Submitted by
iliya22
a Weekend Warrior
from Sofia, Bulgaria
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2009
Strengths: Handles everything perfectly, quality paintjob, very lite(I almost threw the box over my shoulder when i took it from the mail lady).
Weaknesses: My rear break rotor broke after half an year of riding(it was a used one tho) because of the geometry. I never liked how the DOPE system looked but I guess it's needed with the horstlink geometry.
Bottom Line:
This bikes makes me wanna go faster. It's lite and you can pedal it uphill, but the real purpose of it shows when you reach the top and turn it around. It goes fast and handles perfectly down the hill! I love taking the bike for a walk up the mountain and have some world class fun going back! It took everything I threw at it so far. Great frame and i managed to build a great allaround bike with it!
Bike Setup: MZ Super T pro 2004 fork, Juicy 5 brakes, Stratos helix pro shock
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Submitted by
dibo
a Downhiller
from San Diego, CA, US
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2009
Strengths: Strong, pedals reasonably well, stable jumper and at speed... solid bike!
Weaknesses: Rear end loses small-bump sensitivity during hard breaking, heavy, only 6" of travel...
Bottom Line:
You may want to take this with a grain of salt since I'm 140 lbs, but as a hard Freeride/DH rig, this bike is simply unbreakable. I've been riding it for 6 long and hard years... sometimes I feel sorry for it, but it keeps coming back for more.
I raced DH (sport level) on this bike and made the podium numerous times. I freerode the $hit out of it and consistently launched 25'x10' road gaps. I even cased a 35x15 pond gap at about 30 mph (back wheel landed on negative incline) and didn't even throw the thing out of alignment (the rear wheel, on the other hand, was cracked in about 20 places). My ankle was not so lucky.
Oddly, I've managed to climb hills on this bike I never made on my XC rig (albeit with a significant back pain to show for it), but that was before it turned into a full DH/FR bike. And although I'm considering getting a new Downhiller in the not too distant future - a true DH race bike this time - I'm seriously considering keeping this one around simply because of the memories of places we've been and things we've done... simply put, a fantastic bike!
Bike Setup: Fundamentally stock 2002 Stinky Primo with a Super-T, 2.5 DH tires (there's been alot over the years) an MRP chainguide. Currently weighs about 43lbs.
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Submitted by
Lucas Pancholi
a Weekend Warrior
from spain
Date Reviewed: January 16, 2007
Strengths: Looks good! makes you want to jump!
Weaknesses: Paint chips easy and not much rear travel
Bottom Line:
The best bike ever!! I have 1 of the best kona stinky primo 2003! This bike is a eye catcher. If you have money buy 1. Or bulid 1 your self. I sell all sorts of bits.(RACEFACE_MTB@hotmail.com
Bike Setup: Kona stinky primo 2003,hope 6ti,raceface northshore craks,dmr v12 pedals,sram x-9 rear mech,monster T 220mm forks,mavic 321 and sun rims mtx.
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Submitted by
jonathan
a Weekend Warrior
from san diego, ca
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2003
Strengths: it does not have any weaknesses
Weaknesses: see above
Bottom Line:
this bike KICKS BUT!!! whenever im dhing i have to look down and make sure im actually on trail because i can barely feel all the rocks, roots and whatever else that its soaking up. THIS BIKE RULES!!!
Similar Products Used: kona stuff kona stinky kona joyride (basicly a rebadged stab)
Bike Setup: all stock--soon to get blackspire dewlie changuide
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Submitted by
Doug
a Weekend Warrior
from Berkley MI
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2003
Strengths: Awesome!
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Now that I have actually riddin this beast hard I am more in love with it than before! It climbs like a Billygoat and comes back down faster than an avalanche! You can not tell that this bike is over 35 lbs.while your riding it!
Submitted by
Doug
a Weekend Warrior
from Berkley MI
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2003
Strengths: Tough, great welds, Love that square front half of frame. Best colors I have seen on a bike yet. Its a Kona, need I say more?
Weaknesses: Paint chips real easy.
Bottom Line:
This Bike rocks. I am still working out some of the kinks in my set up.(I only had it for 3 days). But from the first minute I sat On it I could tell this was made for me. The geometry is right on for Freeriding and taking huge drops. I had a Stab but traded my used frame for a brand new Stinky P. I will never look back. The Stab was too DH orientated. In Michigan there arent alot of shuttle runs or true DH opportunities. So that is were the stinky comes into play. I love the fact that you can tune it out to as close to a hardtail as an large travel bike can go. and once your at the top of that hill you can loosen it up and now you have one badass DH rig also! It is a great all around bike!
