Submitted by
Orlando
a Cross Country Rider
from Rosemead, Ca USA
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2003
Strengths: Definitely the frame (geometry is classic and suits all riding except dual or total downhilling plus it's a tank even if it's aluminum) f/r derailleurs are surprisingly good, wheelsets' decent, tires are choice.
Weaknesses: the fork is porky(swap if you can or upgrade to ANYTHING ELSE!), stem is too high (swapped out for a Koski 4-bolt,0 degree at 90mm and it's imroved the handling)and the riser bar is alright, but I preferred a straight Kore lite with Profile Jonny T bar ends (beefier grip for long climbs). I love Kona for making both,anyway. The chain gives in at the tenth month, so buy a good spare early. Avid 3's are alright, but get mushy after a while; they need constant upkeep.Would really like an explanation for that hole on the underside of the seatstay bracket; let me know at kage.7@juno.com. The seat really does suck, and not in the good way, either.
Bottom Line:
Bottom line: read everybody's review and rejoice in the glory of Kona's 2001 Cinder Cone. It's all true: Sherman-tank strength that rides like velvet, covered in the best color coordination ANY Cinder Cone ever got (black with white outline lettering), thick tubes that call out for true wildreness terrain with geometry that climbs like a goat and rides down like an avalanche. Wheelset is actually pretty good. Look around and see what's out there and you'll see. While some ride buddies were out swapping parts, changing from hard to full sus to hard again, they were stunned (and a bit jealous) at the fact that I've gotten soooo much quality ride out of a practically stock bike.If you ride anything BUT dual slalom and crazy downhill and are a realistic-budgeted rider, this bike is THE ULTIMATE.You can find other bikes between $600-$1200, full sus and hardtails, disk brakes, bells and whistles, et. al., but this is THE REAL DEAL. I don't know about the '02 or '03 Cinder Cones, but if you come across an '01, get it 'cause it's a classic. The clincher: glow grips. 'Nuff said. LONG LIVE KONA! FULL SUS AND HARDTAIL UNIITE!
Favorite Trail: all of Turnbull Canyon, Mt. Lukens
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$650.00
Purchased At: H&S Cycles, Burbank, CA
Similar Products Used: Trek, my ride buddy's Giant Rainier, Jamis Dakota XC
Bike Setup: stock with the exception of the stem and bar (see Product Weaknesses), Specialized F/R fenders and nutsaver Body Geometry Pro seat, Avid Arch Rivals (both brakes, levers, cables & housing for $50! Thank You Supergo!)
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Submitted by
Jared Turner
a Cross Country Rider
from Southwick, Massachusetts, Usa
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2002
Strengths: light, manuverable, dirtjumps good, easy to do wheelies, can beat most of my friends dirt jumpin when they have jumping bikes
Weaknesses: judy TT(sucks, but gettin a pyslo SL) crank would get loose, front derailer is screwed.
Bottom Line:
The bike is great. If your into cross coutrey you should look at this before you look at the more expensive bikes. I wouldnt get it if your a street jumper, its mint on dirt jumps.
Bike Setup: 2001 cindercone with rockshox psylo SL hopefully disc brakes.
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Submitted by
Charles K
a
from North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2002
Strengths: bike geometry. it feels like a big bmx. very manouverable.
Weaknesses: stock avid levers felt horrible and soon the brakes also. seat that feels worst than sitting on a jagged rock. cheap middle ring warps. even with regular tune ups the derailleurs are slow and dont shift to some gears. the chain!! wears out so fast
Bottom Line:
i've had all the same problems these guys had...stupid kona(i actually like kona tho:)) dont use that horrible seat!!! ARGHH should've gotten it at cove instead! i m a small guy so the judys could handle SOME abuse but never felt good. had it a year and a half and still working. good for xc riding and urban riding. able to take on some DH rides too. haha gotta go upgrade fork! if anyone has a fork over 3 inches on this bike please email me and tell me how much it changes its geometry - thanx
Submitted by
Aspirinhead
a Weekend Warrior
from Central NJ
Date Reviewed: May 29, 2002
Strengths: Contrary to top of page, this frame is 7005 Butted Aluminum. The frame is light 24lbs. I'm 5'6" 145# so I don't "feel" as much vibe on the Alum as some do. Headset & handle bar are nice. The geometry of the bike is great not too laid-back like many med price bikes are now. There is pre-welded mounts for both front & rear Disc Brakes. This is the ONLY frame I'll use for the next few years! If something goes on it I'll UPGRADE!
