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Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Gardner MA USA
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Leominster State Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$275.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Nice plush ride, light enough for a FS, and really beefy | | Weaknesses: | I don't have on in every color | | Similar Products Used: | My first FS | | Bike Setup: | RS Reba, Fox Float R, XT/LX gears, Avid Mechs, lots of Race face, and most importanly the Bear Frame | | Bottom Line: | Amazing bike. I didn't believe the stories about a FS giving you more confidence but it really does. I'd say buying a used FS frame like I did and transfering the parts onto it is the best way to discover the Joy of riding an FS. 5 chlli's just isn't high enough. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from bellingham, wa
Date Reviewed: November 12, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | galbraithmt.com for this bike | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1900.00 | | Purchased At: | Custom, bought used frame | | Strengths: | Good climber and all around bike. Fast enough for XC built well enough for light freeriding | | Weaknesses: | Only 4" of rear travel | | Similar Products Used: | 96 kona sex one, 02 kona stinky primo | | Bike Setup: | 02 Bear frame, romic rear shock, 04 Z1 FR front, SRAM 9.0 drivetrain, FSA cranks bar and stem, Thompson post, Mavic 521 rims, Hayes carbon 9 brakes, Chris King headset. | | Bottom Line: | For the $1900 I have invested in this bike its an absolute unbeatable value. Bought the frame used off this site and have Allen at dropnzone.com build it. This bike rocks! It allows me to still take drops that I would on my stinky as long as the drops are 6 foot or less and I wheely drop and land on the rear. the bike is quick, nimble and a crap load of fun to ride. The goemetry is a perfect balance of HC XC and light freeride. I plan on having this bike around for a long time. My advice to anyone thinking about buying a Bear or Dawg: By the frame used and build it up with your choice of components. You'll get te best bike for your buck and the best part is its a totally unique bike that no one else has! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Weekend Warrior
from Scotts Valley, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Enchanted Loop | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Solid bike! Incredibly versitle. You can take this bike anywhere. Up steep hills and down nasty hills this bike holds its own and maintain perfect control. | | Weaknesses: | None that I can think of | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Rock hopper | | Bike Setup: | All XT components with XT disc brakes. 2.3 inch Maxxis High rollers, 2004 Marzocchi Z1 Drop Off II's | | Bottom Line: | This bike is solid. Upgraded from a hard tail and my bombs down hills have improved dramatically. You pick up so much speed and don't realize how fast you are going. I recently beefed up my front end with the Marzocchi Z1 Drop Off fork with Truvativ riser bar and stem. THis bike is really good bomb material, but it also climbs up the hills like a hard tail. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
zsh
a Cross Country Rider
from louEVIL, KY
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Ft. duffield | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | www.bikehell.com | | Strengths: | I bought a frame a built it up with collected parts. I really can't complain about anything. This is the perfect all mountain bike. Maybe the 5 inch upgrade would make it a little more comfy through the aggressive sections, but suits my needs fine as is. | | Weaknesses: | Nothing. It's perfect for what it was designed to do. All mountain. | | Similar Products Used: | Jamis dakar, norco rage, numerous hardtails. | | Bike Setup: | Marz exr, avid disc, lx deore D.T., Sun ds 2 rims, IRC trailbear tires, fox vanilla rl rear, titec cockpit. | | Bottom Line: | Kona'a are the bomb. Well made, perfect balance. I love the bear. Its great for what I do, ride epic xc, and throw in a stunt every now and then. I weigh 170 and have Dropped 5' to tranny/ 8 foot dirt gaps, no problem. Just yesterday rolled along with all the sub 25lb hardtailin' xcers up the hills, then followed the vp free/intensers down the knarly new downhill sec. What more can I say? If your looking for the jack of all trades. Get the bear, (or dawg, the new bear) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
PJM
a Cross Country Rider
from Park City, UT
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | SLC | | Strengths: | See review 6/27/02 #1....This bike rides/climbs and
downhills with a confidence-inspiring feel... | | Weaknesses: | I have 2K on this custom-built frameset. I break everything
I throw a leg over, ride strictly XC, and I NEVER even attempt to put more than 6" between the ground and my tires.
Top tube cracked right in front of the seat tube gusset
weld. JRA. 3/4 the way around the tube. Check this area
if you have a few yrs on your frame. After stripping the
frame for warranty replacement, I noticed another crack in
the small swingarm bridge eminating from one of the welding
pressure release weep holes. 3/4 around the tube. Now, all
that being said, I am 210lbs, and agressively ride 2-3K/yr.
of tech. singletrack, (I have two FS bikes built up cause I break everything and always need a backup) and can say
without a doubt that I am the real deal "JRA" rider.
Bike companies should hire me to ride their products
cause I have demolished (my words) under warranty
every frame and fork I have ever ridden,(except my 99/00
Mars1) and I have NEVER abused this frame.
My old GT LTS-1 lasted the longest of em all.(4yrs)
It suprises me the Bear only lasted 2K...really
suprises me. Kona is going to replace the frame for
me so kudos to Kona...I would bet they would like to
get rid of me since I am 3yrs. riding a lighter frameset
(King Kikapu-still riding it) that had a failed swingarm
tube(jra) and a shock mount bolt(jra) in the 1st yr riding it. Since most people are not 200lbs and ride 3K/yr, you
must take this review with a grain of salt...
LOVE THE RIDE OF THIS FRAME!!! | | Similar Products Used: | everything... | | Bike Setup: | Duxe SL air, custom wheelset, cantilever brake setup
by runnning a Stinky seatstay...27lbs... | | Bottom Line: | Great riding frame. It really does it all for
99% of the xc/trail riders out there.
Only a 210 lb. monster like me could break this
frame, and I did it in 2K miles riding xc, without
ever jumping or abusing it. I don't believe, again,
that most all good riders under 200lbs could break
it or claim a warranty like me.... | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Neil Forrow
a Weekend Warrior
from Cheltenham
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Lech, anywhere in B.C. and any in Wales | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Strengths: | Bombproof. Makes you ride slick and fast.. an enjoyable bike to ride. Nice angles and stiff. A true all day ride. | | Weaknesses: | Stock it is downspecked compaired to other bikes.... | | Similar Products Used: | All sorts | | Bike Setup: | Hope M4's Hope bulbs on sunn single tracks, Propedal the rear shox.. xt rear mech, xt block, flight saddle... | | Bottom Line: | Great bike.. well worth the money. If you can find a secondhand one get it.. the frame will have stood the test of time.. The one thing all Kona Bear riders should do is get the rear shox "pro pedal" it makes such a difference to the way the bike pedals.. If you are in england, when you get the shox serviced.. get it done by mojo.. they give it pro-p for an extra 20£.. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pete
a Cross Country Rider
from Ottawa
Date Reviewed: April 27, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | camp Fortune | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$980.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Looks, weight, frame, just fits me like a glove! Can climb well with it too. Dowbhill is a blast. | | Weaknesses: | Cannot (or not recommended) put a dual crown fork on. Nothingh else really. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel 90, C'Dale | | Bike Setup: | A few upgrades: has BETD 6.5" rear travel upgrade and added a Marzocchi Z1 Wedge, m545's | | Bottom Line: | After reading all the great reviews for Kona squishies I decided to find a used one on eBay. It took a week but I found one with the BETD extra travel plates ... they are awesome!!! I was basically a xcountry rider but now I am riding things I never would have on my Fuel 90. I can jump off anything, fly down stairs and still ride xcountry so this bike is for me. I will eventually put on hydros but the mechs work well although they scare the hell outta of folks on the path when they squeel. I will get a Stab next year cause I like DHing but what can I say ... the Bear makes me want to ride all the time. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert
a Downhiller
from Palo Alto, CA
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Stanford | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1400.00 | | Purchased At: | a friend | | Strengths: | Nice Geometry, Light bike even w/ upgrade components | | Weaknesses: | Stock components not that great | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Sun Single Track Rim w/ Hadley rear hub, Halo Combat w/ Diatech hub, Kujo DH 2.25 Tires, FSA Orbit XL II Headset, XT Casette, Specialized Enduro 2014 Handlebar, Specialized 03 Durango Grips, Romic Rear Shock, Easton Flatboys, RaceFace bash gaurd, WTB Speed-V, 2001 Marzocchi Z1 MCR QR20, 8" Front Rotor, Truvativ Husslefelts | | Bottom Line: | I've been riding this bike most of the summer and fall and have slowly been upgrading parts on it. Now that I have all the weak parts off the bike I must say that it is a great all around bike. It's burly enough to do hucking, jumping, and downhilling, yet it is still light enough that you don't have to carry it up every hill you come across. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adam
a Downhiller
from Fresno,Ca
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Goat Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | Tri Sport | | Strengths: | This bike has the burliest frame I've seen (Which is important when your 6'3' 250lbs like me)and comes set up with some very decent componentry for the price. Killer looks too! | | Weaknesses: | I've heard bad things about the stock tioga tires but I upgraded at the shop before I took it home so they were never an issue. I also switched out the pedals to a sick set of flats. The brakes are a bit noisy but as I have read that goes away over time. | | Similar Products Used: | First Full Suspension bike, also ride a rigid DiamondBack Ascent EX. | | Bike Setup: | Pretty much stock, like I said I upgraded the tires. | | Bottom Line: | Basically this is one sweet bike, for only 1,100.00 I got a savage bike that can take most of anything, killer looks, great geometry, a decent component set up and the knowledge that this bike can handle anything it comes across. The bike just feels good when I ride it, which is an uncommon feeling, I usually feel like I am going to break most bikes. I hope to add a longer stem and a set-back seat post soon...and maybe a set of hyrdro's but we'll see how that goes. Basically if you're a large person looking for a bike that is as burly as you are....this is the bike for you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justice Banks
a Downhiller
from Adealaide, S.A, Australia
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Kangarila | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Standish Cycles Unly | | Strengths: | Killer looks an price, so much bike for your buck. It's so versatile, one day cruising with your girlfriend, aggresive trail riding the next. | | Weaknesses: | I would have to say the low bottom bracket. I find it easy to clip rocks with my pedals. Tires are no good. The cable Hayes worked at first but soon lost their feel. Nothing compares to the feel of hydo's. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Stab | | Bike Setup: | Pretty much stock at this stage. Put on a bash guard and hydro brake set. | | Bottom Line: | This is a great bike for any standard of rider with varied riding styles. Looks great, rides great and is of the high quality that anyone who has riden Kona bikes in the past has come to expect. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Mathews
a
from Marin CA USA
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | FREE RIDE | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Cross country. Has no other use. This is a specific task bike | | Weaknesses: | I blew out the shock on like a 1 ft. drop. Not at all durable or built for agressive riding. Expensive for what you get. | | Similar Products Used: | Schwinn Mesa Comp | | Bottom Line: | I reccomend this bike only for the pure cross country enthusiast, DO NOT EVEN THINK OF FREE RIDE. I learned that the hard way. Get a stinky or something with more than 80mm of travel for freeride. I give it an overall rating of 2 chilis only because it might be okay for cross country. But is still totally not durable. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jake
a Downhiller
from Santa rosa
Date Reviewed: September 9, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | southberma | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1720.00 | | Purchased At: | bike peddler | | Strengths: | just about everything is sweet but this is an uprade bike though. I still have the seat post, bars and brakes. | | Weaknesses: | i had to replace the tires and rims. I wore out the bb pretty fast and the stem is alittle to long. the headset wore out. but hey who cares about alittle upgrades.
