Submitted by
ant0
a Cross Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2008
Strengths: V light and stiff, rides surprisingly well, I'd expected it to bone shake me something cronic but its very comfortable. Also very competant and FAST! on the road
Above anything else, what impresses me about this bike is its ability to climb just about anything with the minimum of effort, it really flatters your skills no matter how skilled a rider you are
Weaknesses: A little twitchy at low speed. It's a racer, though and the responsivness of this thing at speed is incredible, it took me a little time to adjust to how quickly this thing can change direction.
so no weaknesses as such, this thing is perfect in every way (imo) for XC, I wouldn't go downhill with it too much obviously but with the setup i've got it's more than capable of tearing down jumps too
Bottom Line:
The best bike ive riden by a long way. The frame is perfection as far as im concerned, it can do everything very very well it's party peice is climbing ability, you point at the sky and pedal, its that simple! around fast bends its incredibly planted, feels like an extension of your body. At the same time its very chuckle and can change direction with lightning speed and accuracy, feel slike im riding a smaller frame (I've got 20")
My setup is by no means perfect, my back brakes for example, are very weak and i was skint when i bought them. The hope mini is excellent though
Bottom line is: You'll struggle to find a better hard tail than this. It does all the basic things better than almost anything: It's light, stiff and the geometry feels perfect, same as every other Kona i've riden.
Bike Setup: At the moment: RS Reba SL 08 forks, hollowtech 1 chainset + BB (needs replacing soon), XT mechs, chain & Cassette. Mavic XC717 disc rims, XT hubs, hope mini (front), shimano hyraulic lx (rear) Hope HS. I've got wide, hi-rise EA70s with a cut down steerer tube and 10 degree 90mm EA50 stem which is about right for me as a compromise between XC balance/ poise and road cruising. 2.15" Specialized enduro pro
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Ghostrider
a Cross Country Rider
from Stoneleigh, Maryland, USA
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2008
Strengths: Zippy Light! Soaks up bumps, very agile, terrific climber, Scadnium Frame
Weaknesses: right chainstay very close to chain, lots of chainslap beating up the frame
Similar Products Used: tricked out C'dale XC race bike
Bike Setup: Full XTR, Marzocchi Marathon fork, Race Face carbon post/bar, Thompson Elite stem, Ergon G2grips w/carbon ends, XTR Wheelset, Maxxis UST Larsen TT eXCeption tires, WTB seat
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
CNC
a Cross Country Rider
from MANCHESTER,CT USA
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2007
Strengths: very light(2.9 lbs. scandium frame),geometery of frame,color and graphics(blue and silver , team edition)
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
this frame is sick.i paid $350 last year on ebay for the 2005 scandium kona kula primo frame (only 2.9 lbs.).i spent the last year builing it (about $3000).i put all bontrager xxx lite parts (handlebars,seatpost,stem and cranks), all xtr (shifter and brake combo ,rear and front derailluers , skewers , cables and brakes), mavic crossmax sl rims , fox 100 mm xterra fork , jagwire housings , kenda klimax lite tires and fizik gobi seat.all together my bike weighs a super lite 19 lbs.the geometery of the frame with a 100mm shock is great ( i had an 80mm rock shox sid world cup on it also and that works great to).it desends and climbs hills like a rocket.on flat land it flat out flies.i'm a heavier rider ( 185 lbs) and it is stiff.i've riden alot of bikes and this by far is my favorite,i couldn't be happier.i HIGHLY recommend this frame.5 flamin' chili's all around.
Strengths: Good control,great geometry, light, fun to ride
Weaknesses: paint, and I dont like the colour, easy duplicate.
Bottom Line:
The bike handle so well and I don't feel any pain due to the great geometry, amazing climbing and descending, good value, I dont think you have to buy us$ 1.000 frame if you already found the good frame. and im very proud to use it, because not so many people buy original frame, mostly people here use a copy or duplicate from kona frame but the biggest population is copy of giant.
Similar Products Used: all xc hardtail made by easton aluminium
Bike Setup: raba race, full xt groupset, kore xcd wheelset, fsa stem, handlebar and headset
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Carlos Teissier
a Cross Country Rider
from Monterrey, Mexico
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2007
Strengths: I bought the frame only and builded it. If you care about the weight/strenght combination, this is your best choice. The Kona Rage geometry is more than the greatest, I mean it.