Weaknesses: Rock Shox JudyTT(JUNK) - Shamino Deore LX (weak) the LX shifters work well but have a square part that can be uncomfortable on the underside. The LX Rear Derailer got bent when it cought a spoke & snaped the hanger. At that point I upgraded the F & R Derailers and the Shifters. Mavic X139 seem cheesey I'll see what happens. **See Bike Setup
Bottom Line:
For $750.00 American I got everything I wanted. The dealer was willing to upgrade the shocks from garbage Judy TT's to Bomber Z1 for N/C (I recently bought a $500 Wife bike there for incentive). The KONA is light, fast, responds well with the shocks. I can & will upgrade, as I need to. I also want to get clip less pedals. GREAT BIKE FOR THE BUCK. 5 flames for frame & design 4 flames for the lame LX components.
Similar Products Used: Asst $700-$1100 bicycles. I also own a 94 GT Outpost & 98 GT Aggressor
Bike Setup: 17" frame- Marzocchi Bomber Z.1 Air forks- Shamino 11-34 9 speed XT Front & Rear Derailers- Avid brakes- KONA stem seat post-Easton Bars- Tioga Stock MTB tires SDG Clump Saddle-Glow in Dark KONA Camel Toe Grips!
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Submitted by
Roland Kokke
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver BC
Date Reviewed: October 26, 2001
Strengths: A very solid bike, love the feel, looks great
Weaknesses: the cheapo middle Shimano chainring warped for no apparent reason at 1000 km, replaced with a Black Spire, which works beautifully. Despite very regular lubing, the chain had stretched almost 1/4" over 12" after 200 km, the first time I checked it, admittedly rather late. The resultant wear on the cassette necessitated replacing that as well. The new SRAM chain and XT cassette shift beautifully. Two spoke have broken on the rear wheel within a couple of weeks -if another goes I guess I'll have to respoke or maybe replace the wheel. I am 6'3" and 230, so that has to be taken into account, but I'm not hard on the gear and have done only mild offroad riding with no drops bigger than a handfull of steps. The fork does the job for my light duty offroad riding, though it is lower end and I'm sure something with oil in it would work much nicer.
Bottom Line:
I use this bike for daily transportaton in all conditions, and have only done a small amount of offroad, planning on doing more. It makes a great commuter, though not the lightest bike in the world. Given my own weight I don't mind trading some lightness for strength. There are a couple of minor weak points, but overall I am delighted with this bike, it has gotten me back into biking much more than before.
Similar Products Used: None -I rode a hybrid commuter bike before this
Bike Setup: replaced stock grips and seat (liked neither) with Serfas items, got a great deal on an Avid Arch Rival brake set compleat with speed dial levers for $60, and they are excellent, much better than the stock Avid brakes...plus they look sexy to boot.
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Submitted by
Pete Murray
a Cross Country Rider
from Alexandria, VA
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2001
Strengths: The frame. Simple. Only thing left after an A-bomb are roaches and this frame.. By the way, the description up top says cro-mo frame.. it isn't.. It's Kona's "7005" series aluminum tubing. Decent parts mix, deore hubs a nice touch, and aheadset sts.
Weaknesses: Deore front d. Mavic (what the heck are these?) x-139 rims. Avid sd3 brakes and levers. sdg comp saddle. And, especially, the slightly beefy but otherwise worthless rs Judy TT fork.
Bottom Line:
This is a solid bike for under a grand.. granted, since you're only paying 750 you get some inferior parts in the mix, like that durned judy tt and crotchety deore f derailleur (the lx rear handles itself pretty well, but heavy), not to mention the stock x139 rims (I killed the rear on some steps and such). But the heart of the bike, the frame, is solid, and the rest is upgradeable by my wrench-happy self. If you don't have the money for a stock bike ready for a serious beating off the shelf, buy this one, kill the cheap parts, and upgrade later when you've saved some money and healed all those broken bones. The frame will still be there (plus, it looks cool, and those glow-in-the-dark grips! nice...)
