Submitted by
myfun
a Cross Country Rider
from South Florida
Date Reviewed: March 22, 2011
Strengths: Lightweight,Fast, Looks, components.
Weaknesses: I can't think of one
Bottom Line:
This bike is FAST!, Light! stiff. What more could you want. I love the geometry. The suspension has no bob or very little. nothing that I can detect compaired to my Kona Dawg. Sweet ride.
Weaknesses: haven't used it long enough to determine any weaknesses. Maybe a little heavy... but compared to what.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that this bike is worth every penny I just paid for it. It rides like a dream, is light enough to be used all day, and just plain looks the part of a excellent quality bike. I suspect some weight could be shaved from the cranks and maybe the fork, but overall it's a phenomenally set up bike that is quite capable on the trails. I'm extremely impressed with the welds and the fit and finish.
I haven't had a FS XC bike in the last six years, but this one brought me out of retirement. Also, I've had two lower back surgeries and still ride with a blown out disc at L4 L5 and after I got off the bike after my first ride, I couldn't feel a thing. That says quite a bit about the quality of the ride from this bike.
Bike Setup: XT F&R, Race Face cranks, stem & bars, Hayes Nine's with carbon levers, FSA factory wheelset, WTB tires & saddle, Fox F100RL up front, Fox RD3 w/propedal in rear.
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Submitted by
irideablackbike
a Cross Country Rider
from Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2009
Strengths: This frame is exactly what I have always dreamed of out of a bike. It's firm enough that it doesn't lose power when you climb or get out of the saddle, yet plush enough to really hammer down hills and take on any reasonable obstacle. Heck, I've taken the bike to Boyne Highlands and had fun!
Weaknesses: The only weakness I can think of is the fact that the frame is no longer made.
Bottom Line:
Best bike I've ever owned, hope to have it for a very, very long time. I will be buying another kona when it's time for a new bike.
Bike Setup: White Brothers Magic 100 fork, x7 triggers, x9 RD, BB7 Brakes, Sram 990 Cassette, Deore Crank
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Submitted by
lexibm
a Cross Country Rider
from Ladera Ranch, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2009
Strengths: Well thought out design. Good looking. Scandium frame is light and strong. Cable routing excellent.
Weaknesses: Cosmetic: A little flashy. Some rear derailleur noise hitting chainstay at times.
Bottom Line:
Light, agile, while retaining good downhill technical ability. (The 5" travel fork on a 4" travel frame has all the handling charateristics I desire for overall trail riding) Scandium frame makes a "different" noise when pebbles ping off of it. Cable routing is excellent. Pedals uphill like a hardtail. Bob-less. Confidence inspiring, yes it is. Rear derailleur/chainstay contact very slight on fast hard bumps remedied by small piece of innertube on chainstay. My bottom line: a)I use this one bike for everything and it constantly improves my abilities.
Similar Products Used: Adding a note here instead! Price above is frame only deal from eBay.
Bike Setup: Fox Float RP3. Fox 130RLC. XTR hubs/DT SWiss 4.1d wheels. Tubless run WTB Exiwolf 2.3 tires. XTR build. Chris King headset. Easton 90mm stem. Carbon bars. WTB titanium rail saddle. ODI lock-on grips. Salsa QR seatpost clamp.
Strengths: Bought frame and built-up bike. Great geometry, Scandium tubing, light, stiff, well engineered. Fox RP3 rear shock.
Weaknesses: None yet
Bottom Line:
I wanted a $3,000 FS bike, but spent only $1,300 building this bike. Thank you eBay and Craigslist! Super plush and solid on descents, agile on single track. Only 26 lbs, great climber. Shock lockout for long road or fireroad rides. Perfect geometry...really comfortable. All I need is more courage and stronger lungs. Really love my bike, I've lost 10 lbs and can't wait to ride every day!! I have the Blue and white frame, looks great. Great all around XC bike Will review again after a year.
