Submitted by
Owen Hatt
a Weekend Warrior
from Saint John
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2007
Strengths: Awesome bike...The frame is light and strong. Looks nice too. The brake levers...grips etc are awesome. I like that the fork has lockout.
Weaknesses: The pedals suck, and the bar leaves a little to be desired. Brakes and such are just okay.
Bottom Line:
Seems like a wicked bike for the price...Even if you don't get a deal. The next step up from this bike is the Caldera...and allthough the Caldera is a better bike hands down...it doesnt seem like as good of a deal as the Blast for what you actually get for your money. I plan on doing a few upgrades...But I definatley think "I love my bike" every time I hop on.
Bike Setup: 2007 Kona Blast Stock...Replaced pedals with Sun/Ringle Zu-Zu's.
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Submitted by
steve
a Cross Country Rider
from victoria, bc, canada
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2006
Strengths: The frame is typical Kona - light and solid. The rims aren't bad for the money. Nice, classic rear derailleur (STX-RC). Good headset and great brakes (Avids).
Weaknesses: Alivio 8 speed shifters! These shifters suck. Half the time the left one won't even catch to shift into the largest chainring. I'm not very impressed with the alivio front derailleur either. The paint is pretty easy to chip, especially under and around the bottom bracket area. The RST shock is very heavy and I'm concerned about it's future reliability.
Bottom Line:
Not a bad bike. Kona frame is very nice and light. Some of the components are a bit questionable, but are easily upgraded. If you can get one for a good deal, a Kona is always worthwhile.
Bike Setup: Avid 1.0 brakes and levers, Alivio 8 speed shifters, Alivio FD, STX-RC RD, Mavic 138 rims, stock Kona tires and stem.
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Submitted by
Moh Tong, David Ling
a Cross Country Rider
from Kota KInabalu,Sabah,Malaysia
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2006
Strengths: Strong and is race proven. I borrowed my bike to a participant(Exceldive team) in the first malaysia 24 hours race at Sabah tea plantation and they were number 3 up of the 26 teams back in 2004. (Is in the Malaysia guniness book of record, about this race)
Bike Setup: Easton carbon monkey lite riser bar, cc headset, easton stem and seat post. Rockshox duke xc u-turn, deore 9sp shifter,deore crank front D and read D.Mavix stock rim 139. Avid single digit 5 v-brake and single digit 3 lever.
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Submitted by
Annette Smith
a Cross Country Rider
from Laramie, WY USA
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2004
Strengths: Nice frame for a woman. Quick and responsive angles, short-ish stem. Decent components for this price point.
Weaknesses: constantly out-of-true wheels, clipless pedals should be an immediate consideration
Bottom Line:
After developing a back problem on my over-sized Specialized, I convinced the bike shop to let me ride some smaller frames. I'm 5'6" but with a really short torso. This bike is fun to jump on single track and upright enough for some gentle tooling around town. My back never hurts, after 10 hard-core miles of Rocky Mountain singletrack. Cages are hard to find on the pedals (at least it COMES with cages): will consider clipless very soon. A good starter bike with lots of room to grow. In short, I LOVE MY BIKE. A great ride for the price, especially if you can get it on closeout.
Strengths: Frame is awesome, excelent geometry. Great price for a bike that feels and rides like this.
Weaknesses: Components are fairly low end however it has an awesome frame which is fully upgradeable and a good overall price.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for a great price. I would recommend it to any level rider from beginner to expert, who are looking for the best bang for their buck. I simply love the way this bike feels and rides. The components are pretty low end so if you are picky about that go for the Caldera. Otherwise you could replace the components over time or as they break. It is disc brake compatable so over time you could set the bike up totally sweet. I bought the bike mail order, based on how much I loved my old Kona Hauanna. This bike feels much different but I am not disappointed. The body position on this bike is more upright, as if you were riding a motorcross. The bottom bracket is high so you have lots of clearance giving a "high in the saddle" kinda feel. I use the bike for singletrack, touring and various urban obsticles. Its comfortable to ride and so much fun. I still get the europhic "I love my bike" feeling each time I hop on it. Hope this helps, Happy trails Cameron
Similar Products Used: Specialized Rockhopper Sport *2, Kona Hahauna
Bike Setup: Stock except for shimano clipless peadals and a deore crank.
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Submitted by
Cole
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 29, 2004
Strengths: Frame, Marzocchi MX-comp 100mm fork, brakes, derailers... I love it all
Weaknesses: PEDALS... oh god, terrible
Bottom Line:
Been on one ride with it and I love it. Coming from a Norco Reactor which Ive had since 1999 worth about half as much as this Kona its like comparing a BMW with a Honda. Great bike for anyone
Bike Setup: Stock - Will change the pedals ASAP and the grips seems like they will be ruined soon
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Submitted by
Bo Finnegan
a Weekend Warrior
from Williston VT USA
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2004
Strengths: Smooth Drive Train, Power climber, once it get's rolling you can ride over just about anything
Weaknesses: Petals, front fork (Before adjusing it)
Bottom Line:
This is a great cruiser on the trial or on the road. I ride 60% time on the trail 40% time on the road and this thing handels anything I throw at it. I'm a big dude, 225lbs, and this bike handels all the single tracks snowmobile trails and suger shack runs I can find on the 3 or 4 times a week a ride. In three years I had to adjust the derailer once and I've gone though 6 sets of break pads and she is still going strong. Except that I have ridden so much the drive train is worn and I have 2-3 more months left before I have to do some work on it. But it still shift fine with a worn drive train.
