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Submitted by
J.R. Starr
a Racer
from Valencia
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | the 1 i havent riden | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | www.cambriabike.com | | Strengths: | This bike is awesome! ive thrown everything at it and still it hasnt failed me yet. ive tried 2 break this bike but ive ended up putting 10 stitches on my chin. this has got 2 be the strongest bike ive ever ridden | | Weaknesses: | weaknesses??? i dont know what ur talking about | | Similar Products Used: | lotta stuff | | Bike Setup: | 00 kula, mavic x max, xt, atom bomb | | Bottom Line: | if ur buying a bike this is it. its the best for the buck | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stuart
a Cross Country Rider
from UK
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Gorple Road | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Winstanleys, Wigan | | Strengths: | Climbs like a rat up a drainpipe
Light, well-made alu frame
Responsive and direct without being harsh
The Kona ride and geometry | | Weaknesses: | A bit "skippy" on rocky descents | | Similar Products Used: | Loads - Kona Lava Dome, Nunu, Fire Mountain and ManoMano, Marin Rift Zone, Eldridge Grade, Whyte PRST-1, Rocky Mountain Vertex, DeKerf Team SL, Orange P7 and evO2 etc. | | Bike Setup: | Pace RC36 EvoIIIs, Hope C2 discs, Hope/X317 wheels, LX/XT mix, RaceFace/Titec/Middleburn/Cane Creek/Time finishing kit, Hutchinson Aligators | | Bottom Line: | I have a 2000 Kula frame (olive and white) and can honestly say it's an amazing frame. Direct power transfer without any of the harshness associated with cheaper alloy frames, it makes a great all-day trail bike. My frame is built up with components on the durable side of light; could easily shed a couple of pounds and make a rocket sled of a race bike but that's not my thing. It doesn't quite have the sweet ride of a top-end steel hardtail but it's not far away, certainly as comfortable as my Lava Dome after a few hours in the saddle. It's not a jump or freeride bike by any stretch of the imagination, but keep your wheels on or very close to the ground, enjoy the way it climbs and responds to power input and flows through singletrack. I'm 14st (200lb) and it's taken everything I've thrown at it so far. Highly recommended. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mtbmon
a
from northern ohio
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Vulture's Knob | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Lightweight, stiff, great geometry, fits like a glove, looks | | Weaknesses: | none I have found | | Similar Products Used: | Caad4, Fisher Mt. Tam, Trek 8500 | | Bike Setup: | Sid XC, Magura Louise discs, Truvativ splined Stylos, SRAM 9.0sl derailers/shifters, blah, blah.. | | Bottom Line: | I was a little leary at first since I loved my Caad4/Fatty SL so much but I am very happy with the Kula. Geometry was remarkably close to my Cdale and with the SID setup pretty stiff and the splined bb and cranks, the bike is very responsive. Climbs great, looks cool. Not so sure I'd do a lot of freeriding on it but I think it can take as much XC abuse as you can throw at it. Sizing is also great since it is available in one inch increments for the most common sizes. Giving 5 for value only since I got it below cost through my team but 5 logs for overall. I can't see how you'd be disappointed with this rig. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John H
a Weekend Warrior
from Dunfermline, Scotland
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Light, Stiff and very responsive | | Weaknesses: | none yet | | Similar Products Used: | Pace 200, | | Bike Setup: | Pace RC35 Mxcd, XT, bontrager, mavic(although changing to velocity/hope,pace wheels) | | Bottom Line: | The pace frame was better but not by a lot!
Fast, Fun Resposive frame and my bike comes in at under 22lbs.
