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Submitted by
Harold Thomas
a Downhiller
from Boone, NC, United States
Date Reviewed: December 20, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | China Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1300.00 | | Purchased At: | South Park Cycles | | Strengths: | Bomb proof frame!!! Great components that are equally tough. Great styling and geometry for freeride/downhill yet still lets you pedal uphill without killing yourself. Shimano XT derailure is precise and tough. Race Face cranks and bottom bracket is indestructable! Nice DH stem and handlebars. Very nice SDG seat. Hayes Hydraulic disc brakes will give you ultimate control. | | Weaknesses: | Didn't like the Marzocchi Dirt Jumper fork that came on it. It was good for urban assault but packed up on the trail. The Tioga factory downhill tires are not the greatest, but its a cheap upgrade to get something better. A little on the heavy side, but if its weight you are worried about, then you are not a freeride/downhill rider and you should take your spandex somewhere else! | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Stuff, Kona Roast, Specialized Hardrock... | | Bike Setup: | Marzocchi Z150 FR 160mm, RynoLite Rim with 20mm thru-axle, 2.4" Kenda Blue Groove Tire, Hayes 8" rotors, everything else is stock. | | Bottom Line: | Sick A** bike!!!! I take this thing down the knarlyest downhill trails the Appalachian mountains have to offer. The bike is solid over every root and rock garden. This bike gives me the confidence to do anything and lets me keep up with my friends that ride full suspensions! If you are lucky enough to find a bike shop that still has one of these bad boys lying arounf BUY IT!! You will not regret it. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Winnipeg, Manitoba
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Whiteshell area | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycle Cafe | | Strengths: | -sweet looking bike
-super rigid
-very responsive, handles well
-good cable routing (you may laugh, but who wants to clean and lube the wires every week?)
-excellent stand over height | | Weaknesses: | - haven't found any | | Similar Products Used: | - 2001 and 2002 Warp 2 (upgraded somewhat)
- crappy department store bikes | | Bike Setup: | Nothing fancy: Bought the frame, then put on the components from my last bike: Deore front and back, Alivio shifters/brake handles, Tektro V brakes, Race Face DH cranks, SID 100 fork, Tioga Factory DH tires, Weinmann Zac 19 rims. | | Bottom Line: | I absolutely love this bike! It handles incredibly well, and responds instantly. I have ridden off small stuff (2 1/2 feet) and if my 'launch' is bad, I can always correct it before I land. I have ridden some off the most technical trails I can find in town, and do better now than I did with my full suspension bike (which is where all the components came from for the Kona).
This bike accelerates like it was shot out of a cannon, and it inspires confidence. It climbs stairs remarkably well, and the wheelies down them with no problem. I'll be using it for everything: cross country (with the addition of a suspension seatpost for the longer rides), and light 'urban assault'. I can easily see myself doing four foot drops with it by the end of the year (once I get more solid rims); I have that much faith in it. More than I ever pictured myself doing with a hardtail (or some FS bikes)
Best of all, this bike is just plain fun to ride. I may buy a FS bike in the future (for those epic XC rides) but for everything else, the Chute kicks a**!
So, the bottom line is: If you are looking for a great hardtail, this is the one to buy. Incidentally, the Chute, Roast and Stuff all use the same frame. If a complete Chute is a bit rich for your blood, go for one of the others. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
wag
a Weekend Warrior
from victoria bc
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | highlands | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | russ hay's | | Strengths: | bombproof, lighter than it looks, looks great.
geometry lets it fly downhill and handle tight stuff easily
it's a kona | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | i've ridden kona hardtails for years. i had a giant nrs but i missed the hardtail vibe | | Bike Setup: | i built my bike up, it's mostly xt with a manitou black comp fork(so so)avid discs and race face prodigy cranks. | | Bottom Line: | i've built this bike to be "freeride light". i can jump and drop on it yet still go on 2-3 hour cross country rides, with some fun thrown in. for old school types who want a beefy do anything hardtail this may what you're after, i'm completely happy, cheers! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve Boucher
a Weekend Warrior
from Prince George, B.C. Can.