Strengths: Burly, saves your sketchy ass, can change direction faster than a windmeter
Weaknesses: wimps can't pedal it on trails, only us burly folk, so it's not a weakness for us Konafans
Bottom Line:
Always Kona. I busted the frame at the seattube pivot on my 99' manomano, Kona gave me full frame warranty credit towards this frame, It rocks. 5' to flat was getting to be a little much for the old xc, but thats where this bike begins. I love to not feel limited, and this bike is that, and it pedals too! Why do other companies even bother building bikes?
Bike Setup: Marz. z1 cr, xt discs, rd, hubs, cass, chain, Atomic trailpimps, Maxxi mofos, Raceface prodigy bash cranks, Diablo stem, King headset, Elite stem, SDG big boy
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Submitted by
Patrick
a Downhiller
from Washington DC
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2003
Strengths: This frame is incredibly solid, i was going to get a bullit but i got the primo for its price and it was definately the right choice. The 6' of travel is perfect for crazy urban riding as well as downhilling.
Weaknesses: the Only weakness is its weight. I just weighed my bike in at 37 pounds but im goin to replace the stem and bar and loose some pounds.
Bottom Line:
This bike is great all around freeride bike! it can handle big drops but also is a good peddler. The 6" fox is quality although i may want to try a romic. hopefully i can get the weight down to 34/35 pounds. i will take the primo over the bullit anyday- thats the final word.
Bike Setup: 17" orange/white frame. Pyslo XC fork. WTB Headset. 03' Hayes HFX 9 (ssooo nice). Mavic 121 rim in the rear mavic f219 front hub with hayes elite discs. intense tires deore shifters/derailleur. easton carbon lite bar. specialized platforms. specialized crank/shimano chain.
Strengths: well first thing, it looks sweet. burly. great geometry for freeriding. pedals decent. did i say burly? yeah i know i did! makes up for those slight misjudgments (not that we ever make them, right?) inspires confidence.
Weaknesses: alot of people talk about the weight and i agree, but while riding i dont notice it. it's easy to throw around and because of the geometry it works out perfect. so i guess i'm saying no weaknesses that i can find.
Bottom Line:
i'm so happy with this bike. i've done 15' step gaps, 8 to 15' drops and it just eats it all up like your poor uncle at a holiday feast. super responsive on the trail. don't let the weight thing bother you because you won't notice it when you ride. my bike is set up for freeride, but you could put it together with a tough xc set up and it would probably rule too. oh, just a little side note- i bought this from wheelworld.com and apparently fox hadn't sent the shock to kona so i had the frame with no shock sent, well after 2 months of getting a run around from wheelworld i finally said f@#$ it and called fox aftermarket sales and bought a vanilla rc for it. wheelworld refunded me a $150. it was a pain in the a$$ but i got it together and it was still a decent deal. the guys at wheelworld were cool (hope your healing well Patrick), but still not the best company to deal with. all and all i have the best bike i've ever owned and that's never a bad thing.
Similar Products Used: lots of them out there but they don't live up
Bike Setup: 02 stinky primo, 03 marz jr. t qr20 pro, atom labs trail pimps (thanks John!), profile cranks, minime mrp guide, hayes 8", thomson 12 degree post, azonic hot seat and d.w. bars, maxxis mobsters 2.5's.
Strengths: i boight a frame and built the bike from there...the frame is fu#&ing strong, it looks great, it has a really nice geometry (i'm 5'11" and i use smal frame) it takes all the beating i can give it without complaining...the price was AWESOME i was looking for 2001 SC Bullit but when i saw tis baby i placed an order without even thinking..the deal was great
Weaknesses: hmm... i'm afraid to ride it cuz it might get stoen...with my biult it's 45 F&*%ing pounds..the pig is heavy
Bottom Line:
the bike is great... tho i only had it for 3 months i've already beaten the living sh!t out of it...i'va done HUGE stair gaps, and 15feet drops to flat...the only thing i damages were my wrists, the bike takes it all, i have yet to do dirt jumping on it, i should post a follow up review in a year or so....or utill something happens it the bike..i give KONA 5 flaming monkey........job well done
Similar Products Used: tested almost every freeride bike out there
Bike Setup: KONA 15in frame, 2001 jr.T, doublewide rims, XT disc hubs, avid mech brakes (8in. rotors) azonic lounge seat, tomac bar, azonix shorty stem, gazza jr. front, WTB mutano rear, maxxis DH tudes, truvatin Hussefelt DH cranks and BB, shimano XT rear, home made chian guide, oury grips zu-zu pedals and lotsa other great components
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Submitted by
Shew Seattle
a Weekend Warrior
from ericshew@hotmail.com
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2002
Strengths: This bike makes for a very stable platform for all sorts of riding. This bike is GREAT for free-riding! It i very forgiving in sketchy situations (6 ft+ drops, jumps and even poor riding).
