Product Description
The Buddhist term for enlightenment, what's considered a first step toward nirvana, Satori epitomizes the sensation you'll get from our new 130mm travel 29er dual suspension mountain bike. Using a swing link version of our legendary 4-Bar linkage, we're able to create an aggressive all-mountain trail bike with relatively long travel for a 29er, while still keeping a short wheelbase and compact chainstays for quick acceleration, great trail handling, lots of standover and awesome rider fit. Featuring a stiff 142x12 rear axle, tapered headtube, ISCG 05 tabs, direct-mount front derailleur and cartridge-sealed bearings, take the Satori step. Nirvana is pretty sweet.
Fox FLOAT RP2 rear shock
Avid Elixir 5 brakes
Easton Vice 29er wheelset
SRAM X7/X9 10-speed drivetrain
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Reviews 1 - 4 (4 Reviews Total)
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Submitted by
ColeDate Reviewed: February 19, 2013
Strengths: geometry, geometry, component selection (at least on the 2012), tires, seatposWeaknesses: weight. this bike is a little heavy in the rear end.Bottom Line: I was dared by a friend of mine who is a shop manager to take a 2012 Kona Satori out for a weekend. my other bikes are a Yeti ARC and Turner 5 Spot. both wonderful, both capable and both proven. My purpose of trying an all mountain 29er was to prove that big wheels were bad. however - once home with the Kona I took a quick spin in my driveway and was immediately intrigued. here is what I was told and what I found:
Climbing (steep/lose) - I was told that this would be challenging if not impossible.
what I found: This bike will climb anything that my hard tail or 5 spot will climb...and more efficiently.
Descending - I was told that the wheels tend to wash and that cornering was tempermental
what I found: i'm not a huge agro DH junkie. i'm a technical trail XC rider. this bike did everything I needed it to while pointed downhill and more. loose gravel - great, loose dry dirt - great, mud - great, roots - great. little jumps (under 4') - great.
summary: I sold me turned and picked up a Satori and am very pleased.
the SLX groupset is fantastic. better than my old XT, and so far flawless! get one, enjoy it. ride!
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Submitted by
Howeler
a All Mountain RiderDate Reviewed: February 19, 2013
Strengths: Rock solid, smooth. Great parts value.Weaknesses: Stock grips are thin. Weight (for some XC types I guess)Bottom Line: Where and what I ride: Southern California, Southwest Utah and Arizona. Long fire road climbs that lead to technical single track descents, some chunk. Not a hucker, but will boost a lip now and then. Not worried about getting from A to B as fast as possible.
2013 Kona Satori: Solid and Smooth
This thing is a beast. After testing many new 29’ers this one simply crushes them. Kona nailed the geometry on this bike (slack HA – short chain stays). From the first few pedal rotations I knew I made the right decision.
It doesn’t ride like any of the 29ers I tried; it rides similar to my 6” Giant Reign. I rode tight switchbacks with no issues, hit some large rock gardens and simply plowed over them, truly a “point and shoot” type of ride. Really odd to me that this 29er rides so similar to an all mountain 26er…just faster.
Flick-ability you ask? YES!
3-4 foot jumps? Balanced in flight and composed on landings.
Steep drops? Hang on and let it rip.
I stormed up some long fire road climbs and really didn’t notice the weight. The front end doesn’t wander on steep climbs. It’s the same weight as my Reign (about 30 lbs) but rolls so much faster over everything. I tried all the CTD settings on the shocks and left them in the Trail mode. Downhills are super fun on this bike, the faster it goes the smoother it feels. Stable and doesn't deflect off rocks. I even did a few miles of pavement to get to a trail head and it rode much faster than the Reign did.
The suspension design is simple, effective, very active and smooth throughout the travel. I thought it would be less plush than the Maestro design but it’s not. One nice thing about this design is that it’s really easy to clean compared to the Maestro with all its pivots and close tolerances.
Most bikes I test rode were too nervous or had just an odd feeling to them, not the Satori. The only bike that was the most similar was the Yeti SB95. I wanted that bike but thought the ride quality and parts value of the Kona made it a much better deal.
If you want a no nonsense great neutral handling bike that instills confidence in technical terrain, this is your ride.
If you're looking for a weight weenie XC racer-boy bike look elsewhere.
Yup, I drank the New Generation 29’er Kool-aid, and it’s very tasty!
Favorite Trail: Lot's of them!
Duration Product Used: 1 week
Price Paid:
$3000.00
Purchased At: Centre City Bikes, E
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Submitted by
jeffDate Reviewed: June 23, 2012
Strengths: Great ride and price. A very playful 29" bike that is more versatile than most 29ers in its price range.Weaknesses: Wish there was more than one accessory package available. The sizes seem to run large. I usually fit an 18" frame but felt like the satori in 18 was too large for me. I went with the 16 since there isn't a 17 option, and it fits well.Bottom Line: Great entry level fs 29" bike that will and can do as much as higher end bikes.
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Submitted by
Stu PidassleDate Reviewed: June 21, 2012
Strengths: Makes rocks and roots disappear, rolls over everything.Weaknesses: Stock grips are too thinBottom Line: This bike is amazing. If you ride technical trails, it does everything well. It climbs well, the front tire is easy to lift and the long travel 29er platform does the rest.
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Reviews 1 - 4 (4 Reviews Total)
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