| | Bike Setup: | z1 fr,world force stem single track rims, fsa v drive cranks, mrp, same rear derailer, same bars, pig head set. I did a lot of upgrades but the bike is still sweet stock. | | Bottom Line: | Its a great all around trail bike stock but eventually you start building it up and it gets better and better. I know a guy who made a bear weigh 25 lbs and mine has heavy fr parts and only weighs 34 lbs. Im gonna race dh with it next season and its gonna be fine. Its worth every flamin' Chili | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Chelmsford, MA, USA
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Stone Row - Carlisle, MA | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1370.00 | | Purchased At: | Nault's Cyclery | | Strengths: | Solid frame, great ride, climbs great, and suspension works awesome. | | Weaknesses: | The Tioga tires, because they never felt right. Some minor disk brake rub, but easily adjusted. Brakes are a little noisy, and I can live with it. The seat, just had to be changed | | Similar Products Used: | Giant AC2, Trek Fuel | | Bike Setup: | Changed the tires to Michelin Wild Grippers, changed the seat, added bar ends, changed pedals, and the rest of the bike remains stock | | Bottom Line: | This bike is AWESOME!!!! I got on this bike for a test ride, and new right away it was the bike I was looking for. I can't believe I wasted my time getting into mountain biking riding a hardtail. I bought this as a 2002 left over and save 25% off list. I have taken it off a couple of 2 ft. drops, and it lands great. This bike has been great where ever I have ridden it, from riding with my kids to real technicaL trails. I switched to clip pedals last year, couldn't get unclipped, and had a nasty backwards endo resulting in wrist surgery. I have been switching back and forth between pedals. I clip in when I ride trails that I know, and go with flat pedals when on unfamiliar trails. I will submit another review in a few months. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Clinton, MA
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | 'Nam' in Milford | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | Marblehead Cycle | | Strengths: | This is my first full suspension and it's just amazing. The Race Face parts and Hayes brakes are great, 100m travel on the Marzocchi fork is plush. | | Weaknesses: | LX rear d, Tioga tires, shimano m505 pedals
That's it, I really have no complaints.. | | Similar Products Used: | Stumpjumper FSR Comp and Enduro series. | | Bike Setup: | 02 Kona Bear
Race Face Cranks w/bash ring of course
Hayes mechanical
XT drivetrain
Marzocchi up front - Float R in back
This bike is basically stock - Kona did a nice job putting the parts together | | Bottom Line: | This is my first full suspension and it's just amazing. The Race Face parts and Hayes brakes are great, 100m travel on the Marzocchi fork is plush.
I do a lot of XC riding on tight single track and this bike corners and handles great. But on those days at 'nam' when I feel the urge for some 3-4 footers, this bike handles is even better. The bike really shows it's strength when you got some speed going - fast, rocky, winding downhills are cake.
I used to fall behind on the technical sections, now I have friends that can't believe how fast I am. I already replaced the pedals, tires are the next to go.
This bike was renamed to the Kona Dawg for 2003 - I highly recommend one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Craig
a
from Houston
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | Sun & ski | | Strengths: | I love this bike. It seems to be very tough, I ride xc and also around downtown. It is great for both it can take pretty big drops with no problem. My friends Full suspension cant compare. And the bike looks bada@@. | | Weaknesses: | So far nothing to complain about. Except the brakes seem to squeal alot. but nothing else. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel 90. Schwinn Mesa (hardtail) | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | This bike rocks.
Somehow yesterday it was locked on my bike racks and came at 75 mph, bounced about 10' in the air and landed on the sholder of the road. So far the only problem is the front rim is bent and a few scratches. That is about it.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric L
a Cross Country Rider
from Las Vegas
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Blue Diamond/cottonwood area | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | Escape the city streets | | Strengths: | Solidly built!!!! 4x4 suspention, bulletproof frame
fantastic geometry
| | Weaknesses: | some of the componentry (raceface middle chainring
crappy deore rear casette)tioga tires(wear out too fast) | | Similar Products Used: | GT idrive 2.0, haro x3 | | Bike Setup: | I replaced the deore cassette with another Deore. if this fails (in 4 months like the last one)will replace with Chris King and stop screwing around. Also replaced the stem with a longer Easton 120mm. Upgraded tires to Extreme system 4's and converted the rear to tubeless(yes it can be done). Swiched out the bum raceface MIDDLE chainring to a shimano and seems to be working fine. | | Bottom Line: | If you can find this bike used, like I did, GET IT. Componentry is always upgradable. The frame is the most important part in my opinion. I ride on the trails outside of Vegas, some are very chalangeling (horse trails). I guess my only criticle thing I'll say about the bike is it's difficulity with climbing really steep grades. Your possition on the bike is criticual for that. So get off and walk. No big deal. Decending on this bike is like floating on a cloud. Just pick your line and hold on. It's one sweet ride. I bought mine used from a MTB tour company which used my bike for 4 months on the hairiest crap you'll ever see. With a couple minor dings and the above mentioned stuff I highly highly recomend this bike to anyone who wants to have fun on epic trail rides. and that's no lie baby. hold on & have fun!!!! yeeeee haaaaaa | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Clive
a Cross Country Rider
from North Vancouver BC Canada
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | The easier North Shore trails | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Cove Bikes, North Vancouver (sale) | | Strengths: | Frame geometry, solid, smooth "feel" on the trail.
Great frame for the price.
At the price, I could afford to upgrade some bits.
My first full susp bike.
$1600 CDN= about $1100 US = 750 UKpounds. | | Weaknesses: | One Pedal developed square bearings early on and is Cr@p. The LBS (Cove Bikes) will swap it when I get around to returning it.
Squeaky Hayes mech brakes. Squeaky but OK. I don't need a bell however.
low-ish end components (esp levers) I expect to break these.
Would have liked a lock out on the shock. but- for 1600 CDN, can't complain. | | Similar Products Used: | Older customized GT (12 years old ). Not really similar cos it's a hardtail.
| | Bike Setup: | Marzocchi Coil fork, Vanilla R (spring) shock
(standard spec on canadian bike (?)). Rumoured around here to be a more robust choice than the fox air shock. | | Bottom Line: | I used this site as I made my choice 8 months ago, so it's payback time.
I really love this bike as much at 6 mos as when it was new. I can't believe how smooth and solid it feels on downhills- I like to go fast on relatively easy trails and it just eats up the bumps so I can concentrate on looking ahead for smooth lines.
I don't understand why it goes uphill so well, but it does, with minimal bounce for a full susp bike.
As someone else said, it just doesn't feel like a 28 lb (or whatever it is) bike- feels much lighter.
The geometry fit me for XC riding, and the easier north shore trails. I am almost 200lbs and 5 foot 10 in. The bike is 17in frame
Haven't broken anything yet- have only gone over the bars once so far however* *I am too old to make a habit of this.
I haven't yet experienced any chain suck, so I wonder if the Cove Bike people set my bike up better than the last poster's LBS (?)
The price - $1600 Canadian - seemed too good to pass up, given other bikes on offer at the time.
I have seen a (real) Bear from my Bear, and he seemed to admire the stylin' paint job too. (Black and white).
I love this bike.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Moose
a
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Bottom Line: | This is a quick update.
In Canada, the Bears are apparently spec'ed with a Marzocchi coil fork and a Fox Vanilla R shock. At the LBS where I got mine, they now have both (although when I got mine they only had the US spec'ed version which is air/air). The Canada/US spec story may be inaccurate, but that's what they told me. I do know that they have both versions, for whatever reason. Decisions, decisions.
The odd time, I get pretty wicked chain suck going from my middle ring to the small ring. Weirdly enough, I've had it jam from underneath between the chain stay and my small ring, and from on top, between my small ring and the bottom bracket. I really have to wrestle with it to get it free sometimes. I don't know what's up.
I'm also just now getting used to the sweet spot on this bike. On ascents, I really have to move forward sometimes. I rarely ever have any rear wheel skidding, but I often have my front end rising into the air during concentration lapses.
