Kona shoot out - Your expert advice needed :)

bdigital

Hey all, I ve been reading up on this forum for a while and have been very impressed by the amount of knowledge and advice being shared!

I am in the process of choosing my 1st serious mountain bike. I have been reading reviews, visiting shops, and riding bikes the last month or so...

I have 2 bikes in particular in mind and they are:-

The Kona Cinder cone 2009 and the Kona Caldera 2009 - Both are falling into my price range because they are 09 models.

I would really appreciate it if i could have some feedback on what you think of these two bikes? Im a bit sceptical about the forks on both of these judging by some reviews i have met - But looking at my requirements im not sure that should bother me too much?

My usage will be for the occasional commute (only a 10 minute ride) and mainly at weekends going of road - Nothing to technical as i am a beginner, but the usual cross county trails and hopefully progressivley more difficult stuff as i get into it.

Are they good bikes? Will the forks really be that bad? Are they both a good platform to upgrade from in a years time? Your opinions would be much appreciated

The specs are as follows:

Kona Cinder Cone:

Frame:Kona All-Mountain aluminium Butted
Fork:RockShox Dart 3 100mm
Front Derailleur:Shimano Deore
Rear Derailleur:Shimano Deore
Shifters:Shimano Deore
Chainset:FSA Alpha Drive
Chainrings:44/32/22 tooth chainrings
Bottom Bracket:FSA Powerdrive
Cassette:Shimano Deore (11-32 tooth range, 9 speed)
Chain:Shimano Deore
Pedals:Wellgo LU-A9
Front Brake:Shimano 486 Hydraulic Disc
Rear Brake:Shimano 486 Hydraulic Disc
Brake Levers:Shimano 486 Hydraulic
Handlebars:Kona XC/BC Riser
Stem:Kona XC/BC
Headset:TH
Grips:Kona Race Light
Rims:Sun Black Eye
Front Hub:Formula Disc
Rear Hub:Shimano M475 disc
Spokes:Stainless 14g
Front Tyre:Maxxis Ignitor 26x2.1
Rear Tyre:Maxxis Ignitor 26x2.1
Saddle:WTB Speed V Sport SE
Seatpost:Kona Thumb
Seat Binder:Kona QR

Kona Caldera

Frame:Kona All-Mountain aluminium Butted
Fork:RockShox Tora XC 100mm
Front Derailleur:Shimano Deore
Rear Derailleur:Shimano XT Shadow
Shifters:Shimano Deore
Chainset:FSA Moto
Chainrings:44/32/22 tooth chainrings
Bottom Bracket:FSA MegaExo
Cassette:Shimano Deore (11-32 tooth range, 9 speed)
Chain:Shimano Deore
Pedals:Shimano M505 Clipless
Front Brake:Shimano 486 Hydraulic Disc
Rear Brake:Shimano 486 Hydraulic Disc
Brake Levers:Shimano 486 Hydraulic
Handlebars:Kona XC/BC Riser
Stem:Kona XC/BC
Headset:TH
Grips:Kona Race Light
Rims:Sun Black Eye
Front Hub:Formula Disc
Rear Hub:Shimano M475 disc
Spokes:Sandvik Stainless 15g fr/14g rr
Front Tyre:Maxxis Ignitor 26x2.1
Rear Tyre:Maxxis Ignitor 26x2.1
Saddle:WTB Speed V Sport SE
Seatpost:Kona XC/BC
Seat Binder:Kona QR

Eveans compatison page available here: http://www.evanscycles.com/products-com ... 7Cec017220

thanks for reading so far :P any info you could provide would be much appreciated

nicklouse

not really a shoot out as the more expensive bike is the better speced bike.

and i would not buy a Kona as i dont like the way they feel do you?

SpiderNdc

hmm the cheaper seems to my by beater its not worth paying just for susp and rear mech 200 more

lonzo

Feel is a personal thing and I like the way konas feel - much more fun to ride IMO... but like I said its a personal thing. These are not very 'racey' bikes, more for trail riding.

That said I reckon the frame is good enough to take you from beginner to a high standard of trail riding.

I would get the cindercone cos the frames are the same and I prefer the colour :oops: - come on that green is disgusting - but you are going to want to upgrade the fork & £200 will get you a better fork than the tora fitted to the Caldera.

Only thing is - 14" frame is tiny?!

nicklouse

SpiderNdc wrote:

hmm the cheaper seems to my by beater its not worth paying just for susp and rear mech 200 more

and the cranks? and the pedals and the wheels...

the fork will be one of the first things to go as the Dart is just Poor.

Powerspline BBs are not all that good.

mr-brightside

i bought the same 2009 cindercone about 3 weeks ago 18`frame for £500 ive only done about 100 miles so far but no problems and im happy with it,

bdigital

Thank you all for your posting so far - Very useful.