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | anything on Cranbrook | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | Mcbike | | Strengths: | very strong,predictable,loves the airand going fast downhill | | Weaknesses: | narrow chainstays(2000 model) | | Similar Products Used: | 2001model chute. norco250 and torrent | | Bike Setup: | super T, race face ns cranks, tiogafact. dh2.3 2.5 tires intense mag 30 dh rims, stiffy stem, hayes disc brakes | | Bottom Line: | My bike weighs 36.5 pounds but feels like 25 pounds.You can fly downhill with the same confidence as a full suspension. When going for air go big, the bike will respond and love the rough treatment because afterall that's why kona built it. THANKS KONA! ideal rider would be any sick freerider who likes to go fast, big or trick it out.GREAT BIKE! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Webster
a Downhiller
from Blacksburg, VA
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | The Beast | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$522.00 | | Purchased At: | Frame only through East Coasters | | Strengths: | This is one beefy bike...relatively light considering...performs on the downhills like a champ...you know exactly what it's going to do before it does it...it's just got a really solid feel to it | | Weaknesses: | Yeah, that paint really does flake off easily. It also has a real weak or cheap sound when you "ping" the top tube or down tube. | | Similar Products Used: | Only other bike I have ever owned was a 1999 Trek 7000 | | Bike Setup: | Marzocchi Z.1 MCR, Hope Minis, XT/XTR except for LX Splined Crank, King headset, Salsa Shaft, Easton Monkey Lite (27inch bar), Thomson Stem, Tioga DH, Time ATAC...looking for some good flats | | Bottom Line: | The freeride hardtail...only hardtail worth having....trials, XC, DH...whatever you want to do with it, it'll be there. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cory
a
from St. Louis, MO
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$666.00 | | Purchased At: | The Touring Cyclist | | Strengths: | Color, relative light weight of frame, tough!! | | Weaknesses: | paint scratches easily.... um, that's it? | | Similar Products Used: | Azonic, Trek Fuel 98, Kona Scab, lotsa stuff | | Bike Setup: | Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 1, hayes hydraulics, XT/XTR, Race Face Northshore cranks, Race Face stem, King headset, Tioga DH 2.1 tires | | Bottom Line: | This bike kills! With the 5 inch fork, this thing is ready to tackle any drop. No XC'er here, so guys with shaved legs and lots of lycra need not apply. This bike is not efficient, heavy (when built with the right parts), had a bad climbign geometry, and bobs all over. These are good things, when ridden the way it should be. Proto Grey decals! I've owned a whole lot of bikes (i have about 5 now) and this one is hands down my favorite. Go out and drop some loading docks!
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Submitted by
eaton nilsson
a Downhiller
from boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: December 31, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | yo mommas | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$5.00 | | Purchased At: | I broke one so they sent me another one | | Strengths: | I love this bike. It always feels like it knows what it's doing, I use it mainly for ds/ dirt jumping I've got a 15 inch and I love it even though I'm 6'4 | | Weaknesses: | First of all if you buy the whole bike throw everything in the trash except the handlebar/stem and wheels (the wheels suck but you always should have spare wheels) and then build it up with non-cheesy parts | | Bike Setup: | Marzocchi, DT-Swiss hubs, Mavic 519's, MRP chainguide XTR Brakes and levers XT R.D. | | Bottom Line: | ya gotta go kona baby!!!!! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ernie
a Downhiller
from Hasselt - Belgium
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Chaudfontaine,Namen | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | bombproof bike! It won't let ya down or break, keeps its line, sexy looks, great battle ship for the duals! And it loves downhill! It will eat anything you throw at it! | | Weaknesses: | It's a bit at the heavy side (maybe because of the components used), it's not as lively as an Azonic DS-1 in the air (can't be corrected that fast), a bit pricy isn't? | | Similar Products Used: | Azonic DS-1 | | Bike Setup: | Manitou X-vert, Roox, Mavic, Tioga Fact.DH, Magura HS-33, World Force, MRP, DMR .. | | Bottom Line: | I think there's is only one bottom line for this bike: I love it! I'm using this bike for about two years now on dirt tracks,dual tracks&races,urban assaults,downhill tracks and it's always a joy to drive it around on any of those tracks or surfaces. This bike had never let me down (keep fingers crossed), only the components of the bike had (poor Mavic x-country rims, chain device) And I think it's still the most pretty bike of the dual bunch out there (it was and is heavily copied its design) | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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