The jury's still out on the fork. Comparing the Fox (on the Dawg Dee-Luxe) with the Marzocchi side by side, I can't help but think that the Fox is much smoother. For some reason, the Marzocchi feels pretty "springy" to me. It's been great so far on the trail though.
I also have some creaking, from some unidentifiable location. I've just tightened my seat. Maybe that will do the trick.
Mt tires are a little scary on the off camber stuff. Where I slide, my buddies don't. Oh well - they'll be replaced soon enough after some more weekday pavement.
Hmmm...what else? My left Jacksh#t pedal sounds like the bearings are gone (my LBS will replace it without any BS when I bring it in).
My Deore hydro brakes squealed like crazy at first, but are now silent, and powerful beyond my expectations. I have no regret upgrading from the Hayes mechs (which I found to be about half as strong as my Avid v-brakes on my old POS FSR). I really think they must have been set up wrong or others who kept their Bear stock would be complaining about them here.
Anyway, I still love my bike, but I may have been guilty of posting my earlier review (and even this one) a little prematurely. It takes a bit of time to be able to completely get to know your bike and be able to give an even handed review (as opposed to one largely prompted by emotion, shortly following the purchase). Sorry about that.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rich
a
from Bristol, England
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | ashton count, liegh woods | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | bikedock.com | | Strengths: | great frame,great suspention, great ride, all round great bike | | Weaknesses: | none realy, maybe upgrade from lx?? | | Similar Products Used: | saracen | | Bike Setup: | upgraded to xt and a machined swing arm to give 6" of rear travel, oh yeah and some v8sand a chainstay protector and some lights for the dark,and a computer so i can see hom fast i go and i did have a waterbottle but i changed it for a blowfish..buy one there great | | Bottom Line: | the bike is excelent as standard but to be over critical there are parts that should be upgraded to bring them in line with the standard of the frame and like everyone says the tyres dont look to bad but there not the best and the pedals aint up to much but its a great all round bike buy one today you wont be disapointed | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jared Vigil
a Cross Country Rider
from Durango
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Dry Fork to Colorado | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$14000.00 | | Purchased At: | Hassle Free Sports | | Strengths: | Beefy frame. Excellent geometry. | | Weaknesses: | Pedals, tires, fork, that rear hub. | | Similar Products Used: | FSR's, Tomac 78 Special, Stinky. | | Bike Setup: | Added Woodman Headset, Deore 525 hydraulics, Time pedals. | | Bottom Line: | The bottom line is this, the bike is great fun to ride. It has just the right balance between travel, weight, and geometry to make it a blast. The bike goes where you tell it to and it is stable doing it. I got ride of the tires, and pedals before I took it home so no problems there. A minor complaint is the cost of replacement parts for the brakes. Hayes pads are around $50 for front and rear. YIKES. For only $150 I was able to get a set of Deore 525 hydros'. My biggest compalaint is with the rear hub. For some reason the freehub froze up on an uphill, so I had to ride the brakes and pedal downhill, that sucked. Now the hub axel has managed to loosen up. Plus the hub weighs a ton. For the weight I expect some durability. Forget the hub and buy the 2002 bike, I think the 2003 has a longer top tube. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve Foulkes
a Weekend Warrior
from Anglesey, N Wales, UK
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Marin trail, Betws Y Coed | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | Just Bikes Bangor UK | | Strengths: | Looks, strength, ride, engineering build quality | | Weaknesses: | pedals | | Similar Products Used: | All sorts | | Bike Setup: | Standard | | Bottom Line: | Bike looks great, rides great either going up or comming down. I ride weekends in the Snowdonia mountains N Wales UK. There are some great rides Coed y Brenin and Marin my favs. I still have my hardtail - Specialised Rockhopper, however the Bear even though fully suspended does not bounce, climbing is a breeze although the pedals suck, must upgrade soon. Brakes spot on (although a bit noisy) with the feel of quality and solid engineering everywhere.
I love my bear reccommend it to anyone, if you can get hold of one at a reduced price (I paid £1000) go for it, you won't be dissapointed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Warchild
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Baldy Pass | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Purchased At: | Bow Cycle | | Strengths: | Handles tough stuff, but light enough to enjoy the climb. | | Weaknesses: | MXC air fork feels like a pogo stick | | Similar Products Used: | My first f/s -- love it | | Bike Setup: | Black Elite front fork, rear Vanilla Shox coil, IRC Kujo tires, Deore hydrolics | | Bottom Line: | When I bought this I was told to go for the Specialized FSR, but I'm glad I didn't. If I want a lighter ride I'll still reach for my hardtail, but this bike isn't meant to be light. With the "upgrades" I've made it's even heavier, but it lets me enjoy every aspect of the trail while being light enough to keep up on the climb. Reminds me why I love mtn biking so much. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Moose
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Jewel Pass | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1900.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Geometry. | | Weaknesses: | Tires (although not as bad as everyone else says). | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized FSR, prior Konas. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except Shimano hydraulics, LX shifters, XT rear derailleur and Kona Jack Sh*t platforms. And lots of Lizard Skins. | | Bottom Line: | I had a Kona Muni Mula. I've always owned Konas. I drove into my garage with my beloved Kona on the roof. I replaced it with what I thought was the biggest bang for the buck at the time - a Specialized FSR. What a mistake. That thing was about as nervous as a spider monkey on crack (to steal another poster's saying). Last summer, I had 8 endos - twice I ended up in the hospital. I punched the shock with my seat post in Moab in October. My buddy did the exact same thing the next day on the identical bike. That stupid interrupted seat tube cost me $300 US and the last quarter of slickrock. And a lot of funky descents had to be aborted because I couldn't get the seat low enough. Apparently, a lot of people pooched their shocks the same way - check out the FSR design now - the seat tube is now sealed at the bottom. Can you say design error?
Anyway, good riddance. The Bear has renewed my shaken confidence, It weighs about 5 pounds more than the FSR on the scale, and feels about 5 pounds less on the trail. Seriously. If you can't climb with this bike, don't even go near the FSR. Weight is not everything. In fact, I'm starting to question whether it means anything at all.
The geometry of this frame (like all Konas) feels like it was custom made for me. I know that everyone is different, but thank the good lord above that I've found what works for me. I'll never betray the Kona gods again.
On downhills, I am at least twice as fast on the Bear as on the FSR. On singletrack, it really is point and shoot. No more catching the sides of the singletrack with my sidewalls.
I don't mean to bash the FSR. But I'm not going to sugarcoat it - Kona geometry rules. They may not be the lightest (which, as I've found out, means very little), and you may find lots of bikes with better component specs for the price. But I challenge you to find a bike that just feels better on the trail.
I got this bike for $1,900 CDN, less $1,000 for the FSR POS (that's piece of sh*t for the uninformed). $900 + $63 GST = $963. Sweet. And that's with the upgrades mentioned above (it would have been $1,600 including GST stock). And I got to strip my Times off the FSR, as well as my brand new Mythos tires, my RaceFace bar, my Thompson Elite post and WTB saddle. And they threw in the Jack Sh*t pedals for free. Sweet.The brakes are squealing like there's no tomorrow, but I'm told that will pass.
Am I happy? You bet. Think I'm going overboard praising this bike? Too bad. It may be different for you, but the above account is dead on accurate for me.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy
a Weekend Warrior
from Newburyport, MA
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Great riding position - kind of in between freeride and xc. Built like a tank, great on technical decents, equally adept at technical climbs | | Weaknesses: | For a bike of this caliber, I would expect some better parts- I blew out the Deore rear hub, and toasted the Mavic 223 rear rim. | | Similar Products Used: | Test rode Spec. Enduro, Trek Fuel, Rocky Mountain ??, Gary Fisher Sugar, K2 Razorback | | Bike Setup: | Pretty much stock except new XT rear hub and Mavic F219 rim to replace what I broke. | | Bottom Line: | I have always been a hardtail guy. I was one of the first in my group in the 90's to get a front shock. But I always thought that full suspension was overkill and meant for people that couldn't hack it off road. Well, any freerider reading this would have a little something to say about that...
Anyway, I decided this year that I would ante up for a duelly, and started test riding various models listed above. I swear, from the first moment that I jumped on the Bear, I felt completely at home. I went back and forth for an hour between four different bikes trying to see if I was on dope or not (not at that time anyway). Bought it - leftover model for $1600 at LBS.
