Submitted by
Pai
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2006
Strengths: Burly frame, Dual slalom race geometry gives you agility and control in anything you want : all mountain, downhill, cross country, etc. Just put on the right components and the bike is ready for anything you throw at it.
Weaknesses: Weight maybe?
Bottom Line:
I decided to buy this bike off ebay because of some of the reviews here on MTBR.com in conjunction with some wonderful stories from professional racers. Basically, I am looking to buy a bike frame that I would build up for weekend trips which could sometimes be dh, singletrack, brutal climbs, and beach cruising. I am glad I got the Dudu. I am very impressed with the bike's control and agility on top of fantastic climbing. The bike characteristic is so versatile and you do that just by changing the wheelsets. The reviews here are pretty much right on. There are only limited number of Dudu's in the US, hence there are only a handful reviews here. It seems like Dudu is more famous amongst European crowds. I hope to expand some more and give back to the community. Too bad Kona no longer sells Dudu in the US.
Kona Factory Team member, Fabien Barel, used Dudu in the DH race in 2003. His bike can be found on Kona Austria website here: http://www.konaworld.com/images/03DuduM.JPG
Tracy Moseley, Lesgets Factory Team member, said in an interview: "The downhill track at sea otter is famous for its pedalling so I decided to reduce my baggage and just take one bike which I could ride, downhill, slalom and 4x on. I took the new prototype Dudu. It worked out really well, we just changed the suspension set up and tyres for downhill, other than that it was all the same.This was the first year that I was planning to contest all 3 disciplines. I knew that I could do ok at the dh and slalom and hoped I would get by on 4x!" Now you know where I got the idea from!
Now to the bike, it has 4-bar linkage and its geometry is almost the same with Kona Stinky, Stinky Dee-lux and Stinky Primo. Dudu has slightly more ground clearance (taller BB height) and slightly shorter top tube resulting in more compact wheel base. I think the resulting compact wheel base gives the Dudu that agility factor over some other downhill-only bikes. I have test-riden the Truth which is lighter and can climb better, but it feels like it cannot handle the occasion drops and some downhills. The Trek Fuel is too light and it flexes bad!!!!
If you could find this bike on Ebay, I would say go for it if you are looking for some all mountain bikes that can do it all. The nice thing is, not many people know about the Dudu, therefore you wont have alot of people competing in the auction. I recently purchased another Dudu for my wife and it makes her love the sport even more! Good luck and happy riding.
Similar Products Used: Ellsworth Truth, Stumpjumper, Trek Fuel and Giant NRS.
Bike Setup: XT stuff with SRAM assortment
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Griffin .
a Downhiller
from Marin County, CA
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2003
Strengths: Burly frame, good geometry, solid parts spec. This bike is a value if you can get it used. Otherwise don't pay full price for it anymore. The good news for those of us who have this bike in the US is that Kona may be re-releasing the new 2004 Dudu that is used by the Factory racers for purchace in the 'States if there's enough demand. So e-mail Kona and demad a Dudu today!
Weaknesses: The rear shock blows ass. It rides better with a Float RL. I suggest you make the change if you don't want your shock breaking while you're in the middle of a race.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that this bike is a solid DS, XC, urban, and trail bike. While it's not the strongest frame ever, it does utilize the same box head and top tube junction as the OB Stinky and hardtail models by Kona, so it's pretty burly. I suggest that you buy a 5-inch fork though, because the ride feels more smooth with one. Also the Z.3 that it comes with is not convertible to 5 inches, so don't even try. Overall though, this bike is solid as hell and very versatile.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Enduro SX, Kona Stinky Five, Cortina Europa DS.
Bike Setup: Medium Dudu, '00 Marzocchi Z.1 QR20, FSA Pig DH headset, WTB Laserdisc DH wheelset, WTB MutanoRaptor 2.4 rear/Weirwolf 2.5 front tires, WTB Power V DH saddle, XTR 5-arm cranks, Grimeca System 6 disc brakes, S&M BMX pedals, LX 8-speed cogset, Deore LX 8-speed shifter, XT Mega-9 derailer.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Bruno Mercier
a Weekend Warrior
from Lévis
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2001
Strengths: Great geometry,super smooth fork and shock,handlebar,Mr.Gizmo
Weaknesses: A bike of this price range should come whit disk brakes,cheap pedals whit plastic spikes
Bottom Line:
This bike is the real thing,it can do anything.Downhill,freeride,a bit of cross-country,urban assault etc...The only downside are brakes,Avid arch rival are great for cross-country but when its time for DH,they clatters all over the place.Also,the fork seems a little bit soft for a large frame(i hit the bottom on regular bassis)and the QR20 seems to flex a bit.Altough,this is the greatest bike i ever had and next year i will upgrade it whit Hayes disk...Its gonna be a killer!
Similar Products Used: Kona Manomano,Kona Stinky,Trek Y-glide,Giant Warp
Bike Setup: stock except pedals(wellgo B-27)
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Value Rating:
Submitted by
Petter Wallin
a Weekend Warrior
from Uppsala, C, Sweden
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2001
Strengths: Ridig frame Reliable setup Suitable for all kinds of use(trail, trials, freeride, jumping etc. etc.) Mr. Dirt Chainguide
Weaknesses: Quirky cranks A bit heavy(no big deal really) No front derailleur
Bottom Line:
This feels like a Stinky with shorter travel, wich gives the bike a more flexible range of usage as I see it. I tried a Stinky but they where all sold out before I had the money to buy one, today I'm glad that I couldn't afford it because I really like the DuDu.
I will return with a full review when I tested more.
this bike will do it all its a little heavy therefor climbing and cross country riding are a little more difficult but you have to expect that from a bike of this geometry (but i still use it for riding everything...cross country, downhills, through town...) the disc brakes are perfect (i can stop on a dime with minimal effort) downhilling is amazing (almost like riding on glass) iVe owned mine for 18 days and already have almost 400 kilometers on it that should tell you how much of a treat it is to ride
Purchased At: Spoke And Pedal (North Battleford, Sask, Can)
Similar Products Used: Rocky Mountain Edge
Bike Setup: Hayes Hydraulic disc option included (8" rotors) every thing stock except crank im running only a middle ring on a LX crank and it still tears
