Submitted by
anthony barford
a Weekend Warrior
from CAnberra, ACT, Oz
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2008
Strengths: Got the King Kikapu from a bloke at work.(AU$450.00) About 2000 year model (with disk brake mounts). Parts fully worn out, so replaced everything except seat / post and forks (rockshock judy xc). Rides well, is sure footed and easy to steer. Components unbelievably good!
Weaknesses: Bouncy. As a new MTB, takes some getting used to.
Bottom Line:
Started out as a 'low cost' commuter (so my Giant TCR-C1 roadie wasn't left out on the street), but it all soon added up. Shimano XT gear fantastic, service however appalling. (took 7 months to get the parts!). (Shimano, are you listening?). I use it as a commuter on road/path; forest trail and am learning to ride on single track. The bike can handle much rougher country than I can so far, but I feel safe at > 40km/h on a fire trail dh, so getting better. Would like a bit lighter, but then another full carbon was too expensive. Great bike, took to the upgrade beautifully. Bike is far better than I am (new to MTB, but experienced roadie). Definitely worth it.
Similar Products Used: GT Avalanche, bike shop spare ...
Bike Setup: Full 2008 XT kit (f/r sets, hp wheels, hydraulic discs, shifters, levers); ritchey flat bar; mission-x headset, ranchero rubber
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Brett Craddock
a Weekend Warrior
from UK, Kent
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2004
Strengths: Frame !!!
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
98 King kik bought on Ebay. Great spec, although I have changed the Pace forks for some Fox 100RLC's and updated a few items.
Basically I love this bike. Went on a VERY rough 1 mile downhill trail today and kicked ass. Arrived at the bottom a good 60seconds before the Kona Stinky rider.
The frame and setup I have is supreme - I have never had such a responsive ride as this. It just gives me so much confidence. I was shredding the trail, and by the end my thumbs were killing me, I had been gripping my Yeti lockons so hard. This bike is a point and click. I pointed it and it just went where I told it to. I was just holding on for dear life, the King Kik never let me down. When I feel out of control the bike just carries on.
Uphill its the best, Im pretty heavy but still came out at the top of a 1/2 mile climb before the lighter riders. The fox lockouts help loads. My FS can become a rigid at the flick of two switches. A downhill monster and a rigid climber all in one. Best of both worlds.
Amazing. My Frame is the 98 version - I would never think of selling it. I have a 180mm Hope Mono Mini on the front and an XTR V on the back. Who needs more.
Bike Setup: XTR 2004 Crank, Rear Mech, chain, cassete, rear brake. XT shifters and front Mech. Hope hubs, headset. Mono Mini Front 180mm. Race Face Stem, Seat. Ti Seatpost, Scewers. Fizik Seat. Fox 100RLC Forx, Fox Float rear shock. Race face Stem etc..
Strengths: climbs like a mountain goat, yet soakes up the hit on a downhill. strong grupo
Weaknesses: frame flex and not disc break mount
Bottom Line:
this bike is a beast. its stable in turns, regardless of a small amout of flex. i am a 6'1" 165 lb racer, and this bike, a medium, fits perfectly. not bob in a sprint or durring a long climb, due to the unified rear end and 4 bar linkage. the bike can take anything, i have been freeriding on it latly and it can take up to 6-7 foot drop. the weight is not bad, and the only problem i have is with the lack of a rear disc break mount, but v-breaks a lighter anyway. i z2 superfly is the smoothest fork i have ever ridden, and it feels lighter than a sid race, and stiffer then any other fork out there. i an taking one flaming roadie off just because of the frame flex, but then again i should add a flameiong roadie for the killer paint job, bomber orange.
Similar Products Used: trek fuel 100, gf sugar giant nrs
Bike Setup: stock rear shock, z2 superfly fork, monkey lite xc bar bontrager race stem, wtb speev v seat, rhino lite rear rim with stock hub and an xtr cassete, x517 front rim with xt hub, xtr rear derailure and lx front with xt shifters, break levers and breaks. tioga factory dh tire in the back and a nokian gazzalodie mud 2.3 up from
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Submitted by
Alex Salikan
a Downhiller
from Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2002
Strengths: what can i say? it can withstand any 5' drop! i really like the small frame 2!
Weaknesses: the paint is scraped on the opposite side from where you would normally get chainslap (don't ask why, i bought it used), and 4" isn't enough for me (but i'm only 13).
Bottom Line:
wow! 5'! if u can find a good condition 98' nowadays, and u like XC, FR, DH or even just trail riding, buy this bike!!! maybe even off me, i'm gonna b a DH rider and will need 2 upgrade sometime!