Weaknesses: No, and if you find one it's because you work for Kona's competition.
Bottom Line:
I race eventually, but I'm more involved in the long (6 to 8 hours) mountain roads and trail riding. At the beginning I was afraid that this bike would be uncomfortable for the long runs, but believe me it's great. Particularly I had a problem climbing, with this setup I fly on the steep ascetns. I got a less than 24 pound bike. Forget about Specialized, trek, GT and other imitators, this is the best frame you can build up.
Strengths: Super Stiff, relativly light for as strong as the frame is. Basic graphics, nothing flashy, but also not dull or boring. Disc only mounts, Easton top grade Alum.
Weaknesses: I bought it frame only(great price, not a weakness, but when I got it there was a bit too much paint on the headtube and needed to be re-faced. nothing that really detracts from the performance of the bike but a hassle when building.
Bottom Line:
I got this frame so I could have a really nice race bike that I knew was reliable. I built it up pretty stock in terms of a race bike, nothing crazy and was a hair over 24lbs. A little heavy for racing, but the frame is SUPER stiff and didn't feel weak at all. Super fast in the corners due to the stiffnes. The frame is a real nice Easton top line Aluminum, some of the best in my opinon. You are going to get beat up a little, but no more than any other hardtail, I never saw it as an issue or a draw back. I feel like buying this bike you know what you are getting into as terms of ride. The frame tracks really well and geometry is great for racing, but not restricting to racers only. I definatly recommmend this frame. I have crashed on it in a rock garden before with no dents at all, and I rode it all over the US and some of Europe with great results. I think if you paid more attention to weight you could get it to about 22.7-23lbs relativly easily. I had some 03 parts speced on mine and it was still a sweet ride.
Strengths: Light, durable, good components (all XT), good fork, and climbs and descends awesome.
Weaknesses: The headset that came on the bike was pretty bad and became slightly pitted after 1.5 months so i upgraded to a King headset, and now no worries
Bottom Line:
Great bike for what you pay for. Good for weekend warriors and races.
Just upgrade the headset> then its an awesome bike.
Bike Setup: 06 Kona Kula Primo: Stan's no tubes, eggbeater sl, oury locking grips, chris king headset
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Submitted by
Ben Morton
a Cross Country Rider
from San Marcos, Texas
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2006
Weaknesses: The only part of this bike that could be better is the wheelset. It comes with sun rims with deore hubs. So a little heavy in that area..
Bottom Line:
This bike is a great all around bike. Comes with a great set of components, the brakes, cranks and whole drive terrain for that matter are BAD ASS. The frame is also a big plus on this bike. The Fox 100RL that comes on it is sweet and you sure will not be sorry if you get this bike. With the cheapo shimano clipless pedals that came with the bike it weighed around 25.25 if memory serves me correct...
For me this bike was for sure worth the money and am very pleased with it.
Similar Products Used: My only other bike was a Giant Rincon with EVERY single part replaced and upgraded to XT quality... (that giant did not even come close to the Primo)
Bike Setup: Answer Carbon handlebare, oury locking grips, San Marco Aspide Arrowhead saddle... (coming soon, egg beater ti pedals, carbon seatpost, mavic crossmax xl wheelset)
I've ordered this bike and am waiting for it to come, but am concerned that the stock tires on it are the wire bead ones that weigh in at a huge 680-odd grams. Does anyone know if Read More »
yeah thats right folks, a friend of mine had her pride and joy stolen by the bike thief low-lifes on tuesday (12th) from north fitzroy.
the bike is pretty much stock, except fo Read More »
paid my $2 for the ad
I thought some of you guys on the Kona forum might be interested.
[url]http://classifieds.mtbr.com/showproduct.php?product=21094[/url]
The frame is a Read More »
Ahoy-
Looking for some help from some mechanics on this one...I just finished building my xc hardtail and for some reason when the chain is in the 3 smallest cogs on the rear ca Read More »
HI
Just need to replace the seatpost clamp on my (2005? blue/silver) Kona Kula Primo, the scandium frame model. The post is 27.2. I thought it was a 31.8mm clamp but this seems a Read More »