This bike feels as if it is five lbs lighter than it really is. It climbs through the most technical sections, floats through the big decents, and cuts turns like any hardtail I've owned. When I compared it to, say, the Specialized Enduro, it feels so much less spongy. It just seems that it doesn't sap my pedaling power like the others. I can tell that I am going to be riding this bike for many years, and I look forward to upgrading the components as they break. I highly recommend this bike for anyone doing agressive XC or light freeriding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kyle
a Cross Country Rider
from Illinois
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | Little Ade's in Pekin, IL | | Strengths: | Burly frame, excellent suspension, handlebar, fork, price | | Weaknesses: | Quite simply, the Tioga tires | | Similar Products Used: | Stinky, Kona Bear Dee-Lux, Trek Fuel | | Bike Setup: | XT shifters/levers, XT rear derailleur, LX front derailleur, Avid mechanical discs, Race Face Deus 100mm, Race Face Prodigy XC w/bashguard, Kona DH riser, ODI Ruffians, Time ATAC Aliums, SDG Grand Prix, Mavic 223D, Marzocchi MXC 100mm air, Fox Float R, Chris King headset, Tioga Factory XC | | Bottom Line: | This is a followup from my previous entry. This bike is awesome, I finally got to hit the trail with it and I came off smiling, even though I was dead tired because I was so out of shape. I love this bike, it is burly for my weight, yet is able to climb like a goat (Whoever said this didn't climb well is nuts), and not to mention incredibly stable going down. The suspensions is great, even though I want to put a coil on the rear. If you are able to find a Bear now I would highly suggest you pick one up, if not, get a Dawg, these are awesome bikes. The complete their intended purpose, trail bike, wonderfully. This is not a race bike, this is a bike for the trail, to have fun plain and simple! The one bad thing about it is the crappy tioga tires that come stock, the can't grip worth a damn, and I will be purchasing new tires soon. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Monte Nido, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Crags, Malibu Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | New on E-bay | | Strengths: | This bike rocks! Soaks up big hits and climbs well. Everything is solidly built. | | Weaknesses: | Stripped one waterbottle screw hole immediately. Anything else, you must be kidding. | | Similar Products Used: | Schwinn rocket 88, Diamondback Ascent | | Bike Setup: | Stock with shimano disc brakes and levers, wtb speed V seat, XT cranks, Shimano pedals, Panaracer XC tires. | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike! I ride 2-4 times a week in the Santa Monica Mountains (my back yard). This bike eats up anything I encounter, from long steep uphills, technicals, light drops, you name it. This bike has really improved my riding. Plus, I got the deal of the century due to the name change. Buy this bike and try to stop smiling. (Not for you weight weinies!) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sean
a Cross Country Rider
from La Verne, Ca
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | many | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Outlaw Bicycles | | Strengths: | Beefy frame, fox shock, marzocchi fork- both have wonderfully smooth suspension | | Weaknesses: | shimano 505 pedals, Tioga factory XC tires do not grip well on loose surfaces- good for tacky soil and clay, though. | | Similar Products Used: | tried the SPEC enduro, KONA Stinky, GIANT AC, and AC-2 | | Bike Setup: | Stock except Well-go platform pedals | | Bottom Line: | Don't buy a bike from Outlaw Bicycles (connecticut)- mine came with a broken derailleur pulley and a broken fork. Luckily, my LBS warranteed it for me- they are very NICE!
This bike is a great "trail bike." It feels burly and inspires confidence. The suspension is buttery. The LX components and Hayes mechanical brakes perform well.
I think the MSRP of $1800 for this is a tad high but for $1200, this is a great bike. It fit the best and rode better than the other bikes I tried.
The only upgrade I would make is to get hydro brakes if/when the mechanicals ever break. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bud
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Springs, CO.
Date Reviewed: March 15, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Ute Valley, Palmer Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | Grandwest Outfitters | | Strengths: | It's a looker. Frame is rock solid. Geometry is spot-on. The component spec for this price range is good. | | Weaknesses: | Front "D" has it's moments, not the bikes fault, just needs to be tweeked a little. Brakes slighty noisy. | | Similar Products Used: | C-dale jekyll, Specialized Enduro, Giant VT 2 | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | I had a hardtail Cannondale prior to this bike. It acted like a spider monkey on crack on the trail. I never rode a bike so nervous that inspired so little confidence. I set out to find a bike completely opposite of what I previously owned. Enter the Bear...
I can't believe the difference. It was a great fit for me (17" frame, I'm 5'8"). Everyone talks about the way it's rides up the hill with "deftness", despite it's weight. Well, they are 100% correct. I only notice the weight when I'm lifting it out of the bed of my truck. Beyond that, it feels as light as my old bike on the trail... Without the drama.
I've been doing technical sections(uphill and down)that I would've dismounted on before. I can't tell whether I've improved as result of this bike, or if this bike has just been more proficient at correcting my shortcomings. No matter, I'm out there riding and enjoying it more than ever.
And that's what it's all about.
This is a sweet ride, with a "point -n- shoot" demeanor that does it all. Weight weenies need not apply. 5 crispy pablanos for this puppy!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | The Schleyer (Whistler) | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1300.00 | | Purchased At: | Great Adventure Sports (Breckenridge) | | Strengths: | Frame is burly and gusseted for extra strength. 4-bar design with bearing pivots is great for climbing and descending. Race Face crankset (ISIS drive). | | Weaknesses: | Hayes Mechanical Discs (not nearly as easy to setup/adjust as Avid mechanicals), Tioga Tires, saddle, Deore/LX componentry, 75mm koski stem is too short for XC riding. | | Similar Products Used: | Rocky Mountain Slayer, Oryx 250, Norco VPS Fluid, Specialized FSR | | Bike Setup: | Monkey Lite bars, Chris King Headset, Race Face cranks and bash ring, Marzocchi MXC shock (stock), Vanilla Float R rear shock (stock), XT Shifters and Rear Derailleur, 110mm stem and 75 mm stem for downhill/freeriding, WTB Moto Raptor 2.4's, stock wheels, Avid Mechanical Disc brakes | | Bottom Line: | The Bear is a great bike. Period. I was looking for a ride that I could take on 6 hour epics and ALSO be able to take out and abuse. I subscribe to the philosphy that a bike does not a rider make.....however, I admit that since riding the Bear, I feel as though I've made considerable strides in my technical riding capability.
This bike inspires confidence. Besides, being a rock solid frame, it climbs like a much lighter bike and descends like a dream. It eats up wet, gnarly roots like they're not even there. It took me a couple of months to learn to trust the bike and let it run, but now I feel like I'm not holding the bike back. My bike weighs a little over 28 lbs. with the bigger 2.4" tires so this isn't a bike for an XC gram-counter.
Not long after buying the Bear, I took it for a soupy ride on Mt. Seymour and rode CBC, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Severed Dick. I equipped it with the shorter stem and platform pedals to avoid killing myself. Although I wasn't trying any of the big, Wade Simmons-type stunts, I was doing moderate drops and gaps on it and the bike was eating it up. At no point, did I feel like it was holding me back on anything. True, 5" or 6" of travel would make those trails even more fun, but I don't think I would do that much travel justice anyway.
Something to keep in mind is that there are two holes on the frame for the rear shock. The hole farthest from the seat-tube makes the shock react more linear (this is the way it comes) and the one closer to the seat-tube makes the shock react more progressive. I was bottoming my shock out - with the suggested sag amt. - quite a bit when I was first riding it. I've since moved my shock to the hole closest to the seat tube and I bottom it out much less. It may not be as plush all the way through the travel now, but it also isn't slamming every time I fly over something.
This bike could be spec'ed a little better so I'm only giving it 4 chilis on Value, but due to it's frame, excellent ride characteristics and the always important, sh*t-eating-grin factor, I'm giving this bike 5 chilis on Overall Rating. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doug K
a
from Boise, ID, USA
Date Reviewed: February 16, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Beefy frame, 4x4" travel, great brakes. | | Weaknesses: | Active suspension means pedal bob, both climbing and on flats. Shifting wasn't great, I'd upgrade deraileurs. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 90, hardtails. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for electrical tape on the chainstay. | | Bottom Line: | My continuing quest for my new fs steed. I rode the Trek last weekend and the feel was entirely different. I have a hard time saying which is my favorite because they both did certain things better.
The Kona has an additional pivot point over the Trek, on the bottom stay in front of the dropout. While the Trek relies on flex for the back end, this bike has a much more active suspension. The Kona also has an additional inch of travel.
This active suspension gave a lot more pedal bob than the Trek. I felt it during seated climbing, a lot during standing climbing, and on the flats as well. Since the first part of the ride was a lot of uphill, I was thinking this bike was too active for my taste.
Then I went downhill and fell in love. Now I'm not that aggressive of a rider, but this bike to me felt not as nervous as the Trek. It was easier to correct a wrong turn, which considering we were bombing on some fairly tight and technical single-track that feature really came in handy.
This bike gave me a lot of confidence, I was just plowing over stuff that I would have dismounted for on my hardtail. The Hayes mechanical discs had something to do with that as well, it's nice to know you can stop quickly if you need to. The brakes squealed a few times on the ride, and while I hate a noisy bike I'll gladly deal with it for the additional stopping power. Even though the Trek Fuel was a lot better on climbs and flats I think I'd choose the Kona just because it was so much more fun on the downhills. If you want full suspension that is efficient enough to race on, buy the Trek. If you don't care about getting to the top of the hill first, buy the Kona.
Generally the bike shifted ok but it was not adjusted well at the shop. The front wouldn't go down to the small ring, a twist on the barrel adjuster fixed that. The rear gave a bit of ghost shifting at the end of the ride, but I think that was more mud than anything else. I'd upgrade to XT stuff as they wore out. I'd change grips, the Kona's that come on it are pretty hard, great for hanging on but not too comfortable after several hours on the trail. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Private Winchester
a Weekend Warrior
from Maine
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | live only in memory | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | Ski Rack | | Strengths: | Great design, strong, fairly light and apparently very versitile. | | Weaknesses: | After one year, none. Stock, it did come with some sucky parts. | | Similar Products Used: | pogo stick, rocket sled, hot girlfriend | | Bike Setup: | '02 DirtJumperOne w/aircaps, 5" plates off my friend's Stinky, CK headset, strong parts all around | | Bottom Line: | The bike, essentially, is a "Stinky Bear" if you will. I love my Bear, but after a while found myself wishing it was a little deeper. 5" fork and plates later, it is proving to be a lightweight freeride demon. DEMON!!! Can I really be the only one to discover this GEM??? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tim johnson
a Cross Country Rider
from kentucky
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | any | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | from individual | | Strengths: | all around great bike.will handle anything,climbs and decends like a champ. | | Weaknesses: | chainsuck. cockpit seems alittle short for a 18 inch bike,set back seat post and longer stem corrects problem. | | Similar Products Used: | first full suspension,only rode hardtails. | | Bike Setup: | duke sl 100mm fork/fox vanilla shock/xtr rear der& cass/ xtr shifters/mavic crossmax ust/hutchison scorpions/ec70 carbon seatpost/wtb speed v saddle/xtr cranks & chain rings | | Bottom Line: | with all the upgrades bike is a repectable 27.5 lbs and is a great epic ride bike but durable enough to dabble in some light free riding or downhilling ( just change out the wheelset ). a good bike for the money if you want a versitle bike.SPREAD THE GROOVE!!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kyle Peterson
a Cross Country Rider
from Illinois
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | Little Ade's Bicycles | | Strengths: | Beefy frame, good fork, good rear suspsension, quality construction, good price | | Weaknesses: | derailleurs, shifters, but then again this is the lower end bear line so it is to be expected to have lower quality parts. | | Similar Products Used: | Stinky, Bear-Dee-Lux | | Bike Setup: | stock except avid mechanicals, xt rear derailluer, xt shifter/brake levers, time aliums, odi ruffians, and chris king headset on the way. | | Bottom Line: | This bike is awesome, I have been wanting one since they first came out in 2002 but did not have the money to afford one. At first I was thinking about getting a dawg primo frame and build it up but decided to get an after market bear and pimp it out, and I have already started. Since it is winter I have not ridden it on the trails yet, Illinois sux, so all I can do is just stare at the quality construction. I have heard bad reviews about the tires so I will see what happens when I ride it. The frame is beefy and strong, it will take what I give it, this is going to be by far a great trailbike, which is what I was looking for. I was looking at stinkys but I don't really need that much travel and this bike fits me perfectly. I will post another review after I ride it a few months | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Maxwell
a
from Tustin, CA.
