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Kona Kula XC Hardtail
Product DescriptionThe time to shred is upon us. Mountain biking has a handle on you. You're thinking race. You're pondering major mountain epics. Laying the hammer down. Nothing will get you going quicker off-road than the race born Kula. Using Kona's paradigm shifting sloping top tube technology, super light, tight and true riding Kona Race Light 7005 Aluminum Butted frame, dressed with components that won't slow you down, like a Shimano XT rear derailleur and RockShox Recon SL Solo 100mm front fork, but modest enough so there's money for post podium beers.
User Reviews 
Submitted by
P-Tron
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton Date Reviewed: February 4, 2012 Strengths: Fairly light bike that's well-suited to my local trails. Components are good throughout. After 1000kms of mostly singletrack & rooty forested trails (which included a half-dozen crashes) nothing on the bike has had any problems. Everything works like the day it was new. It's a quick, fun bike :) I really like having the bar-mounted remote lockout. Weaknesses: Nothing that I've found yet. I may try shortening up the cockpit a bit with a stem, but minor fit adjustments hardly speak to the bike in question. Oh...the brakes squeal like mad if you spill Powerade on the rotors - haha! Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: 1 Year Price Paid: $1300.00 Purchased At: LBS Bike Setup: Stock, with Panaracer FireXCPro (rear) and Kenda Nevegal (front)...and a crapload of lights, computer, fenders, pannier rack, seat bag, 2 bottles - there's a lot of stuff bolted on my bike :P
Submitted by
SGexpat
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore Date Reviewed: April 25, 2010 Strengths: Climbs like a monkey, decent components, fast on the track Weaknesses: Water-absorbent paint. That's it! Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: Bukit,Timah, Pulau Ubin Duration Product Used: 2 Years Price Paid: $1100.00 Purchased At: Tay Cycle, Tampines Similar Products Used: Kona Explosif, Louis Garneau XC Bart, Gary Fisher HooKooEeKoo Bike Setup: 2007 Stock (Tora318 forks), added Easton Monkeylite SL low-rise bars, Raceface Revolution SL stem, SRP magnesium pedals
Submitted by
coldpack
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Rosa, CA. USA Date Reviewed: November 16, 2009 Strengths: Light and Stiff. Clean lines, stable at both fast and slow speeds. Way better climbing ability. Will never go back to full suspension. Weaknesses: Paint chips easily which led to the rear Salsa Skewer to come out on a hard climb. Need to remember to grind of paint in rear dropout before installing rear wheel! Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: Ridge/South Burma Annadel Duration Product Used: 3 months Price Paid: $150.00 Purchased At: Ebay Similar Products Used: Leader 515 (19.5), Rocky Mountain ETSX (20.5) (full susp.) Bike Setup: Fox Talus RL Fork, Raceface XC Crank, XTR Derailers, Avid Juicy 5 brakes, Sun/Ringle Disco wheelset, Thompson stem and post, Raceface Carbon Bars, WTB Tyres and Seat.
Submitted by
Thomas
a Cross Country Rider
from Rochester MN Date Reviewed: February 18, 2008 Strengths: Very nimble and fast as hell! Shifts clean, climbs smooth and quick. I used to ride a GF Opie and killed the front fork, bent the wheels, trashed the bottom bracket, and then got hit by a car, all in 10 months. So I found a friend selling his 2006 Kona for 500! so he could make rent. I trail the kula and ride it to class, it loves to take a beating and look look all sexy while my Fisher lays in pieces. O yeah, and she is a snap to pro tune. Weaknesses: Like people before me said, the tires are soft. This does not make them bad tires, they are very sticky, it's built to race. Also, I have heard of people not riding their kula's enough and they often attack you while you sleep. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: Seven Mile Duration Product Used: 2 Years Price Paid: $500.00 Purchased At: University Cycle Similar Products Used: Specialized stump jumper. Bike Setup: Chopped a bit of the handle bars off (kept bumpin um on cars). Tossed on the Specialized mag platform pedels. Two cups of milk. Chain slap guard. Then added a bit of me, and rode.
