Submitted by
MartinS
a Weekend Warrior
from Edmonton
Date Reviewed: April 1, 2005
Strengths: Tough and strong,pretty light, takes a beating and keeps going, rides great, stiff AND supple.
Weaknesses: Not made any more
Bottom Line:
So nice, best XC/trail hardtail going, this thing will last forever. Talas fork is the perfect match. Before I got my freeride bike I used this for everything including riding the shore, Nelson fernie etc, just dropped the seat, put on flat pedals cranked up the fork travel and put on a Evil DRS. Also raced XC and did epic trail rides. It cost alot but outlasted so many other bikes. A great investment, although to be honest, a Kona Score would have been a better choice for me in the long run, but they came out the year after mine in 1999.
Similar Products Used: Explosiv, Proctor Townsend custom, Slingshot, Fisher Procaliber, Hei hei, Merlin, Litespeed tons of others
Bike Setup: Fox Talas RLC, Chris King HS, Thompson seatpost and stem, Easton carbon risers, Avid Arch supremes w/ ultimate levers, Goretex cables, XTR Ders, Raceface cranks, XT thumbies
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Submitted by
Ben
a Cross Country Rider
from Oak Harbor, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 16, 2003
Strengths: sweet frame+stiff and giving at the same time+light+(the list goes on and on!)
Weaknesses: none, really!
Bottom Line:
The Kona King Kahuna is an awesome bike! It's really an all around bike with good characteristics in all fields (climbing, descending, technical areas). It's super light, yet it has super strength when you're bombin' down a rocky and rooty hill. When I get a big hit on a rock or a huge root, the rear of the bike feels like a duel suspension. My Dad also has a King Kahuna, but he's a hardcore racer and kicks ASS! So the bottom line is basically that the King is a good trail-bike as well as a sweet racer.
Bike Setup: '02 Sid SL+Shimano XTR, XT, LX parts+Race Face Turbine Cranks+SDG Ventura TI seat(sweet seat!)
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Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from MT Vernon, WA
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2000
Strengths: Strong stiff frame for climbing and softens out the technical stuff on downhills. Quick and agile for technical riding.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
Great bike. Stiff frame for climbing yet it is noticeably less harsh on technical descents than my aluminum Kona Kula. Great handling characteristics in tight, twisty singletrack. Takes a lot of punishment without denting the tubes (something I've had happen with my aluminum bike).
Similar Products Used: Trek 970, Kona Ku, Kona Kula
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Submitted by
Simon Molyneux
a Racer
from Southampton , Hampshire
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2000
Strengths: Kona handling is second to none. This has to be the perfect balance of weight,strength and durability. If you can afford it.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
The strongest, lightest, sweetest handling race bike I have ever ridden. Constructed to the highest standards this frame is stiff yet resilient too, unlike some other Ti bikes. Get off the new new new MTB merry-go-round and buy the only mountain bike you'll ever need. And start a family soon, as the frame will outlast you by several generations so you'll need someone to leave it to!
Similar Products Used: Kona Explosif-97&99,Giant mcm Team
Bike Setup: SIDS, Crossmax, ESP 9.0SL, XTR, 747, Pace RC45, Avid Arch Supreme
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Submitted by
Colin Williams
a Racer
from Manchester, England
Date Reviewed: November 12, 1999
Strengths: Frame quality has to be seen to be believed, There is lighter out there but not a strong or as sweet to ride
Weaknesses: Not found any yet!
Bottom Line:
If you want a frame that will do everything and you can justify the price of a King Kahuna there is no other frame for you. Kona handling is a dream to ride on the technical singletrack and the makes make everything oh so fast.
Bike Setup: Sid fork, Chris King Disco Hubs & Headset, Hope Pro Front Disc, Ringle Stem/Seat Post, RaceFace Cranks & BB, with Xtr everywhere else. Mavic X517 Ceramic rims
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Submitted by
XC Pimp Daddy
a Racer
from Wyevale,British Columbia
Date Reviewed: October 16, 1999
Strengths: stiff, fast, xtr/raceface, cool colours, fast, fast in single track, did i metion its fast?
Weaknesses: weaknesses????
Bottom Line:
This bike is fast. Ithe specs on this bike smoke the frame is super stong and has perfect welds.
Bike Setup: stock, except for mavic crossmax's, with hayse discs
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sean Sinclair
a Racer
from Belleville, Ontario
Date Reviewed: July 26, 1999
Strengths: Singletrack prowess Climbing High degree of rail-ability
Weaknesses: None as of yet... Stickers come of easily ;)
Bottom Line:
This bikes kicks royal rump (it is the King)! I haven't ridden anything that was better, maybe as good, but not as expensive. Granted it is pricey, but I plan to have this bike for a long time, and the frame even longer.
Well, I bought this bike from x-Kona Pro Trish Sinclair, and it is in awesome condition. I have the 1998 race tteam bike, which is the exact same as the 99king kahuna. i have some different things onmy bike though, raceface post, max flite saddle, 747 pedles, revolution db spokes. this frame is awesome, the welds are perfectly done, and sanded down perflect, this frame has not one flaw on it. the paint has not stood up as well as i would have liked, it is chipped bad inplaces, and has many packing and shipping scratches. it is mainly bare titanium though. it rides like a dream, and handles even better. it has a lot f standover, more than my old norco does, and handles faster and better. it accelerates fast, better than a reynolds 853 frame, and the specialized m2. it is not too heavy, i think around 23, and i have an atom bomb. if you want to shave a lot of weight get a sid, and sell of the raceface for superlight and weak stuff. the stem is amazing, and the full xtr works really well. i have just started with rapidfire, so the rapidrise does not bug me, but i would rather be able to shift 4 easier than 4 harder at one time. well that is all for now, i will update sooon, as i ried more often.