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | the long climb w/ steep decent | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | The Path Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Bought as a frame only with a Romic. Solid design, strong, NO NEED for a lockout | | Weaknesses: | You'er kidding,right? | | Similar Products Used: | Iron Horse Hollowpoint | | Bike Setup: | Fox Vannilla 125 Forx set at 4", Romic rear shock, Avid Mech disc brakes, Mavic 521 rims, WTB Weirwolf 2.25 ft,2.23 Maxis Larsen TT rear, Race Face turbines, Sram drivetrain, Thomson stem, Axiom seatpost,WTB Rocket V seat. 33.5 lbs. of love | | Bottom Line: | I took The Path guy's advice and built up this frame. HOLLY SMOKES WHAT A BIKE!!! I always liked my Hollowpoint and don't have anything negetive to say about it. My Bear on the other hand is 100% better in EVERY situation. Climbing on this bike is a dream. With the Romic there is no need for a lockout, this bike pedals great. And decending? It's a Kona, what do you expect? A top notch all around do ANYTHING bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joey Hille
a Downhiller
from santa barbara, california, USA
Date Reviewed: December 31, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | all of them! | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1400.00 | | Purchased At: | velo pro | | Strengths: | solid frame | | Weaknesses: | some of the components it came with were a little too week for what I wanted the to do | | Similar Products Used: | specialized enduro, cortina europa fsds | | Bike Setup: | mavic 321, mrp worldcup, rockshox pyslo, shimano xt cranks/ deraillur, easton scandium downhill bars, and a bunch of other nic nacs | | Bottom Line: | it's a well built bike, the frame is solid and very reliable. weather its going up hill on a cross country ride or cruising to the skate park or local schools, the bike never lets me down. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jake
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Rosa, Ca, Usa
Date Reviewed: December 25, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | north berma | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1720.00 | | Purchased At: | The Bike Peddler | | Strengths: | Just about everything is great about this bike
who cares if lx components are inexpencive it doesnt mean they suck! the derailers work fine the disks perform great
| | Weaknesses: | the tires are thin and it comes with presta tubes ill be changing that pretty soon
| | Similar Products Used: | Marin east peak
kona mano mano | | Bike Setup: | stock but awsome | | Bottom Line: | this bike is the best bike ive ridden in a long time it performed like a dream and it is a true 4x4 and there is no reason to say this bike sucks
and it recieves 5 Flamin' Chilis because this bike rocks | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Hall
a Weekend Warrior
from Maine
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Orno River Trial | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Purchased At: | SKi Rack | | Strengths: | Great looks and strenght
good parts list for price
a mix between xc and freeride
Great trail bike | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale Jykell | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | Great bike works well in all conditions
great for the xc rider that wants to go balls out and have a lot of fun | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adam Spar
a Weekend Warrior
from Princeton, NJ
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Herrontown | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1799.00 | | Purchased At: | BikeZone | | Strengths: | Burly Frame, Smooth suspension, riser bar gives good control, solid on downhills and jumps, ive taken 5' ramp over a stream and I havent bottomed the shock yet | | Weaknesses: | Chain suck, stock tioga tires, cramped cockpit (need longer stem), price-component ratio: It's got Deore shifters and LX deraiullers | | Similar Products Used: | Friend's Giant XtC DS2 (which isn't as good) | | Bike Setup: | Stock w/ Float RL rear shock, Mavic X3.1 UST Disc rims, XT cassette, Python Tubeless Tires | | Bottom Line: | Midrange epic all mountain/light freeride bike. Good for someone who is entering the serious mountain biking scene and doesnt want to buy second hand, and wants a bike capable of stunts and jumps, but still rideable on XC single track type stuff.
A good quality all around bike bridging the gap between freeride and XC | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Olivier Risson
a Weekend Warrior
from Marseille, France
Date Reviewed: November 28, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Forêt de Janas | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2800.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycles Do, Marseille, France | | Strengths: | Frame stiffness, geometry, weight, ability to climb and descend | | Weaknesses: | Low equipment on derailleurs, brakes, wheels | | Similar Products Used: | no other similar product used. Before, i had a giant atx 990 (xc type), tried a strike team issue of a friend. | | Bike Setup: | marzocchi z1 mcr qr20+, planet x front 20mm hub, formula 4 racing brakes, mavic 317disc at front, michelin hot s tires | | Bottom Line: | Bought in december '01, i'm very satisfied with this bike. I use it in trails of South's France and the combination of fox float r and marzocchi is really efficient. The weight is near 27lb which is very light for a 20" frame equipped with a so good (but so heavy) fork.
Very good choice for agressive xc rider. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ralph
a Cross Country Rider
from El Segundo,CA
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Santa Ana River trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$725.00 | | Purchased At: | Wheelworld | | Strengths: | Sturdy, rear lockout, great descender, good climber, pivot bearings, great value | | Weaknesses: | BB seems a bit low, disc only | | Similar Products Used: | Titus Locomoto, Ellsworth Truth | | Bike Setup: | Duke 100, Bontrager Valiants on King ISO disc hubs, Avid mech discs, SRAM X.O | | Bottom Line: | Bought frame w/Fox Float RL shock. I was a little leery of the 7.5 lb weight, but that is in no way an issue, and the frame is built to last. I am very happy with this bike, it built up to about 27.5 lb which is just fine for what the bike can do. It descends way better than my Truth did and climbs/handles almost as well. I have always been more of an XC type rider but this bike is opening up more fun fast descents for me. It feels very balanced with the 4" Duke air fork and air shock. Since I weigh only 160 I probably could have gotten away with a lighter 4 bar but with this I feel I can handle just about any situation I'm willing to get myself into. For someone heavier it's a no brainer. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Travis Manley
a Weekend Warrior
from Liberty, Missouri, USA
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | lake leatherwood Eureake Springs Ak | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$725.00 | | Purchased At: | bikeworld | | Strengths: | the frame is tough as nails. geometry is spot on for type of riding I do. From all day epics to jumping six foot doubles | | Weaknesses: | MY frame came with the fox air rlc w/lockout so it is basically set up like the deelux. So far have not broke shock but alittle leary. Otherwise great frame. Biggest wish is 1" to 2" of more travel | | Similar Products Used: | Giant ac air-good bike just not all alright. Trek fuel 98 both shocks bottomed way too much. Santa Cruz Bullit great bike just Bullit I rode was set up way downhiller | | Bike Setup: | I'm 5'10" and have a 17" frame and its perfect. Psylo sl front fork. rhyno lite xl w/deore discs. xtr rear lx front derailler, power tools 1.5 riser 26" wide. Ritchey pro headset and stem lx cranks kona seatpost. Bike wieghs 28.79lbs.
| | Bottom Line: | This bike is incredible with the Psylo sl front w/lockout and the RLC in back. Ican lockout and sprint like a madman but also meet up with urban assault freeriders and nail 7' footers no problem. But the best and I mean the best is the all day epic single tracks that go up and down and wind through the woods. go off little kickers here and there and little tortures up. That this bike can do with no worries.One thing I might upgrade to is a Romic shock. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bryce C
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1350.00 | | Purchased At: | the back country | | Strengths: | Super beefy frame, a lot of bike for the money, geometry rocks, ideal for NW/technical riding. | | Weaknesses: | Could have been a little more generous on component mix, but at price I paid I can justify upgrading if/when things break | | Similar Products Used: | Stinky, Enduro series, and all other 4" travel "back country" types | | Bike Setup: | All stock for now until something breaks | | Bottom Line: | I have always owned Kona, and made the mistake of getting lured in by a blow out deal on a Specialized Enduro Expert . .this thing sucked, broke swing arm first week I owned it, geometry didn't feel right when things got dicey, gladly sold bike and got a Bear and extremely happy so far even with sub-component mix and actually like the Hayes mechanicals, but definately not as good as hydo's, recently been taking/landing pretty big jumps and this bike eats it up (well almost, they should have put an oil/coil set up instead of air shock) and Kona geometry inspires confidence, don't think I would have gone as balls-out on the jumps on the Enduro, may add the hydro's but it's still early, need to do more stress testing to see, definately buy this bike if you're an aggressive trail rider, not a dedicated freerider or XC, kind of a blend, sub-component mix quantifies 4 rank | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rebecca Drackley
a Weekend Warrior
from Sheffield, England
Date Reviewed: October 6, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Wharncliffe Woods. | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Wades Cycles. | | Strengths: | The frame is fab, built to last, really worth upgrading. Love the Zocchi's, they soak up everything you need them to. Lighter than my old bike, which is a major bonus. Looks great too. | | Weaknesses: | I REALLY don't like the air shock, not on a do-it-all bike, took ages to set up, don't trust it on the big stuff, will be investing in a Fox Vanila RL or Romic asap. It took me a while to get used to the bike because of the shock and made me hate this bike for a while, so the shock has to go! Why Oh why do they keep putting tioga tyres on these bikes, they are lethal. Seat clamp snapped, which was painful! Value wise, I am undecided, think most has been spent on frame, which means lots of money will be spent on upgrading to really do the frame justice. Mine cost £1200 reduced from £1700. | | Similar Products Used: | My old Claude Butler cheap full sus, heavy as hell!
