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Submitted by
Angus
a Cross Country Rider
from Melbourne, Australia
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | Unibicycles | | Strengths: | Frame design, Cranks, Colour, Durability | | Weaknesses: | Wheels, mechanical Hayes Brakes, seatpost, Tires | | Similar Products Used: | previous bike was a custom build | | Bike Setup: | frame, White industries hubs, xtr v-brakes, rock shock Duke, Richey (front)/DT (Rear)rims, Easton bar, Brooks competition saddle, stock stem and seatpost. Running as a singlespeed | | Bottom Line: | Pretty much I have replaced everything on this bike (partly to turn it into a singlespeed) except for the frame, seatpost and stem. The hayes brakes are best removed when purchasing, I had them fail on me whilst racing. The Tioga Factory XC tyres are also best replaced asap. The set up and design of the frame however is one of the nicest bikes I have ever ridden. I have raced enduro, singlespeed, XC all on this bike and it can do it all. Oh, somehow I managed to bend the seatpost without noticing, could be weak. I love it | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve Hill
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol, England
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$870.00 | | Purchased At: | Halfords, Cribbs Causeway, Bristol | | Strengths: | The Kona name. You know they'll take a beating and they were building decent kit way before most of the other large names.
I love the colour (although my friends like to make fun of it)
Very stable. Nice and stiff. Responsive. Rips through trails.
Pretty good components for the most part.
I was able to buy this for £870 in the UK in a sale. The list price was £1100. | | Weaknesses: | The paint chips easily, but battle-scars show experience, right?
That seat is murder. I've done 5000 miles on this bike (daily commute to work) and it hasn't softened at all. I would hate to be in the saddle all day. (Off road doesn't count. :-)
Can easily whack the rear mech against the frame on the smallest drop. A lizard skin helps out here. | | Similar Products Used: | 2000 Kona Lava Dome, but that was stolen so I bought one of these instead. | | Bike Setup: | Stock. I haven't replaced ANYTHING on this bike in 2 years apart from several chains and had the headset regreased. I aim considering changing the awful pedals (clipless with plastic flat converters) because they me down something chronic when riding off-road. I'm also thinking about a shorter handlebar stem for more rearward weight distribution and easier lifting of the front wheel when encountering obstacles and steep drops. | | Bottom Line: | You can't go wrong with a Kona. I've owned two now and I'd have to be seriously impressed to stray from the Kona brand. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
shane
a Cross Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Quantock hills | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Halfords | | Strengths: | Its a bloody KONA!!!!... confidence inspiring rig..never had anything go wrong with it yet in a years caning...excellent for climbing too(not that I attempt too much of this!!) | | Weaknesses: | crappy tyres(tioga)..got rid of them !!....also not that impressed with brakes..so i've upgraded to Hope Minis and.....WOW!!!!...like having a NEW bike!...If this baby was good before..its SUPERB now..I advise anyone to do this also!! | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Nunu....Saracen Havoc(4 tonnes of SH*te!!) | | Bike Setup: | original ..except as previously mentioned brake upgrade...and xt front mech..and hope grip doctors | | Bottom Line: | Superb value for the cash.... and I think with lighter component upgrades ,when old ones are knackered...will be a TOP xc rig... you can get it for £600 now in England through PAULSCYCLES.co.uk I've noticed in latest MBR magazine..now THATS a bargain!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Winger
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Shorthills Provincial Park Trails | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | Liberty Bicycles | | Strengths: | The bike is overall awsome. It is a super great bike for riders who are really starting to get more serious about cross country racing, but don't have enough money to aford a super high end xc racer. | | Weaknesses: | The only weakness that i have found with the bike is its fork because it does not lock out it has alot of bob. Eventually i would replace | | Similar Products Used: | N/A (first good bike) | | Bike Setup: | Deore everything except XT rear. Will up grade to XT | | Bottom Line: | Awsome all around bike> great for XC, but can do some fun freeriding because its a KONA! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gareth
a Weekend Warrior
from Adelaide, Australia
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Strengths: | Bike comes standard with great gear, XT rear, Deore front, Bomber shocks, hayes disc brakes. Light-weight, great climber. Seemed to have bit of extra length in frame which makes it steadier and faster. Frame sizes and geometry really suit shorter person who wants a slightly larger frame (18" frame really suits me at 170cm) whereas other bikes I needed their 16" models which felt small. Still working to get best performance out of shocks (have to play around with air levels) but smooth operation. | | Weaknesses: | Crap inner tubes and ordinary tyres but these are easily changed. Seat is bit hard. | | Similar Products Used: | Tested Jamis eureka, Raceline, Avanti Hammer all in the same price range but found Kona the best | | Bike Setup: | Deore XT rear, deore front, hayes mechanical disc, bomber MXC shocks. Changed SPD pedals to standard platforms (personal preference) | | Bottom Line: | For a newbie to the cross country scene, this bike was a godsend. Fast on the open road, great off-road, excellent specs and a good price (on sale). Look forward to many bone-crunching adventures on this bike. Excellent for beginners or intermediate riders. Excellent value for money on sale. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan Bergman
a Weekend Warrior
from Helsingborg, Sweden
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Sweden | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1260.00 | | Strengths: | Light, good components, disc brakes.. | | Weaknesses: | no extras.. (bottle holders,barends wich came on my old Marin IFT). The tires..