Favorite Trail: anywhere with loading docks and stairs
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$750.00
Purchased At: College Park Bikes
Similar Products Used: Went mostly road before, but have played around on a couple similar price treks and gts, etc.
Bike Setup: selle italia saddle, mavic x517 rear rim, sram chain, shimano spd pedals, xt cassette, soon to upgrade f derailleur, fork (probly x-fly 100.. but if any better suggestions, please do tell)
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Submitted by
Graeme martin
a Cross Country Rider
from pmb south Africa
Date Reviewed: October 18, 2001
Strengths: Looks nice ,strong ,light ,good parts , handles well + very reliable .
Weaknesses: brakes when new cuase some trouble . seat post weak .[clamp 4 tightening ]
Bottom Line:
It's a good bike which can handle hectic conditions ,could be upgraded easily ,good for what u pay for .+ very strong .
Similar Products Used: gt palomar various other cheaper x -country bikes
Bike Setup: as it came except 4 {shimano spd DH pedals,computer + different tyres for practice .
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Submitted by
Phil Long
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, BC, CANADA
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2001
Strengths: Great solid frame, awesome geometry,double gusseted, and tough.
Weaknesses: Some of the stock stuff, like the riser bar and pedals, and mavic wheel rims.
Bottom Line:
This bike is great, I've wridden it hard on the north shore, taking it down trails like Boogieman and Oil Can and lots of urban stuff, so it can handle alot. I tend to steer clear of drops upwards of 5 feet, but I can't complain 'cause I don't really want to jump those anyway:) Disc ready this bike is great for upgrades, I'd by it again and again. I'd say its a great bike for beginners, as I am one, and seems to be an incredable deal that even experts enjoy, if they swap out the fork like I did. WEAR YOUR HELMET!
Similar Products Used: Just had a Kona Hahanna 94, I think. Suited my purposes until I moved to Vancouver.
Bike Setup: Z-5 shock (this was a store option for an extra $50 Canadian). Azonic double wall riser bar. Race face bashgaurd. Wellgo spiky (ouch my calf!!)pedals. After I bent my wheels a billion times I upgraded to Alex DH rims.
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Submitted by
Andrew
a Cross Country Rider
from Ada, Mi
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2001
Strengths: Great frame geometry. (Especially for climbs) Good components. I love the brakes.
Weaknesses: I don't like the tire, but they're easily replaceable. Sometimes the rear derailuer won't shift to the highest gear.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for anyone. I bought this bike as a beginner, and now I'm using it for 10 races a season and she hasn't let me down yet. Good bike for upgrades too.
Bike Setup: Specialized seat (so I can ride a lot and still have kids), Easton handlebar (I didn't like the stock one), considering rear disc brake.
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Submitted by
Rb
a Cross Country Rider
from Redmond, WA
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2001
Strengths: Great frame geometry, excellent components for a bike in this price range, sleek graphics
Weaknesses: I hate the fork, but it's not bad for a bike this price
Bottom Line:
This bike is an excellent beginner/intermediate rider, and offers excellent frame geometry. the fork (only cheap component) can be tuned to get acceptable performance, but will never be good. replace it. other than that this bike kicks ass
Bike Setup: Upgraded to shimano M324 pedals, adding avid mechanical disc brakes (awesome brakes) and a manitou mars fork
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Submitted by
Rikardo Skorlic
a Weekend Warrior
from Makarska, Croatia - Europe
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2001
Strengths: solid frame, GREAT geometry, deore/deore LX parts, grips...
Weaknesses: breaks are very expended...
Bottom Line:
probably the best thing on market for that amount of money! If you need a good bike for weekend adventures, Kona cinder kone is the right choice, even for a little more demanding riders...
Similar Products Used: Trek 4900, Marin Palisades Trail
Bike Setup: Stock, I will upgrede the fork and pedals later..
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Submitted by
Rey Mestidio
a
from Toronto, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2001
Strengths: Solid frame, Deore/LX components, new Kona logo, sleek black colour.
Weaknesses: Cheap stem and riser bar.
Bottom Line:
This bike is the best value for the buck. The spec's are solid and its good for upgrading later down the road. I decided to upgrade sooner and now I've got a super bike. The frame is solid and climbing or descending hills is sweet. The geometry is perfect. This is a fun and reliable bike and suitable for upgrading.