My partners Kona Stinky 2002, um lovely for the downhills. | | Bike Setup: | Panaracer Xc pros, X-lite seat clamp, WTB Ti podium saddle. | | Bottom Line: | At first I really did'nt get on with this bike, because of the rear shock. But I've recently dialled into it big time, can't wait to upgrade the shock, amongst other stuff. This bike has helped take my riding to another level, People have said it does'nt climb, but I think it goes up stuff like sh*t off a shovel. It is really nimble and flickable on twisty descents,brings a big grin to my face anyway. Once I have a coil shock I expect it to tackle the big stuff as well as my partners Stinky, but still kick ass going up stuff. Could be a little short for long torsoed people, check sizing before buying. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve D
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Moose Packers(Downhill) | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | Bow Cycle | | Strengths: | Everything about it...this bike Rocks!! I'm not only saying that to pump up my neighbors in British Columbia and support an awesome Canadian company...but seeing I'm mentioning you guys...way to go!! | | Weaknesses: | Tioga tires were for the birds. I felt like I was going to loose control on my first downhill, it felt too shifty. SPD's were switched to flats immediately. | | Similar Products Used: | Hard to say. I used to ride a Skyway BMX when I was kid. So lets just say a bigger toy to rip on. | | Bike Setup: | Factory everything except I swapped the SPD's for flats and beefed up the tires to Specialized Pro 2.30 | | Bottom Line: | This bike is Rad!! I took out many other bikes in this price range before my purchase and the Bear had the best handling and feel by far. Also the suspension is very solid...I was hitting some good sized jumps the other day and there were no problems with soaking up the preload and handling the landings. This is a very strong bike..I am glad that the Bear came along to fill in the void between too light and wimpy and to heavy and bulky. This is a great all around bike that a beginner to an advanced rider can have a blast on.
Sweet Machine!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a
from Newport Beach, CA
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Bottom Line: | I've only had the bike for a few months so I was going to wait a little longer to post, but the last Ass-clown that gave a review "Marky Bond" forced me to get in here a little early. He is the reason that reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. Dropping down an exceptional bikes overall score for no reason is sad.
So, here is what I have to say, which pretty much echos what the rest of the world has to say about this great bike and Kona as a whole. The Bear so far is AWESOME! I have never had a purchase where I was absolutely 100% sure of until the Bear came along. And to think I was going to buy a Fisher 3+, the Bear was well worth the extra $$. It really does build confidence in you and the overall great build quality and STRENGTH are to thank for that. The only thing that kind of bothers are the rattling brake pads on the front. It would have been better if it came with Avid Mech or Hydros, but overall the Hayes Mech are pretty damn impressive...especially down hill.
So if you were like me, always wanting the Bear but thinking it is a little out of your reach price wise, just go for it and you will not be dissapointed. Well worth the money! All my friends that have ridden it agree.
Ignore Marky Bond (_*_)
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ian
a Cross Country Rider
from St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Berryman, Chubb | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1650.00 | | Purchased At: | The Touring Cyclist | | Strengths: | The feature I like best in this bike is the shocks. They make big falls and speed over rough terain *much* easier to control. On several occasions they have been the only reason why I haven't suffered serious pain after hitting some "show-stopper" obstruction.
I like the top tube length. It felt longer than most of the other bikes I tried (Giant, Cannandale, Specialized), and I think it helps me make sharper turns.
Disk brakes stop powerfully and predictably, even when wet. Very, very nice.
Made in USA... for what that's worth. | | Weaknesses: | Biggest weaknesses are the price, and the weight, and I believe the frame itself is responsible for both. I probably would have gone with the Kona "Monamona" if it had the same shocks as the Bear. I've ridden some pretty rough terrain with some pretty cheap frames, and never had one show signs of metal fatigue (let alone actually *break*). I think strong, beafy frames are WAY overrated. I'd return my Bear for the Monamona if I hadn't allready used it beyond it's "new" condition. That said, the high price bothers me A LOT more than the weight.
The disk brakes are both good and bad. They seem to get knocked outa wack easily. So on multiple occasions, I have to readjust them with a socket wrench after a wreck, or after simply having the bike in my trunk without the front wheel on. Furthermore, the rear brake still squeeks, even though I've ridden the bike for more than 12 hours cross country (4 or 5 outings). I'm new to disc brakes, so maybe these symptoms are characteristic to all disc brakes? Perhaps so. I don't regret moving away from rim brakes though.
I think the riser bars make climbing more difficult because I don't feel like I can leverage as much weight on the rear wheel. However, they also make desending more comfortable. Can't have it all, eh?
I also feel like the front and rear shocks diminish my power on steep climbs because they compress whenever I pedal hard, thereby allocating some of my energy into compressing the shocks instead of appropriately spinning the rear wheel.
What's so special about the "six-point" crank anyway? I've never heard of the regular square bottom bracket connections to fail. This is probably another myth along the lines of "stronger is ALWAYS better". The only reason I site this as a weakness is because it means I have to go buy another crank extracter tool now, because my old one isn't compatible.
The Bear's frame prohibits the installation of rim-brakes. The necessary mounts do not exist on the back (but the front fork has them). Result: less versatility.
| | Similar Products Used: | I'm new to full suspension and disc brakes. Never ridden anything similar for an extended period of time. | | Bike Setup: | default. stock. unmodified. | | Bottom Line: | The bike is too expensive. That said, I'm glad I bought it. I probably could have been just as happy with a bike about $500 cheaper, but I'll probably appreciate the Bear's qualities more once my MTBing skills become more advanced and tastes more mature.
I particularly like the shocks and brakes. Shifting is smooth (like new LX drivetrains usually are), and tires do good for anything besides hard pavement (which I have another bike for anyway). Just to reiterate, I REALLY like the shocks! They forgive my frequent mistakes and make downhill rides over rough terain very easy to control and much less tireing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marky Bond
a Racer
from Berkshire
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | It look cool - Kona's have the best Kudos IMO | | Weaknesses: | Heavier than the competition and overpriced | | Similar Products Used: | Spech Enduro, Bear DL | | Bottom Line: | Guys, when buying a new bike I really rely on these reveiws to give me a good indication of whether there are any problems etc. So it kind of irritates me that alot of you have mentioned that the bike is expensive or under specced and yet you still give it five poohs for value - for this reason and this reason only I am going to give it one for both to counteract all of your over rosey ratings ! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Leonard
a Weekend Warrior
from Belfast
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | www.bikedock.com | | Strengths: | Great looking , great preformance , great partts , gtreat frame , and a well -put together bike. | | Weaknesses: | Only hads this bike a week now.nothing to fault yet. The wheels have lost their tension from new and need trued but thats not a major problem | | Bottom Line: | Feels great out on the trek and WILL give bags more confidence than a lot od other bikes. I did things i never used to do on my old bike with this thing ..and it handles the bumps cushy-style . It feels secure and well built. ill let you kbow how i get on with it .I got it for a £1000 sterling (uk money) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Evans
a Downhiller
from Foothill Ranch CA, USA
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Most of the laguna trails... | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | http://www.thebikeco.com | | Strengths: | Great frame. Really stiff. Can be a light duty freeride bike, yet you can take it out on all day rides. | | Weaknesses: | None yet. | | Similar Products Used: | SC Bullit, Superlight, Turner XCE, Ellsworth Truth. | | Bike Setup: | Romic Rear Coil Shock. Manitou Black Fork (80/100 coil). Mavic 317 w/Chris King Diskotek Hubs. All XT drivetrain except for XTR rear derailleur. Easton Carbon Riser Bars, Cane Creek Headset, Thompson Seatpost. Titec 90mm stem. Hayes Hydraulic Brakes. Front Tire:WTB Motoraptor 2.4 Rear Tire:Maxxis Mobster XC 2.1 | | Bottom Line: | This bikes kicks ass. Just read every other review on the bike below this on and on the Bear Deluxe. What makes this bike even better is the addition of the Romic Shock. If you are reading this and considering purchasing this bike, get it w/out a shock and order the Romic. With the Romic, the bike does not bob at all when pedaling. But as soon as you hit a bump, it responds instantly. Putting an air shock on a bike like this is a crime. If you ride aggressively, you will damage the Fox air shock within 6 months. It happened to me on my superlight, and it will happen to you on this bike. Bottom line, if you want the best all around trail bike, get this frame with a Romic, and others will envy you. The only bike that comes close to it is the Turner, but it'll cost you about $800 more and be no better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pdirt
a Cross Country Rider
from Eugene OR
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Crawfish | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1250.00 | | Purchased At: | Pauls Bicycle way of Life ( Alder) | | Strengths: | The Bear rules... I just bought the frame and hung on all my parts, I got the Fox Float RCL ( Lockout )and the frame 17" from Kona for 1250 | | Weaknesses: | The short top tube took some adjusting to, but it makes sens now... | | Similar Products Used: | GT AValnche... | | Bike Setup: | 17" Bear framewith Fox Float RCL, XT hubs, ( 2 wheel sets; 1 set of Sun Single tracks with Tioga Factory DH's 2.1 in back and 2.3 in front, I set of Mavic's 317 with Continental Pro 2.1's F+B). Run a Marzochi 2002 ATom Race /w ECC 100MM...