Not sure why but the 98/99/00 specs it seems to weigh a lot more??? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
CC
a Cross Country Rider
from WA
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Trail # 8 Capitol Forest | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Got the Kula as a replacement for a cracked Hot. Kona had it shipped within a week. Frame is light, stiff, responive and flat out rocks. A lot lighter that the Hot, yet it hasn't beaten me up the way I thought it might. | | Weaknesses: | None yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized M2 that also cracked. | | Bike Setup: | XT, Race Face, Atom 80 | | Bottom Line: | I loved my old Hot frame, but I am really happy with the way Kona stood behind their product. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason Durgin
a Cross Country Rider
from Bozeman
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | sypes canyon to middle cottonwood | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Extremely durable frame. I thrash on my bike, and it has always bounced back. I almost always damage myself more than the bike. | | Weaknesses: | I seriously can't think of one. As I said, I've thrashed on this bike for years and haven't broken it yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Kileau, GT Zaskar. | | Bike Setup: | Z2 Superfly, Race Face cranks, Magura Race Lines, Mavic wheels X517 citrons, Race Face riser, XTR rear, XT front. Chris King headset. | | Bottom Line: | My setups pretty light, yet durable. It seems to handle well and climbs like a champ. I only weigh about 155 lbs. or so and am about 6' tall. I think Kona makes longer frames for taller people, which suits me great. The ideal buyer is somebody who likes to use their equipment and isn't afraid to put it to the test of severe abuse and punishment. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a
from Whistler, B.C.
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | ladies only | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | lightweight
stiff | | Weaknesses: | no disk-brake mount | | Similar Products Used: | 94 Kona Kula, Kona AA, specialized stumpjumper | | Bike Setup: | Z1 bam, race-face crank, kore stem, thompson seatpost, wtb wheels, easton monkey lite riser | | Bottom Line: | Good solid hardtail for lighter riders. I've got it set up with nice solid parts and it's bombproof. This is my second kula and they keep getting better. Kona has a great warranty. I cracked the head tube and they gave me a brand new frame(it just took a couple of months). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Hawes
a Racer
from Dartmouth, MA, USA
Date Reviewed: January 16, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | ones w/ jumps and decending | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | light, its a Kona, cool colours, nice xc racing bike | | Weaknesses: | durability; every time I went off a drop-off it cracked the seat stay | | Similar Products Used: | kona caldera | | Bike Setup: | kona 98 kula, z1 bam(100mm) | | Bottom Line: | a great xc racing bike but only a xc racing bike. don't do crazy drops or jumps or it will break! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Cross-Country Rider
from Port Jefferson, NY
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: |
Rocky Point | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Stiff Frame
Very Light
Custom Paint
Gussetts | | Weaknesses: |
Kona does not offer the 2000 frameset yet
none that I can see yet | | Similar Products Used: |
Kona Hot
GT Tequesta
Gary Fisher Mt. Tam
Cannondale F700 | | Bike Setup: |
16 Kona Kula, 2000 Rock Shox SID XC, Full 9spd XT, Mavic 217 rims w/ GT hubs, Easton EA70 seatpost, Vetta Vandainium rail seat, specialized team tires and light tubes, Titec bars, Dean stem. | | Bottom Line: | This bike is bullitproof!. It weighs 22lbs. It climbs better than my GT ever did! and tracks better too!. The frame is really eye candy. The welds are really nice. Not much to say other than buy one now! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Al Goodridge
a Cross-Country Rider
from Kent, UK
Date Reviewed: August 14, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Forgiving
Light
Fast
Winterability: top tube cable routing; plenty of clarance; forward-facing seat clamp. | | Weaknesses: |
Dropouts | | Similar Products Used: |
GT Karakorum
Kona Nunu | | Bike Setup: |
Z2 Light,XT/LX, Avid AR40 | | Bottom Line: | A great all-round frame: light,strong +responsive.
A blast to ride; climbing, gnarly technical trails and descents, its fast + fun.
The Easton Ultralite main frame is more forgiving than many alloy frames.
A real allrounder; if you race xc, ride gnarly trails and take in the very rough with the smooth, you won't be dissapointed. This frame is superb.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
King
a Racer
from King Town
Date Reviewed: May 13, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
King Trail | | Duration Product Used: |
tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: |
Great stuff, Fast as hell. | | Weaknesses: |
The only problem that I can think of is that it atracks loser, sickos to this site. The reason being is that they all went out and bought Specializes and they are so upset that they take it out on the bike they knew they should have bought. Although they probably can't read what I just wrote, I think it should be known that this is a great bike. | | Similar Products Used: |
Just about every thing | | Bike Setup: |
Stock | | Bottom Line: | Consider this bike regardless of what a few weaklings said. If you don't take a look at it you will be missing out. Happy Trails. | | Overall Rating: |
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