Similar Products Used: hello, i'm 13, how many $2600 bikes do u think i've tried?
Bike Setup: stock accept for pedals, tires, stem, rear shock and soon to b fork.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Jeff Graham
a Racer
from Guelph Ont. Canada
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2001
Strengths: This bike rocks.It does what it is made to do
Weaknesses: There are no weaknesses
Bottom Line:
Buy it if you like it if you don't who cares.As long as the trails are good let's all just have fun.Hope you read my posting because I believe it is not what you ride but how much fun you had.I race for team Gears N Beers so party on dudes and dudets
Similar Products Used: I ride my King for fun and race my explosif
Bike Setup: all good stuff
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
steve
a Cross Country Rider
from manchester,nh,usa
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2001
Strengths: parts r great I just changed the bar and the originial head set just died last summer so i got a chris king hs,kore riser bars,azonic shorty stem and 636 pedals i added
Weaknesses: the year they made my bike they made an interupted seat stay more flex in frame than one without but still it rocks looks like a custom bike
Bottom Line:
its a good bike but i was pissed cause the next year they came out with disc brakes and a sdg saddle my front shock wich came stock rules changed the oil oncerear shock is fox alps air wich is great also.but the frame has too much flex because it is an interupted seat-stay made with easton aluminam. thats the bottom line
Similar Products Used: none really like this first high end bike since i got a good deal on it only because i had a trade-in the shop dosent take tradeins but 4 me they did since i take really good care of my bike
Bike Setup: sigma wireless puter,sdh seat kore h-bars azonic shorty stem 636 peddals goretex shift cables the rest is still stock alsoi am one of those guys that waxes his bike 2001 works great easier to clean bike after just keep it off the rims!!!
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
broken arm
a Cross Country Rider
from canada
Date Reviewed: April 10, 2001
Strengths: components, tough frame
Weaknesses: hmmm.. not much
Bottom Line:
I love this bike, I have never had a better ride. I paid $1200 canadian for it too which is about $700 US. I got it used from a friend who had ridden it about 10 times so I got a really good deal. I am really impressed with the air shock, I had no idea it would be that good of a ride. I am not the lightest guy either so I thought I would have trouble with it but damn it's good. If you can get as good of a deal as I did...BUY ONE!!!
Submitted by
juan montoy
a weekend warrior
from Vancouver, British Columbia
Date Reviewed: March 5, 1999
Bottom Line:
i bought a 99 king a little while ago and love it. i was kind of doubtful about going full-suspension as i had been on a klein before and probably anything short of another klein or a cannondale would feel forgiving. the extra weight was a concern, but i thought that i had to get one some time just to see what it's about - never looked back. the trails out here are indescribeable unless you've actually rode them. i've rode all over canada and the US and have never found nastier terrain than what i've found here on the north shore on on vancouver island at the hartland mountain bike park or further up in bamberton. true testing ground for any ride. if you don't break it here, you won't break it anywhere; if you can ride here, you can ride anywhere. that's what the king does; it rides. this thing eats up everything in its path. technical riding was never so painless; just hope that i don't lose my skills being so pampered on this machine. definitely helps on the downhills, that's a given; but, where i can feel the most improvement is on the root and rock infested, muddy, uneven up and downs of west coast rainforests. you don't have to think so much about what's under your bike and can start concentrating on what's ahead. on technical climbs, it f#ckin' magic. trying to get up a no-stop steep filled with roots, foot high boulders, a stream comin' down it and come across a log in the middle with the rocks piled up behind it? no problem; just give'r, lift the bars and peddle like mad; the thing will carry you right over. try doing that on any hardtail. won't happen; you'll hit it with your rear tire, tear off the moss and spin your way to a step down and the choice of walking up or walking down to try again. think you can lift the rear over? good luck cause your front's not going anywhere there. the geometry of the konas make it easy to pull up the bars. i'd suggest putting a riser on it anyway. got mine fully spec'd with race face gear, michelins, mavic x517c's, dt swiss, an sdg saddle (nothing better), atom bombs (f#cking amazing - don't get the superfly unless you want to spend half your ride times in the garage and don't even think of going for rock shox - unreliable and flimbsy) and xtr (except the bottom bracket which is a synchros) and have it down to just over 27. yeah, it's not that light but somehow you don't feel it other than riding to the trails. once you hit the trail, that weight is gone. it's light to lift cause it's all spung and somehow the geometry puts me in a climbing position that keeps me at the front of the pack of fs's and full suspensions. that's for me i guess but i'm sure that you can set yourself up. i still have my old klein for racing but i don't think i'll be on it much. i'd give it ten if i could.