Put on a Race Face DH with an XT rear short cage , LX Front Derailer, Avid Mech's ( which totally rule BTW)
Jack Sh$t Flats for Pedals... | | Bottom Line: | The Bear is the Perfect bike for me, I ride Urban, XC and Free... it does it all, lock down the front and back and I hummm right up hill, or Raod flat at 20 moh and juts cruise... unlock... and soar down, taking whatever I want, drops,stairs, BMX, stunts...whatever...
Th Bear feels solid, with the new drivetrain and tighter chain tenson, more clearance, etc... it juts rules...
I found I never was in the Big ring, so the DH crnaks were well worth it...
Next upgrade is bigger riser bars... and when the 2003 Z1 arrives I will be getting one ..going to a Chris King Steel head set when I do that... QR20's ...
Albeit it was a bit steep in price...
, and I was bummed they would not sell the Bear Deluxe frame seperate ( I liked the silver and blue color scheme...I have since noted that they have sold out of the bear Deluxe, and understand they need to keep frames on hand to handle any warranties...)... other than that... I love it...
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
PM
a Cross Country Rider
from PARK CITY,UT
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | canyon sports | | Strengths: | Ride-Type specific design. Not a racer-boy, not a free-
rider either. It is a TRAILBIKE!! And, a very well thought
out one. Cartridge Bearing main pivot/rocker arm, and seatstay pivots. Super Beefy, thicker gauge tubes.
SUPER stiff laterally. Very-soft vertically. 5-year KONA warranty. Larger, aggressive, or adventure riders will be able to TRUST this frameset to get them out of wherever
they get into. Falling rate and rising rate shock mount
positions. BOMBER, clean handling in the rough, especially
climbing in rough/rocky or smooth conditions. | | Weaknesses: | DUDE!!! KONA has determined that cantilever direct-pull brakes are no longer options for us!! There is NO canti post
option is on this bike or frameset. Unbelievable.
So, instead of being able to build up a frameset to
26-27 pounds, you are stuck with the heavy FREERIDER
disc-only option. It is possible to get a seatstay swapped out by KONA, but you are gonna hafta pay for it, and the
seatstay is not Bear specific. It is a STINKY (2000)
stay which fits the new BEAR frame, which has the canti.
posts. I did this very thing, and built up my 19" frame
to just under 27 lbs. with a 100mil DUKE sl. So, long
story short, if you don't buy into the disc-only revolution
quite yet, then sorry dude, you will have to pull some
strings with KONA hdquarters or the dealer. | | Similar Products Used: | King Kikapu/ GT LTS-2/ GT I-Drive | | Bike Setup: | Custom build.... | | Bottom Line: | If you are big, aggressive, or want to ensure you make
it out of BIG rides into the middle of nowhere, THIS
frameset or built up bike will IMPRESS you. Worth every
penny. Too bad there are no v-brake bosses. This is
truly not consumer-freindly. For this reason, I had
to give it 4 flames.... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Zimmy Zero
a Cross Country Rider
from Granby, CT USA
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Granville Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | Gravity Warehouse | | Strengths: | Super Tough Frame, Great Finish, Nice cable routing, Awesome geometry and climbs much better than you would think. | | Weaknesses: | Short cockpit... easily solved by switching out the stem to a longer one. | | Similar Products Used: | 1998 K2 Proflex 5000 | | Bike Setup: | Bought as frame only and upgraded to the FOX RCL rear shock. Hayes Hydraulics, Chris King Disc hubs, Mavic 317 rims, 14g spokes, WTB Mutano Raptor 2.4 race tires, Easton CT2 Monkey / Seatpost, complete XTR drivetrain, and Dirt Jumper 2 130mm, Easton M60 Stem 110mm, Intense DH Grips, Chris King headset. | | Bottom Line: | I am a 230 pound six foot bodybuilder who problably shouldn't even be hucking off 5 foot drops... but this bike handles everything I can dish out. It climbs very well even with out locking out the rear shock. This bike can definitly go bigger than what I can do as a rider. I LOVE IT. I broke my old K2 frame on drops this bike is just getting warmed up on. The Dirt Jumper is the perfect mate for me because of my size plus it gives my 5 inches of travel. Kona has done it again..... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Reid
a Cross Country Rider
from Stowe, VT USA
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | In-Burn-O | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | A.J.'s | | Strengths: | All around solid performer. Point and drop. Bike likes to go fast and stay under you. Let that rear shock do all the work. | | Weaknesses: | wide handle bars, but certainly not a deal breaker | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | Hammer this thing. I have not come close to maxing this bike out. Still figuring out how far she will go. nice control on technical stuff to blasting down descents. I love this bike.
If you are a weekend warrior looking to attack the Vermont State Trail Guide loo elswhere. This bike is made to be ridden often and hard. Spectacular frame design provides one of the most solid rides in town | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Russ
a Weekend Warrior
from Peoria, IL
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | independence | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1799.00 | | Purchased At: | Little Ade's | | Strengths: | perfect mix of xc and freeride geometry, solid frame, air fork is tough and very adjustable, light for a bike you don't have to worry about breaking, climbs better than expected | | Weaknesses: | stock pedals (swapped them out for platforms), not sure about hayes mech. discs, keep developing drag and squeal after extended downhills (avids maybe?), tioga tire seems outdated but adequate | | Similar Products Used: | jamis dakar, specialized stumpjumper fsr xc, | | Bike Setup: | stock except for new platform pedals (haven't gone clipless yet) | | Bottom Line: | excellent bike for someone who enjoys a mix of xc and freeride, great for heavy riders, previous bike was too flexy and always worried about breakin it, have lots of confidence in this bike | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shannon
a Weekend Warrior
from Springfield, Missouri
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Chadwick Motocross Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | Touring Cyclist-STL | | Strengths: | Bulletproof Frame and Fork, Pretty Good component specs. takes everything I throw at it. | | Weaknesses: | Tioga Extreme XC's, I can't believe these tires are on any mid to high priced bike. Could use a shock pump and maybe an XT rear der. | | Similar Products Used: | Giant AC Air, Jekyll, Enduro Comp | | Bike Setup: | Stock for now, still trying to get the bike paid for. | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike. I was going to get a longer travel ride, like the AC series or a Stinky, but am really glad I went with the bear, this bike takes hits like a full on free ride machine, and still climbs like a champ. Kona really focused on the important stuff....FRAME. You usually want to do upgrades anyway to customize the bike to your preference. My only real complaint is the s%*@&y Tioga's. I have had more pinch flats than with any tire I have ever used and they don't grip too well either. I would also like to have had a shock pump come with the bike. If you really mix up your riding, you'll want to make the adjustments. Overall, I love my Kona. I am amazed at the limits a 4 inch squishy can I. Probably because I haven't been able to push this bike to it's limits yet. It keeps beating me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Colin
a Cross Country Rider
from Connecticut.