Submitted by
Brian Young
a Weekend Warrior
from Bowmanville, Canada Date Reviewed: October 24, 2007 Strengths: Excellent in tight single track, climbs very well, light compared to my (very!) old bike. Looks great. Weaknesses: None so far! To early to tell. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: Ganaraska Forest Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Price Paid: $900.00 Purchased At: Toronto Bike Show Similar Products Used: Gary fisher can't remember which one. Bike Setup: Stock 07 Kula
Submitted by
Shawn MacNeil
a Weekend Warrior
from Pickering, Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: October 8, 2007 Strengths: Good climber, good down hills, great in tight single track trails, and good braking. Weaknesses: A little heavy for my liking, but for the price thats what you get. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: Seaton (for now) Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Price Paid: $999.00 Purchased At: Northern Cycle Similar Products Used: Treck 6700,Roacky Mountain Vortex 10. Bike Setup: Stock, except for tires, Panracer Speedblaser RL's(to make it lighter) also Easton Carbonfibre Monky Lite XC handle bars(also to lighten up the bike).
Submitted by
Mark E
a Weekend Warrior
from Preston, Lancashire Date Reviewed: March 12, 2007 Strengths: As a long-term retro Kona rider - pleased to "feel at home" with this classic geometry - great climber. Amazing Hayes 9 brakes. Strong wheels. I have the 2006 model with Marzocchi Gran Fondo 1s, they have had bad press but I am really pleased with them - good plush all rounders. Very confident and "chuckable" at speed. Weaknesses: Feels a bit twitchy at low speed (I must swap back to original rider bars!) Tyres are great for dry trails but lethal on wet rock - swap 'em asap. Although XT rear mech - the cheaper Deore front mech tends to require tuning regularly. Standard SPD pedals are pretty poor. No major weaknesses. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: black run - Coed Llandegla Duration Product Used: 6 months Price Paid: $900.00 Similar Products Used: Kona Cindercone / Explosif / Kilauea (love steel hardtails!) Bike Setup: As normal but with lower stem and flat bars - may explain twitching at low speeds.
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Mito, Japan Date Reviewed: January 19, 2007 Strengths: Light weight, but durable frame and components. Reliable fork (2005 model Fox Vanilla R). Stable on the climbs and smooth on the downhill with no brake shimers Reasonable price range (40% off near the end of the season) Weaknesses: Tires. I'd have to agree with other reviews. Tioga tires had very soft sidwalls and tended to flex when cornering and snakebite easily on rocks. My seatpost bent from riding with a pack on. Brake rotors warped easily ( I can't remember what make they were). Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: Izu Oshima Duration Product Used: 2 Years Price Paid: $1000.00 Purchased At: Japan Similar Products Used: Rocky Mountain Blizzard, Schwynn Mesa Bike Setup: offroad: Mavic Crossmax wheels, Specialized Roll-x tubeless tires, spd pedals for racing. Onroad: slick tires, flat pedals, original wheelset.
Submitted by
Kev
a Cross Country Rider
from Perth, Western Australia Date Reviewed: January 4, 2007 Strengths: I have a 2005 model. Looks good, strong brakes, quality components. I bought this to replace my Giant Rainier as I wanted a lighter, less common bike than a Giant, and I was very unimpressed with the Ranier's cable disc brakes. Konas are quite rare in Australia, Giants are everywhere! Tried an Avanti but it lacked character. The Kula instantly felt nicer to ride. Nothing has broken and all I've had to change is a chain and cassette. Weaknesses: Not as light as I thought, after trying a Giant XTC1, brake pads worn out after 6000km (or is that normal?). I'm selling it to pay for a new Ibis Mojo - my old backside needs a smoother ride! Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: 2 Years Price Paid: $1500.00 Purchased At: Hi-Way Cycles Similar Products Used: Giant XTC1, Giant Ranier, Avanti Bike Setup: Slick Conti tyres, bar ends, Specialized BG saddle.