Submitted by
Cam
a cross-country rider
from Walkerton Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: January 30, 1999
Bottom Line:
Alright, after all these months, this bike keeps getting better and better. It must have needed a extended break in period? I flipped the stem, added a straight bar, bike tight stubs barends, and it is a excellent ride. After messing with the pressure in the rear shock, I have seem to got it so that it is still plush without any bob. Perfect so to speak. So after my last reveiw when I was a bit mad I got that bike and gave it a 3, it really deserves to get a better rating. All is well except cable routing, which is a little weird.... This is great trail bike despite what I said earlier, so take a look at one down at your local shop, and see for yourself!=o) Cam
Submitted by
Durt Ryder
a cross-country rider
from The Hills
Date Reviewed: December 27, 1998
Bottom Line:
I have ridden my King Kikapu for about six months now and have found it a worthy cross country bike. This mutt, produced by mating URTs and link bikes, has some weird characteristics. It gets stiffer when you stand, like a URT, but not as stiff as the sweetspots. I like to keep the pressure in the Alps 5R low so that it sits halfway through its travel when I am seated - this way I can modulate the effective spring rate by putting more or less weigh on the saddle. On big hits I transfer my weight to my feet and the shock, now stiffer, doesn't bottom. When I'm cruisin' on moderately smooth surfaces I sit, and the rear becomes Coupe DeVille-with-all-options soft. Link bikes are less finicky for DH but a King will easily smoke them up the hills and through the singletrack since the unified drivetrain is very efficient. It is also active under braking thanks to a couple extra links. Oh yeah, the best park about this bike is the geometry! Unlike many long travel bikes, the King is a lethal machine in tense situations. It's prowess on tight technical trails is equal to that of a hardtail, maybe greater since those 4 inches erase any mistakes and allow for some creative navigation. All querks aside, it's a fantastic trailbike that will fulfill all expectations.
Submitted by
Cam
a weekend warrior
from Walkerton Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: August 22, 1998
Bottom Line:
I purchased my Kona U'hu (same frame as Kikapu)a few weeks ago after being sold on the test ride. Later did I find out that this bike bobs like hell under power. When you ride the rough with a smooth pedal stroke, the chain seems to skip during the time that the shock is compressing. That caused a few memorable moments! A bobmer Z-2 came stock on my bike. I liked the way it works but not the weight. It is a tad flexy as well. Overall, I like the bike, but it seems better for a downhill run rather then just bombing around on the local trails or XC racing. I give the Kona 3 chilis. If you like this bike---->Remember. Mine is for sale!!!!!! $1200? Cam
Submitted by
Grabber
a downhiller
from Auckland, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: August 7, 1998
Bottom Line:
Kona makes some pretty fun bikes, and the Kikapu is one of them. But after 16 months of riding, what am i supposed to say when the frame cracks and the jury is still out on a replacement frame?. I know of two other Kikapu's that have snapped on or behind the headtube welds within the last 5 months. That said, after adjusting the washers in the 5R Fox for faster rebound the bike was a blast, just waiting, waiting, waiting for a new frame! It'll be 5 stars when i get a new bike
I have a '97 Kikapu and I'm very happy with it. I've done many downhill races on it, huge jumps like 10 ft doubles and it handles it with ease. I've fitted a custom 6' rocker arm with a RS super deluxe and boy does it rock!. This is a very good bike for downhilling, and jumping, just don't try and use it for cross-country, it's a DH bike ok???
I bought a King Kikapu in June 98 and in my opinion it´s a very hot bike. The fork (Bomber Z1) is a dream of damping and the rear works very good, too. Biking is much more easier because you have a lot of control. I have a lot of fun with it and I think it was a very good choice to buy a Kona King Kikapu.
my seat clamp is kaput and I need to find a replacement. I tried to look up the correct size on Kona's website, but couldn't find what I was looking for. Any help would be apprecia Read More »
Took my bike into lbs for a tune-up and found out that I have a couple of hairline cracks on my frame (on the seat tube welds where the rockers are attached). Luckily my frame is s Read More »
Sorry for this new thread - I haven't been able to get into the big [URL="http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=158959"]1x9 thread[/URL] for a few days for some reason.
I've b Read More »
I have a King Kikapu for sale. I has an Chris King Head Set, Race Face Deus xc Crank, Candy egg beaters, Sram x-7 rear and front Derailleurs and x-5 Shifters. Avid bb 5 brakes, Rhi Read More »
I found a 2007 Kona King Kikapu at a local pawn shop. They want $550 for it. It appears to be all original equipment including the tires. Is this a good deal? Since it was neve Read More »