Just to clarify, i linked the bikes on evans because the comparison tool is useful - But i do not plan on buying the bikes from there.

I have managed to find a local shop that is willing to sell me the Cinder Cone 09 for £499 and the Caldera for £550

Does that change anyones perspective?

Looking at the specs i think its allot of bike for the money, but what do i know!! - I would plan on updating the forks eventually, but i would like to get approx a years work out of the bike before upgrading parts.

I liked the ride on both of these bikes - but im getting to the point where ive ridden so many they all seem the same?!

Im leaning towards the Caldera, but no lockout on the forks is making me think twice

any other opinions taking into consideration the price?

mr-brightside

the cindercone has lockout forks , well mine has and its the same year/model

omegas

You can get a lot better bike with a higher spec for the same money for the type of riding you will be doing.

I would try a few different makes out and see what you find fits best.

nicklouse

bdigital


the darts are crap- the toras are not.

the toras can have a lock out added.

bdigital

Omegas - Do you have any examples?

I thought i had done a fair amount of looking and have not managed to find anything like this sort of spec for under £550?

Perhaps im looking at the wrong things, but ive been aiming for 9 speed, mostly Deore kit, shimano hydrolic disc brakes and rock shox fork.

Any particular ones you would suggest i look at?

JamesBrckmn

rockrider 8.1- £500 from decathlon
RS tora
avid juicy 3's
sram x7 (better than deore)
very light frame, and light complete bike weight.

the carrera fury from halfords is good too
but out of the two you listed, the caldera is easily worth the extra £50

Wayupnorth

I bought a Caldera '09 last year. It's been super so far, tough, responsive and quite light. I'm no expert, but I reckon it will take a lot to break it!

It's been a fun bike so far in all weather conditions, and for just £50 more than the Cindercone, it seems to be good value.

Bear in mind that the Caldera comes with SPD pedals, so you will need to buy SPD shoes or some flat pedals depending on your preference. Maybe your LBS will swap to flats for you.

I like the green metallic colour of Caldera! One of the reasons that I looked at it in the first place!

All down to personal choice!

nicklouse

bdigital

Perhaps im looking at the wrong things, but ive been aiming for 9 speed, mostly Deore kit, shimano hydrolic disc brakes and rock shox fork.

cheap shimano Discs can be problematic. RS forks Except the Dart.

Drive train well it wears out after a yearish so it is disposable.

nonnac85

Tora is a much better fork. I have an 09 caldera and it's great. I haven't had any problems with it yet. The brakes have been fine. I have used it for my commute and lots of trail centre rides. I am still impressed with the lightness and how well it climbs compared to my previous bike. I know pauls cycles and Rutland cycling had good deals on certain frame sizes / ex-demo bikes.

joshtp

of the two the cladera. Personaly i love Kona's, they are often quite expensive, but the frames just ride SOO nice IMHO.

althogh i still think that the Carrera Fury is a better option, it has a better spec, and is still a nice frame, if not quite as loverly as the caldera.





it looks better too, that green is puke worthy

bdigital

The Carrera has better spec?

Are there any parts in particular that are better on the fury?

It might just be my mis-informed opinion, but i didnt think Carrera was a top make?

I would like to understand where & why the Fury is better than the caldera - Maybe i can go down to my local halfords and ride one this week.

nicklouse

bdigital wrote:

but i didnt think Carrera was a top make?

made buy a frame maker that makes a LOT of frames and most likely made the Kona frames.

joshtp

carrera is just a good bike, really solid spec through out, and a great frame made by Marida - the biggest and best frame makers of them all.

bdigital

Ok - well thanks for the tip of, sounds like i should go ride the Fury and give it a test run.

I suppose i was being swayed by the fact that the Kona Caldera has a retail of £700 - £750 compared with the £550 of the Fury.

So i automatically assumed it was in a different class. The fact that it is reduced as an 09 model brought it within my price range so i thought either of the Konas were a dead cert!

Thank you for all your opinions so far - I have been encouraged to read that some of you think it is a decent bike - even if the poll suggests i should look elsewhere!

bdigital

Went straight down to Halfords after work and rode the Fury - Yeah its nice....If im honest though, i couldnt really tell much difference?!

Although its been a week since i rode the caldera.

If it was just a question of 1) Spec, 2) Durability 3) Potential to upgrade (both bikes are £550)

Is there a clear winner between the Caldera 09 and the Fury 09 / 10?

Bikes linked:

Caldera:
http://bikes.konaworld.com/09/09_caldera_uk.cfm

Carrera: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165499

MrGrumpy

20% of the Fury right now on website, comes in at £440 now!