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Many | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | Benidorm Bike & Board | | Strengths: | Frame is Bulletproof! | | Weaknesses: | Shimano LX components. (Could of been a little more generous) | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel 90 | | Bike Setup: | Fox Vannila R spring Shocks, with upgrade kit. Avid Mechanical Disk brakes; rest is stock, plan on changing tires and putting on a laid back race face post. | | Bottom Line: | Love this bike! Quick through the turns when riding cross country. Climbs surprisingly well for a 31 pound bike. The fun really starts when you point this baby downhill. Believe me, you'll have perma grin and think about your next journey after riding this rocket. I found myself taking drops with confidence, drops I normally would go around. Overall, the Bear can tackle mostly anything you throw at it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Banjo
a Cross Country Rider
from Åre-Sweden
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2200.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Sooo fun! Everything seems to work fine this far. Marzocchi as smooth as ever... | | Weaknesses: | I think a shock pump should be included in the kit, kind of hard to tune the suspension without one. The ExtremeXCs aren´t the grippiest tires I´ve tried but they work. | | Similar Products Used: | Nope | | Bike Setup: | As stock as possible. | | Bottom Line: | Well, this is an awesome bike. It´s actually possible to use it for ascends as well; not a great climber but useable. A truly great descender though - possibly not for hardcore dh-ers but then there is the StabPrimo for those... I´d pick this one over almost anything. I like it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Riley Wheeldon
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Barneys Byway | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2200.00 | | Purchased At: | Simons cycles | | Strengths: | great looks and it goes antwere i take it it drops jumps hops and just plain rides. as they say the bear goes anywere
| | Weaknesses: | handle bars a bit wide but other than that this bike rocks and the harder i work in the trails the bike works harder | | Similar Products Used: | Rockey mountain edge and pipeline norco vps drop and the kona stinky | | Bike Setup: | stock man it doesent need to be changed | | Bottom Line: | where ever you want to go this bike will take you there i find no prob with the hayes mchs and the gear shifting is awsome. whether you are a urban biker to a hardcore dher you will find use in this bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
KASS
a Cross Country Rider
from Adelaide - Australia
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Belair & beyond | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycleworks | | Strengths: | Strong Frame, Light Front Forks, Race face cranks, nice touches like cable routing, overall finish | | Weaknesses: | LX rear derailier, Tioga XC's (where's the tread) | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel 90 Disk, Jamis Dakar, GT Zaskar | | Bike Setup: | Fox Float RL, Tioga DH 2.3 | | Bottom Line: | Fantastic Fun Bike, not the lightest around but built to take the knocks, very impressed with the overall package and presentation, would have liked some more upmarket components for the $$ but Kona have focused on what is important.Frame and Forks. Set up feels a bit short at first but once you get used to it there is no turning back. Feels fat going down and climbs as well. Kona have made a bike that does exactly what they said it would do, fill the gap between a lightweight (breakable) XC machine and a extra heavy duty downhill bike. This bike should be able to do anything I throw at it. Don't know about the rider though!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Downhiller
from Los Angeles, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Rock-it | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | Wheel World | | Strengths: | Solid build, good welds, light weight, very stiff, excellent geometry, very strong, cool colors | | Weaknesses: | Upper shock mount bolt. Everyone I know has snapped this bolt on their Kona bikes. Kona makes a thru-bolt for the upper shock mount that when you get it, you won't have to worry about it breaking ever again. It costs $30 US. That sucks. | | Similar Products Used: | Turner RFX, Intense Uzzi SL | | Bike Setup: | Kona Bear frame 17" with Fox Vanilla RC rear shock, Marzocchi X-Fly 100, Shimano XT/XTR, Magura Louise disc breaks, Thomson seatbost and 90mm stem, Azonic 2" rise bars, Azonic A-Frame pedals, WTB Laserbeam rims with GT hubs, and Maxxis Mobster 2.1 tires | | Bottom Line: | This is the most versatile/incredible bike I have ever ridden. Although nothing is stock, the frame is awesome; super stiff, light, and really strong. The rear shock upgrade is a must for more aggressive riding, and has more tuning options. The bike climbs and accellerates amazingly, and there is very little or no pedal feedback. It is relatively light for a hardcore trail bike, but feels like a full blown DH rig. My bike only weighs 29 pounds. That is really light for the abuse it is capable of handling. I put the bike through all kinds of abuse like dirt jumping, street riding, slalom racing, casing landings, throwing the bike because I'm not going to clear a landing, and so on. This bike has not let me down one bit, and I thank my friend Jeff for talking me into getting a Kona. I have no regrets whatsoever. Get this bike if you want a do everything kind of bike that kicks major ass. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Weekend Warrior
from Canastota NY
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | ...the one that leads me away from work.. | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1700.00 | | Purchased At: | Trailblazers | | Strengths: | Plush suspension, good component mix for the $$ (The only thing they cheesed on was the BB and the seatpost). | | Weaknesses: | Handlebar a bit wide, and the stock rubber sucks the big wazoo in the mud. Haven't decided if the cockpit's too short for me yet. | | Similar Products Used: | GT I-Drive, K2 Attack 2.0, K2 Disco Monkey | | Bike Setup: | Bone stock (for now). | | Bottom Line: | I wanted a replacement for my dearly departed I-Drive, one that fit me as well as it did, and was as plush (w/o a lot of undue suspension movement while pedaling). I wanted an all-day cross country/freeride "lite" bike. Bottom line: I found it in the Kona. I had to go with the 17" frame or the cockpit would be too crowded, but could have used the 15" for the standover. The shorter top tube and short cockpit might be ideal for someone shorter in the torso (as lady riders tend to be), but I find myself sitting on the back edge of the seat on the climbs sometimes. I may swap out the seatpost for one with some setback, which ought to do it. The stock brakes are...adequate... but they just don't have the feel of hydros, so I'm giving them to my son ('cause I'm a nice dad, NOT because I want Shimano XTs...Honest!). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DREW
a Cross Country Rider
from AVON, CT, USA
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | NEPEAG LOOK OUTTTTT | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | BENIDORM | | Strengths: | Great frame and geometry. Decent mix of components, Shock is great. The feel and ride of this bike is amazing. Easy on the 34 year back too. | | Weaknesses: | Tires are weak. Deaore shifters and lx comps on a $2000 bike is a little thin. Brakes are not nearly as strong as I expected. Maybe there is a break in time period. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona explosif. | | Bike Setup: | WTB's mutano raptor, race face low rise bars, xt shifters, salsa chianring gaurd. | | Bottom Line: | First full suspension bike, so all is great. Bike soaks up hits, without losing the xc feel. Kona's have the best geometry. This bike floats through the trees, and is silky on decents. The front end is slighlty lighter than Kona hardtails. I've had to adjust my riding syle to accomadate the climbs. Pedals get hung up more often. I've only had the bike a week, so I am still trying to get my timing down and used to the feel of the bike. Only four chilis for value rating, $1799, for deore and lx makes for a tough pill to swallow. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stuart
a Cross Country Rider
from Melbourne
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | City Cycles | | Strengths: | Frame Strength, Handling - this bike is a great handler, really stable downhill and just inspires confidence | | Weaknesses: | None as yet - the hayes brakes are taking a while to bed in but that seems par for the course. | | Similar Products Used: | Schwinn 4 Banger | | Bike Setup: | Stock. | | Bottom Line: | This is a top bike, I am a fairly big bloke and wanted a bike that is bombproof but can still climb the hills. I think the Bear fits the purpose 100%. I am still breaking it in at the moment and getting used to a different riding position compared to the Muni Mula I ride. However I immediately felt comfortable and in control on the Bear, it really likes to be pushed hard and performs well. I can't wait to get more miles under my tyres and to ride some technical singletrack. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve Golding
a Weekend Warrior
from England
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | hockley Woods | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1900.00 | | Purchased At: | pauls cycles | | Strengths: | very stable at speed downhill,tracks very well ,makes you feel very ,if not over confident ! Comfortable Lots of suspension adjustment fore and aft! Marzzochis are cool seem to just crash into anything and take it! | | Weaknesses: | Little bit sluggish on the up ( good for the legs though )
Over priced a tad ! Considering spec!
Not sure about Hayes Mech Brakes havent worn in YET. my boys got Magura Julies and they are much better!!! | | Similar Products Used: | Mano-Mano
Univega ds 830
Gt Timberline | | Bike Setup: | bog standard so far!!!!! | | Bottom Line: | LOVE IT TO BITS .....going to start going crazy in the spring !!!!
DRop offs and stuff...... wish me luck !!!!!!
BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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Submitted by
A Kid
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2400.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Awesome Frame
Great Parts
Marzocchi fork performs very well for air
amazingly light weight | | Weaknesses: | Hayes brakes can't touch avid mechs | | Similar Products Used: | RM Slayer, GT I-Drives, Norco 4x4 | | Bike Setup: | Chris King ISO's laced to Singlewides, Avid Mechanical discs and Avid Ultimate levers, Psylo Sl w/tullio | | Bottom Line: | Great bike....I would never have swapped any of the parts out if I hadn't sold one of my other bikes. The only thing holding this one back is the Hayes Mechs which work fine but are inferior to the Avids in every way possible. Other than that no problems....pedals great and hasn't broken yet | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
GTox
a Cross Country Rider
from Montreal, Quebec
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | prevost | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Le Yeti, Montreal | | Strengths: | Sweet frame, beautiful, rad-like tubing for great strength, but thin to avoid a significant weight penalty. Ball-bearing pivots seem to result in very smooth suspension action. The Marzocchi MXC-100 air is near-coil plush. The Float shock is easily tunable with great rebound adjustment. I absolutely love disc brakes. I swapped from the Hayes Mech to Avids and love em. I had just heard too many good things about the Avids and couldn't not switch. The pedal feedback is surprisingly near zero standing and not too serious during seated climbs. The shortish stem is great for wheelie drops, urban riding, wheelies, etc., but not spectacular for climbing, but you can't have it all! Overall I think this is a great burly trail-bike and that is primarily what I believe it is intended for. It has truly hit its mark.
I also upgraded to Time pedals and will NEVER! NEVER!! go back to those other guys. | | Weaknesses: | I hated the stock Tioga Factory XC tires. They were too skinny and I felt left the rear of the bike skittish. I now have a Panaracer Fire XC 2.1 rear and a Hutchison Mosquito Airlight up front and am much happier. | | Similar Products Used: | My last ride was an FSR Enduro. They both have their merits but I like the uninterupted seat-tube on the Kona for its versatility (wanna drop or climb... just adjust the post). | | Bike Setup: | As stock with a few early release upgrades (XT rear, avid levers and brakes... I did that, LX crankset and Shimano splined BB, Time pedals... that was me too) | | Bottom Line: | It's da bomb! You won't wanna race x-country, but if it's a very stable trail bike that can go uphill and thrives going down, that can drop off of a few concrete loading docks and not protest, if that's what you're after, you've found the right machine.
For the price, great parts spec. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Garrett
a Cross Country Rider
from Savannah
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1950.00 | | Purchased At: | Qulity Bike | | Strengths: | Tracking, looks, all around performance. | | Weaknesses: | Weight, not quite a racer, grips, Tioga tires. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized, Cannondale | | Bike Setup: | LX-XT mix,MAVIC 223 disc, Hayes Mech., Kona riser bar, marzocchi MXC 100 air, Fox float R. | | Bottom Line: | This bike was a special edition, Kona upgraded a few parts and released it earlier, thats why I paid more than retail. The Bear is beautiful bike, and handles very well. One of the main reasons that I went with the Bear is that its built rock solid, this thing could handle anything. It performes very well and tracks better than anything Ive ridden. I would not recommend it for XC racing though its a bit on the heavy side. The Bear is good for everything from the daily trek in the mountains to heavy freeriding. Pedal feedback is average among most full suspension bikes (nature of the beast), rear lock out would be benificial. Overall good bike and I really like the Kona riser bar, and Hayes Mech. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
don't have one have no idea
a Weekend Warrior
from vermont
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | dead mans drop | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | cycle works | | Strengths: | everything phat riding beast on drop offs
and can beast on any trail | | Weaknesses: | nothin all the parts are wicked
favorite bike | | Similar Products Used: | never had anything like it | | Bike Setup: | bomber's (Z-3) - 3.0 in wheels - and other wicked parts | | Bottom Line: | don't buy it if you can't handle it and it's phat riding.this bike is not meant for jumping off curbs and stuff it is meant for the back country off dirt jumps and drop offs. if you have never rode this bike doin 8 foot drop offs like me you don't know what PHAT RIDING is!!!!!!
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