| | Similar Products Used: | Marin Indian Fire Trail '93 | | Bike Setup: | Original but added barends | | Bottom Line: | Very nice bike at this price.. Fast, easy to control. Some people may not like the riding style on it but it suite me like a glove. Feels somewhat like my old Marin IFT('93).. but a lot lighter.. My disc breaks still makes a lot of noise when breaking but it will hopefully go away.. Will replace Deore parts with XT stuff when they fail.. And it looks great.. ´02 Sandstone Metallic | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gordon
a Cross Country Rider
from Cairns, Australia
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Anywhere... | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1300.00 | | Purchased At: | The Bikeman Cairns www.bikeman.com.au | | Strengths: | Does just about everything right | | Weaknesses: | I keep falling off the damn thing - my fault, not the bike! | | Similar Products Used: | Previous bike was a Kona Caldera 2001, before that an Apollo thingy, before that a Huffy Gila (*shudder*) that I kept for a whole six days... | | Bike Setup: | Standard plus IRC Serac tyres, Nightstick lights etc | | Bottom Line: | Hey, I though my Caldera was a great bike until I tried the Pahoehoe. The bike is considerably more sure-footed than I am, and is very forgiving even of this old fart's lousy riding style. I'm convinced that it would be even better off without me on it. One of the main mods I've done on it is to fit a RockShox suspension seat post, which has done my back a great deal of good. At my age (55) you need all the help you can get.
Would I recommend a Pahoehoe? YOU BET! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
sebastian
a
from Cascadia Bioregion
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | trail near Big Creek campground | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Northwest Mountain bike (Tacoma) | | Strengths: | 2000 model: strong, light frame. Nice paint job. Good selection of stock components. | | Weaknesses: | As the frame is not made out of an exotic military-grade metal-polymer compound, it will not last forever. | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher Paragon...rode around the shop parking lot...Jamis Dakar Expert...more parking lot riding | | Bike Setup: | All stock except for platform pedals and stronger (wa-hoo!) but heavier (doh!) rear wheel (Mavic D-551) | | Bottom Line: | The Pahoehoe that I have is the 2000 model, and Im sure that all I say holds true for the 2002 as well. In fact, the 2002 may very well be a more evolved, better version of the 2000!
Anyway, the bottom line: this is an awsome bike! It's strong, but light. The component selection is good for the average recreational rider...racers may want to upgrade to lighter components though. If the aformentioned upgrades were done, this bike would weigh in like a feather.
This bike can take a beating too. I have crashed this bike a number of times and have not done any permanent damage...to the bike or myself. Thats not to say that one should ride with impunity, it is an aluminum frame designed for XC - not downhill - and could get seriously funked up by a big enough tree or boulder.
This bike also has excellent geometry. Getting a bike that fit well (Im 6'2" 135lbs) was one of my top priorities, and the Pahoehoe fits like a glove. On this bike I have done more than a few 40+ mile on-road trips, with no major pain problems relating to riding position.
Who should buy this bike? If you are new to mountain-biking and want a solid, well-built bike, that wont need a lot of upgrades and is a great value for the money...this is the bike for you. If you are a racer or just demand high performance, this bike, with uprages to full XTR, would be the one for you. Hell, if you just want a truly kick-ass riding machine, my friend, the Pahoehoe is for you.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pascal Bouchard-Phillips
a Racer
from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Power line | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1063.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle G.M. Bertrand | | Strengths: | -Lightweight for a disk equipped bike (25.5 lbs)
-Amazing finish (gotta love that metallic colour)
-Cool CNC'd parts
-XT Rear derailleur
-Bomber MXC Coil fork is really, really good
-Handles and climbs super well
-Deore crankset is super stiff and hollowtech
-Hayes HMX-1s brakes are amazing: they brake almost as well as their Hydraulic brothers but they're cheaper and there's less maintenance involved
-No "no name" parts, lots of Koski parts
-That SDG Satellite looks sweet AND is comfy (on long rides)!
-LOOKS SWEET!
-It's a Kona! | | Weaknesses: | -Deore front derailleur isn't quite on par with the XT rear
-Hayes Brakes have squeaked a teeny weeny bit in the rain but only during break-in
-Bomber MXC doesn't have the adjustability of an air fork (but that's a given)
-Should come with a Lizard skin because the paint chips FAST (I already had one but I think all bikes should come with them stock)
-Tioga tires can't beat my Michelin Wildgrippers
-Lots of parts are black and dirt and scratches show alot more than on silver
-Looks so good ppl want to steal it | | Similar Products Used: | 1999 Kona Firemountain w/ Indy XC
2002 Kona Muni-Mula
2000 Kona Pahoehoe
2001 Trek 8500
2002 Trek 6700 Disc
...more | | Bike Setup: | All stock but I'm upping the deore front to LX or XT soon and once the Tiogas die out I'm putting on my Kevlar Wildgrippers | | Bottom Line: | It kicks ass:
-Cimbs even better than my old bike!
-FAST!
-Light!
-Handles really, really well!
-Alot for the $
Bottom line: If you're looking for a bang for the buck race ready bike with disc stoppers this is it! BUY IT! (I did) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thor-Björn Andreasson
a Cross Country Rider
from Sweden
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Purchased At: | Sweden | | Strengths: | Fast, stiff, quick in responding to acceleration. | | Weaknesses: | The paint, varnish doesn't take thrashing. | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher Hookooekoo | | Bike Setup: | Original except straight handlebar with barends and Mavic Crossland wheels. | | Bottom Line: | No problems at all with this bike. The mavic wheels are still unadjusted despite long time hard racing. Good looking, mine is a '98 limegreen. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Loranty
a Racer
from Buckhannon, WV USA
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Huckleberry | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | Fat Tire Cycles | | Strengths: | Sweet Frame, good components, and fork | | Weaknesses: | The wheels blow. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Cinder Cone | | Bike Setup: | Z3 fork, race face cranks, avid arch rival 40 lx/xt mix | | Bottom Line: | Kona's are way cooler than any stupid fisher or trek with a straight top tube and flat bars. Buy one of these, put some new wheels on it and then go haul ass. I think my bike is a 2000 or 2001. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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