Similar Products Used: Kona Explosiv, Specialized Stumpjumper XC
Bike Setup: SRAM X-9 RD and Shifters, XT FD, Cook Bros.Crank, Mavic Cross Ride Disc hubs and wheels, Formula Oro K24 Brakes Rock Shox Recon 351 (100-130mm), WTB Comfort Zone saddle, Race Face seatpost, Crank Bros. "Candy" pedals
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Submitted by
black_rider
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2009
Strengths: Light, stiff, and fast. Suspension tracks well in rough stuff, great on technical climbs. Comfortable bombing downhills like it's got more than 4". Lockout and ProPedal are great for long climbs. XT kit is solid. Great all around bike--endurance races, short track, epic XC rides.
Weaknesses: Frameset is great, but some of the build leaves a bit to be desired. FSA XC-300 wheelset--broken nipple, broken spokes, and irreparable rim within 1 year. Headset and BB didn't hold up too long (6 mos?) in the Portland winter. Have had to bleed Hayes Nine brakes several times--bit of a pain, but they stop well.
Similar Products Used: First DS bike. Tested Santa Cruz Superlight, Specialized Stump Jumper 29r, Fisher Paragon, Giant Trance.
Bike Setup: Mostly stock 2007. Replaced headset and BB with Chris King. Wheels are now XT hubs laced to Mavic 717 rims. Ergon grips.
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Submitted by
shoedork
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson, AZ
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2009
Strengths: Light 4" Travel XC Bike
Weaknesses: Seat Stay portion of rear linkage suffered a crack at the joint fitting. KONA would not let the dealer warranty the item until they saw it - even though the dealer confirmed that it need to be replaced. Took two weeks to resolve.
Bottom Line:
Seems like KONA offers some good value, but their warranty service is terrible - which I think speaks volumes about the company. I immediately stripped the bike and bought another from Turner - which I quickly realized is not only really well built, but rides MUCH better. I will never purchase anything from KONA again...
Similar Products Used: Panasonic old school mountain cat, GT Pantera, Specialized FSR M4, Trek liquid 55.
Bike Setup: stock
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Submitted by
Ranxirox
a Cross Country Rider
from Paso Robles CA, USandA
Date Reviewed: December 14, 2008
Strengths: Climbing, High and low speed handling. Weight. Overall this is one of the best no BS frame designs avialable IMHO!
Weaknesses: Seat post size. I think It's a 26.8. I ride the 18" frame and like to extend the post. I can feel some flex in the seat post so I have to use alloy instead of carbon and a Ti. post would be way to flexy.
Bottom Line:
I like to ride - Uphill, Down, Across, Over, Trails, Hills, Fields, Etc "Burn One Down and ride all day". I have been riding since 84 (Ritchey). I have owned too many bikes to mention. This bike is in my top five of all time favorite bikes. I haven't been as attentive to maintenance as I could have been - But I have had zero trouble. No ghost shifting no funky noises from the suspension. I have the Carbon seat stays and no problems man. My other bike is a Ti Fat Chance and it hasn't seen much use since I built this bike (That's saying alot right there!)
I feel bad for people who pay for a name or looks over performance. I have been that route myself. There is a genuine magic feeling when you get the right bike. You ride farther faster and enjoy it more.
I am thinking about getting the KONA 29er because I like this bike so much. I am also thinking about converting my Wife and son over to this design. Am I starting to sound like a fanatic?
Any how if your getting ready to buy a bike and are looking at this review. Do yourself a favor and test ride one of these.
I reccomend this bike to the purist, riders who really like to ride and develop their skill. If you can't get there on this bike it's not the bikes fault.
I would discourage neanderthal riders, guys who blame the bike for their own shortcomings. If your gonna run right into the rut when you could have hopped over it - look elsewhere.
Similar Products Used: Jamis Dakar Pro, Titus Racer-x, Giant Trance, Fat Chance Yo eddy Ti.(my other bike)
Bike Setup: Manituou Black forks, Xtr drivetrain, FSA Carbon Cranks, Easton Stem Post and bars, Hayes 9 brakes, Mavic CrossMax rims and hubs with the big fat spokes.