Similar Products Used: diamond back, specialized, trek
Bike Setup: Stock except for new seat / petals
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Submitted by
Mason Miller
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, Texas, USA
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2004
Strengths: Solid Frame, Decent Componentry (considering price), minimal maintenance, comfortable ride, great climber, solid shifting, very nimble on tight single track
Weaknesses: brake levers feel like two solid wooden blocks, wheels go out of true easily, EXR Comp fork is STIFF STIFF STIFF...
Bottom Line:
This really is a great bike (especially as a "let's see how much I like this sport" sort of bike). It's a good, solid ride that is very quick and nimble in the turns and stable on the rocky downhills (I don't go too fast). The EXR Comp fork is very stiff (bombproof as all get at, but not plush). It's only going to absorb the medium to large hits. You might as well be on a full rigid bike for the smaller bumps. The wheels also should be replaced fairly quickly. While I'm a larger rider (6'4" and 230 lbs), I bent the rims out of true almost immediately (on not very hard stuff I might add). I was hesitant to really push things until I got new wheels. With the Cane Creeks on there, this puppy is solid, and can take quite a beating (by my standards that is...) Also, I didn't much care for the brake levers. I rode with them for several months and just didn't like their feel or size. They were definitely department store-esque. Very long and non-ergonomic. Whenever you release the brakes they make a consistently noisy, metallic "clank." Once I replaced them with LX levers, I was a happy camper. All that said, however, I think that this really is a great bike. It's strong, solid and easy to work on. I have a great time riding it. It climbs like the dickens too, just scoot forward on the seat and crank away. The paint job is quite pleasant as well. This is a perfect bike for "Joe Beginner" who likes the look of mountain biking, but doesn't want to shell out the huge bucks for a better-outfitted ride.
Bike Setup: Stock 2003 model with Shimano SPD pedals, LX brake levers, Cane Creek Aeroheat Wheelset, Maxxis Larsen Tires
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Submitted by
Jordan
a Cross Country Rider
from Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2003
Strengths: Frame definetely. Lightness. Shifters. The Tioga tires are excellent. The Marzocchi EXR Comp for is better than Judy TT crap that you get on other bikes in this price range.
Weaknesses: Cranks aren't the greatest. The pedals suck. Tektro XC levers.
Bottom Line:
It's great value for the money. The Marzocchi EXR Comp fork it quite stiff, and I think it has too much oil in it. The Deore shifters work well, although I'm gonna upgrade the rear derailleur to XT because it sometimes skipps. If you like a good cross-country ride and don't have a lot of cash, this is the bike for you.
Bike Setup: Stock 2003 Kona Blast, except for a Blackspire bashguard.
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Submitted by
Terjin
a Cross Country Rider
from Malaysia
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2003
Strengths: strong frame!
Weaknesses: nothing much...except for the pedals! and the rims break easily too
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the price i paid...has never failed me since i bought it! Havent really tested the frames sturdyness, as i dont really huck drops, but it has stuck with me and all the torturing i have given it. Invest some money in this bike and you will have a really nice bike to ride!Also, change the pedals once you buy it...the ones that come with the bike are crappy!
Bike Setup: XT Front Dee,XT Rear Dee,Eggbeaters,Manitou Magnum R,Thomson Stem,Salsa Seatpost,Avid SD 7's,Mavic 517's
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Submitted by
Jack
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2003
Strengths: Nice frame, good price
Weaknesses: Components
Bottom Line:
Great value for money - just replace the bits as they break (which the will). Changed the pedals before the first ride.
Components aren't too great, but are pretty much standard level considering the price range. If you want really great stuff, you're going to have to pay more money. But, as you replace all the bits of pieces its a great bike, and spreads the cost out over a period of time (for the budget conscious)
Submitted by
Doug LaBelle
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary Alberta Canada
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2003
Strengths: Frame.
Weaknesses: Definitely Pedals, the crap they start with is so bad. The Fork, the cranks, the derailleurs, the rims.
Bottom Line:
This bike is alright if you have the money to replace the parts that will inevitably break. After riding the Giant Rainier, and using the discs, I seriously contemplated getting discs for the Blast. Or not. The bike is good, just don't go too hard core on it. The rims will crack easy, and the pedals ABSOLUTELY have to be changed, they are as good as covered with butter. But whatever. Good bike, good ride. Not easy on the pocket book. I've put 1100 bucks on it so far. But I think I'm gettin the Coiler next, and that's only a chunk of the Coiler's price. If you aren't hard core, buy this bike. Otherwise, go better, go harder.
Buy this bike if you only have about 500(american)bucks(800 cdn) if you have more, by all means, buy something way more expensive. Otherwise, a great Kona bike.
Submitted by
Dana
a Cross Country Rider
from Watertown, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: April 30, 2003
Strengths: Good frame. Very stiff. Drivetrain is resonable. The fork and pedals are a bit chinsey.
Weaknesses: The pedals, and definatley the fork. The pedals were changed within a couple weeks. THe fork, bottomed out on no matter how I adjusted it. Im about 170 lbs. Also, the crank arms seem a bit weak/flexy.
Bottom Line:
Good bike, I could recommend a better bike, such as a Specialized of some sort. Get this bike, but I dont think its fit for a cross country rider thats a more aggressive rider. Ive taken this bike to the urban style, on the ramps, and done some drops :). So far only the crank, wheels, and bars are bent. Some call that abuse, I call that fun.
I've ridden the bike fairly hard on some downhill terrain, nothing more than 4 foot dropoffs and it copes beautifully. Havent bottomed out the fork yet, sure it cold have more travel but compare the Judy TT to similar priced bikes you'll get RST or Suntour crap. I am also pretty light so that could be the reason i havent bottomed out. Chain has only come off once. Deraileurs have been working well. The frame seems very tough and combined with the risers gives the bike a slightly more downhill setup than a standard cross-country bike. You simply cant get better value for money in my opinion.