Submitted by
Timmy
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, Australia Date Reviewed: May 5, 2006 Strengths: This bike is really light. First impressions are great brakes are strong, the geometry makes it soo much easier to climb those unbelevibly steep hills, when i mean easier i mean... really easy. The forks are pretty much the lowest spec in the fox range but work great. Weaknesses: The paint job as said chips very easily i recommend that you should cover it in clear tape to preserve the frame. Tyres are absolutly usless. Change them immediatly. The easton riser bars are way... to wide for me ( i am planning to cut them )but the riser in the bars is great dispite the rather wide width. Downhills are done definatly out of the saddle. In rough rocky sections the hardtale design seems transfere all the bumps 99% through the bike and into your body. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Price Paid: $1400.00 Purchased At: ABC bikes Similar Products Used: Giant youkon (lasted me 3 years suprsingly)
Submitted by
Lee
a Weekend Warrior
from Moorhead Minnesota USA Date Reviewed: September 18, 2005 Strengths: This bike is very light weight for a disc-brake hardtail. It climbs like a mountain goat, and the Fox Vanilla-R fork is very capable and smooth. Oh, did I mention that this is one sexy bicycle? Weaknesses: Other reviewers have noted that the paint finish chips very easily, and I may have to concur with this assessment: On my first off-road ride -a 70 miler on the North Country Scenic Trail- I noticed a paint chip. But fear not, fellow hyper-sensitive and metrosexual cyclists, the paint chip in no way affects the Kula's ride quality. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: North Country Scenic Trail, MN Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Price Paid: $1100.00 Purchased At: Paramount Sports Similar Products Used: Kona Cinder Cone; Specialized Stumpjumper; Trek Fuel. Bike Setup: Stock: XT Rear, LX Front, with the sagaciously executed Fox Vanilla-R fork.
Submitted by
Stott Meister
a Cross Country Rider
from Southampton Date Reviewed: September 14, 2005 Strengths: Frame - the eastlight tubes are stiff and light, feels like one component - paintjob is excellent (lots of comments =)) Forks - the Vanilla R's are smoooth and complement the frame in terms of weight and damping Brakes - the Hayes 9's are great brakes - they need a small amount of setting up, but once you've done that, they are solid, smooth and really confidence inspiring. They don't complain in the wet and have nice progression. Drive-train - XT/RACEFACE/LX mix is superb - solid, reliable shifting Climbs and handles very well indeed Weaknesses: Assembly quality - The muppets ate Kona threaded the bottom-bracket when assembled - spotted +/- 3mm play in cranks when cleaning - had to be returned to shop for fixing - 2 weeks =( Seatpost - useless - moves all the time and requires constant adjustment Tyres - absoloutely useless - very skittish on loose stuff and puncture very easliy - they WEAR like nothing I've ever seen... Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: 3 months Price Paid: $950.00 Purchased At: The Hub Cycleworks, Soouthampton Similar Products Used: GT Avalanche, KONA Caldera, Spech R'hopper, Marin Nail Trail Bike Setup: Stock other than slightly higher rise bar (6'1" on a 19" frame) and XT BB after Knona threaded the RACE FACE one.
Submitted by
Dave
a Racer
from England Date Reviewed: September 5, 2005 Strengths: Fantastic when it gets technical, pretty good climber, all parts are solid and durable. Love the paint job! The frame itself is a work of art. Weaknesses: Slightly weighty. This may be down to the fact that Kona have speced a very strange fork for the intended use. Why a Vanilla when you can have an FRL or a Float? I replaced the tyres immediately. Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Favorite Trail: Lots Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Price Paid: $1100.00 Purchased At: Winstanleys
Submitted by
Jason
a Racer
from Dartmouth Date Reviewed: October 17, 2004 Strengths: This bike is awesome, I managed to try out a few different sizes and felt teh 17" although small for riding anywheres in teh trails has teh exact right wheel base to be ultra fast in the woods for me. Awesome bike for teh money Weaknesses: the lock out is garbage and keeps moving as I pedal...I'll be in teh woods and it will brush up against a branch...and whoops there goes the 100mmm, the paint job is killer but man it is beat after very little ridding and these nokian tires SUCK, three months and I'm riding slicks now... Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: 3 months Price Paid: $1000.00 Purchased At: Local shop Similar Products Used: Specialized rockhopper, cinder cone, G.fish tass, Bike Setup: only thing i changed ut was the worthless pedals to a nice set of pd540 and they are nice
Submitted by
Rob Oakes
a Cross Country Rider
from Hoddesdon, England Date Reviewed: August 22, 2004 Strengths: Extremely light Easton frame, great Hayes HFX9 hydraulics, Mazz Bomber comp fork with ETA, paintjob looks the nuts and gets admiring comments ! Weaknesses: Did not like the flat Easton bar so got dealer to stick on an Easton riser that looks and rides better for me on the 18" frame. I got mine a bit cheaper than retail but still paid way more than they pay in the US(not a product weakness just a moan!). Bottom Line: Expand full review >>Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month Purchased At: Cycadelia Similar Products Used: CinderCone, Caldera Bike Setup: Stock apart from the riser. Will be getting some Goodridge hydralic hoses.
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