Weaknesses: little slow off the gun...oh wait thats just me
Bottom Line:
I cracked my 05 the King at the weld of the seat tube and top tube. Took the bike to my LBS, and they got it replaced by Kona under warranty. Its nice to have that kind of product support. The 08 is a very nice improvement over the 05. I particularly like the added gussets to the seat tube top tube joint(obvs), and the down tube. I cant tell if the rear shock mount is forged or machined, but its MUCH stiffer than the 05 King....a very nice upgrade, as was the added travel. They changed frame sizes between the 05 and 08 frames which meant i went from a 21 inch in 05 to a 20.5 with the new one. I wouldnt think this would make much of a difference, but the newer frame feels a little bit more stable and faster. The revelation is a great match for this frame, though 130mm of travel is too much for the geometry, so i tweak it down to 110.
Bike Setup: RockShox Revelation 80-130mm, XT with Sun Rinolytes, Float R, Sram 9.0, Avid BB7
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Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: February 9, 2008
Strengths: Very stiff frame, no flex and light. Great performing suspension components and full XT which is nice. Tires roll very fast on hardpack, but lack traction in loose conditions
Weaknesses: Wheelset flex is a problem. It takes away from the rock solid frame....this is noticed on choppy or rocky sections (maybe I am too heavy for this set but at 185lbs I am not impressed with the amount of flex in the wheels). Tires offer minimal traction and lower air volume. A true 2.1 tire with better traction would suit my riding environment.
Bottom Line:
A great XC ride, would be perfect with MAXIS Enduro and Kenda Nevegal.
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher Sugar, K2 hardtail, Jamis Dakar
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
Jay Peery
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR, USA
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2007
Strengths: Due to the use of Scandium, this thing is light for a 4" trvel bike. Over all the 4 bar system works great and OEM Fox fork and shock are very high quality items.
Weaknesses: None yet found
Bottom Line:
The ride is amazing - agile in slow technical stuff and rock solid in fast technical terrain. The bike is flickable and light enough for XC use, but has the cajones for all out downhill bombing. A GREAT DO IT ALL BIKE!
Bike Setup: Over all the King is set-up well out of the box, but I subbed out Mavic Cross Trail UST wheels for the FSA hoops as I had heard nothing good about FSA wheels, a Chris King headset, a larger front rotor, Thomson stem and seat post and some 2.35 UST Maxxis Ignitor tires, On One Mary bars and Ergon grips. The tubeless upgrade was amazing - changed the bike completely.
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Submitted by
Jean
a Racer
from Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2007
Strengths: The bike came with pedals, it's light & reliable; a great machine for the price!
Weaknesses: Poor wheelset (the spoke nipples bust under easy riding conditions), poor handgrips.
Bottom Line:
A great bike that takes in whatever I throw at it from rocky Sudbury. I was sad to let go of my very old carbon bike but this is a great replacement. I was skeptical about the weight due to the full-suspension but my body thanks me as I don’t feel the bumps as much anymore; I now accelerate to climb small, very rocky climbs!
The major downside are the FSA wheels: the spoke nipples let go and I busted 3 spokes ON AN EASY RIDE! I bent the rim beyond repair. I’m now debating on getting either: Mavic CrossMax ST, I9 All-Mountain or Spinergy Xyclones.
Strengths: The components are top notch and the frame is so very light. The easy adjusting front and rear suspension is perfect for any type of ride. I have the Orange/White color scheme and it will not be mistaken for any other ride on the trail.
Weaknesses: Stock grips were quickly replaced as was the seat, but there is nothing else that needs any upgrade.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike and tell everyone who asks. Originally I was a little worried about the height difference from my hard tail, but after a single ride I knew there was nothing this bike could not handle. The thumb shifters work perfectly and the on-the-fly adjustability of the shocks help you tune your bike to you. The fact I picked up a demo model from my LBS who gave me a full year warrantee and tune-ups made the deal irresistible. If I had the money for MSRP I would definitely consider this bike a top contender, picking it up for less is a no-brainer. My main rides are technical single-tracks and serious cardiac uphill this bike is perfect.
this bike is great out of the box. on first ride i was very satisfied, very plush and responsive. after tuning the suspension and flipping the stem for a steeper more rigid setup, i like this bike ever more. so far no problems. i have heard mixed reviews about the brakes, but no issues yet. great simple lightweight bike that can be used for both free ride and xc racing.