Weaknesses: Weight. I do still do a lot of XC riding and the weight of this bike is noticable. Of course once you ride it hard the weight is an easy price to pay for the confidence it brings. heavy friend blew out rear shock.
Bottom Line:
This bike has reignited my love for riding. If you like to ride hard and push your limits I can't recommend any other bike than this. I have focused all of my spare time this summer on riding this bike and have no regrets about it. This is a Heavy Duty bike, it's heavy but extremely stable. It climbs very well for its weight, just be prepared to either throw on lighter tires/tubes or get your legs in shape. Once you are used to the bike, you won't be able to wipe that sh!t eating grin off of your face. Have fun and ride harder then you think you should, this bike will take it.
I have breaks, but I don't need them! Big hits and 187 skills. With this build, the bike weights 32 pounds, which makes the climbing so nice for a bike that will take a 6 foot drop. Scuba Steve like!
Similar Products Used: Schwinn 4 Banger, Santa Cruz Bullit
Bike Setup: XTR Mania, Chris King All Around, Hayes Purple, Sun Ryno-Lite Rims
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Submitted by
Micah Wilcock
a Racer
from Reno, NV, USA
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2002
Strengths: Great frame, it take drops like a champ, yet i can still pedel it uphill without much trouble. 6" in of travel is enough to get the job done on anything, kona knows how to make their freeride bikes!
Weaknesses: The handlebars and stem are crazy heavy, and HUGE!! They add like 2 pounds to the bike, so i went to some nice raceface things. Not sure if I like that Bomber all the much, might have to throw on a Fox Vanilla 125.
Bottom Line:
It is a great bike to do everything on, you can ride it anywhere and that is what freeriding is all about! If you want a downhill bike go with the stab, but if you like riding to the downhill then this is the bike for you. I haven't had time to hook it up to the scale at work, but the weight is not that bad for a freeride bike. I'm trying to get mine down t0 33 pounds, so I can throw it around a little more. I have a 19 in frame, which works great for all around, and I'm 6 foot. Konas run really small top tubes, so remember that when your buying, and think about what you want to do with the bike. I would run a smaller frame if you are just going to jump, but if your like me and like riding your freeride bike, then go for a bigger frame!! Ride hard...stay hard.
Similar Products Used: Turner XCE...Turner RFX...Specailized downhill bike(the one before the big hit)
Bike Setup: I replaced the whole upper front end. King Headset, Raceface risers, and a Raceface stem, because it came with the Kona stuff and it was too heavy for anything! That and Aheadsets suck... also rip the tubes out before you even go ride, they don't work at all.(a typical kona thing to run cheap tubes) but hey i love them. I'm thinking about putting a chain guide in too, chain bangs around alot, so cover that chainstay.
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Submitted by
Eric Shew
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2002
Strengths: Very solid and stiff frame, tons of travel, very huckable.
Weaknesses: Weight
Bottom Line:
Great all around freeride bike. Since I put on my tires and DH tubes it's turned into a pig, but once you get it up to speed LOOK OUT! You can drop it huck it and land poorly, the plush suspension will save you. I love this bike but need to get my legs in shape. Get one if you don't have one. You'll love it.
Bike Setup: 17" Black (yes it's a 2002)XT disc's w/8" hayes F rotor, 130mm QR20 Z3, XT H-tech cranks, D521's
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Submitted by
Aaron
a Weekend Warrior
from Snoqualmie, WA
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2002
Strengths: The bike pretty much rules.... I was lucky enough to get the Orange Disc Brakes with mine. :p It takes whatever i can throw at it. Weighs in at a modest 37 pounds.... I think thats great for a heavy duty freeride/dh bike. Don't rely on the pictures in the catalog or the net for the color on the rear of the bike... neither of them do it any justice.
Weaknesses: Why not just go with 8 inch rotors on front and back.... I also agree that it should have come with a rock ring. I took care of that myself.
