go or getting defensive because I own one because I don't. I'm just suggesting that some of the cons you have listed are not exclusive to Kona Blasts. You could have bought any bike irrespective of price and suffered the same/similar problems.

The cons you have listed wouldn't put me off buying one.

I reckon your being harshly honest