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Submitted by
chad pool
a Weekend Warrior
from no
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | boogy man | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | freind frame only | | Strengths: | i like the butted end frame annd the lightness | | Weaknesses: | nothing really | | Similar Products Used: | not mucha kona firemountain | | Bike Setup: | stuff with 130mm sr suntour sunrims disc ready | | Bottom Line: | its good i dont like how its labeled juvenile though | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bryce
a Racer
from CLayton, CA
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$375.00 | | Strengths: | BEAFFY FRAME. SUPER STRONG. I'VE RIDDEN IT HARD IN BOTH DUAL SLALOM AND DOWNHILL. HAVEN'T HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT YET. | | Weaknesses: | NO DISK BRAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | | Bike Setup: | I'VE GOT A Z.5 FORK WHICH HAS HELD UP AWSOME. HAYES HYDRAULIC DISK IN THE REAR AND HAYES MECHANICAL IN FRONT. DEORE COMPONENTS. TRUVATIV CRANKS WITH KANO K-9 BASHRING. | | Bottom Line: | THIS AN AWSOME BIKE FOR ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR CROSS COUNTRY. GREAT FOR DH, DS, AND DIRT JUMPING.
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Submitted by
Jimmy Wong
a Weekend Warrior
from Richmond, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Steveston Bikes | | Strengths: | Strong parts, strong cranks, one of the bulkiest non-RAD hardtail frames ever made. | | Weaknesses: | 1 bolt seatpost!!! | | Similar Products Used: | played around with my friend's Roast (too stiff!) | | Bike Setup: | T.H.E. front fender (i know i know it's only for looks!!) | | Bottom Line: | Great bike. Comes with disc hubs, reasonably good parts. The 2.3 tires are fatter and knobbier then my friend's VP4 2.5 tires (due to the fat Sun Rims), the Truvativ cranks are really strong. The Alivio shifters are only ok but they'll hold up for a while. My bike came with all black rims but the black started coming off as soon as I started using my rim brakes. Contrary to the other submitters, I rather like the stock seat.
It is great for new freeriders like me. I've had the bike for a year and a half (since oct.2000) so I can say I've thoroughly tested the bike.
Biggest complaint is the bike comes with a 1-bolt seatpost that bends very easily. Once that happens you have to buy BOTH a new seatpost AND seat so do yourself a favour and swap in a 2-bolt seatpost right away (I learnt the hard way!) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
shine
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles, California
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Whatever I'm riding at the time | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$850.00 | | Purchased At: | Atomic Bikes | | Strengths: | Frame, geometry, strength (The usual Kona strengths), weight (heavy, a relative term, is not automatically a bad thing) | | Weaknesses: | None I can think of, 'cept maybe, just maybe, one can, for the same price, find a bike with a bit higher-end component package, though the Stuff package is fine for what I ask of it. | | Similar Products Used: | Products Owned: Numerous cheap and steel Treks, Mongooses, Motivs, Diamondbacks Raleighs, I'd buy way cheap then break, if they weren't stolen first.
Demoed: Maybe 50 or 60, but most similar to the Stuff in style and price where the Specialized P3 and GT Ruckus, Fisher HooHooKoo (spelling?) various Cannondales on which I never felt comfortable, Santa Cruz Chameleon (which ruled, but too over my budget), Jamis Dragon, Trek 6700, Giant Ranier SE, Schwinn Moab, Kona Roast, Kona Chute, K2 Something-or-other Monkey, Mongoose Pro Deuce (Very cool, but this one was a friend's and the high-end Mongooses are very hard to find in L.A.). | | Bike Setup: | Completely stock, and will be until I wear out and/or break parts. | | Bottom Line: | First, why is this considered a juvenile bike?. Um, no, it's not.
Next, before I get into detail: This a great bike for the intermediate rider who's beginning to make their first forays into freeriding and urban assault, or the commuter who wants an SUV on two wheels.
Except for the Cannondales, which I could never seem too hook-up on, and also because Cannondale requires one to purchase their expensive proprietary parts, and the GT Ruckus, which I just plain didn't like, I enjoyed all the bikes I demoed.
I live here in Venice Beach, where hundreds of cruisers and cheap, steel hardtail are bought, sold, bartered and swapped amongst the local denizens. Parking sucks, particularly in the summer months, so locals ride bikes or skateboard to get around locally, and most bikes you see are old, cheap bikes, probably because bikes are simply afterthoughts, alternative transportation acquired as cheap as possible; and perhaps because of the significant vagrant/transient/hippie/punker/nazi/weirdo/scumbag/semi-criminal element here, and bikes are frequently ripped off. For years, I bought various steel hardtails just to get around. The first few where stolen, but then I began to take better care of their security, and as I started more comfortable riding, I started breaking them: Blown forks, cracked head tubes, cranks, etc. The last bike I owed before this, a 1994 steel Trek 950, I still have and haven't busted yet, but that's because I stopped doing to it what I did my previous bikes: going over and through everything in my path.
I'm not a freerider, a trials guy, a downhiller, an XC guy or an urban assault dude. There's lots a decent, good, off-road trails in the Palisades and the Canyon just up a few miles up, but primarily I commute. However, I aggressively commute, preferring to go over and through everything and anything in my path: curbs, potholes, construction zones, vagrants lying in the middle of the boardwalk. I'm not a good rider by any definition, but I rarely crash because I don't drop off anything more than two feet, which is not that difficult, but I tend to be very hard on bikes, partly because I don't know what I'm doing, partly because I don't care and I like to beat on things.
When I finally decided to buy a good bike, I asked lots of questions. Most sales people don't know what they're talking about, but eventually I deduced that I needed for a strong, freeride-style hardtail that could handle the abuse I tend to dish. I never heard of Kona until I started looking for bikes, but as I learned more and more, and rode as many bikes as the bike shops allowed, I settled on the Kona's Stuff -- it does everything I need it to do, and more, once I learn.
The funny thing is that the Westside-LA bike shops that didn't carry Konas tried as best they could too steer me away, but not because Kona's are not quality bikes, but because of either 1.) the price: You can buy a similarly priced Trek/Specialized/Giant/Gary Fisher/GT/Schwinn with slightly higher-end Shimano components or 2.) the dumbest, most trivial, most absurd reasons: Kona's only one-half American; they only work in wet, muddy weather and steep terrain (yup, some idiot kid said that with a straight face); they're really for kids and teenagers (like most teenagers have $2,500.00 for a Stinky DeeLux). This only made me more interested, and the two shops that did sell Konas didn't push them any more than any other brand. In fact, one shop made me test ride four different Cannondales before they pulled a Kona off the wall.
The Stuff sold itself. The geometry and the stability is awesome. I'm doing things I've never ever thought of trying before. I'm even thinking of lining up three or four passed-out vagrants end-to-end and jumping them on my way to work.
Kona doesn't sell this 7005DH frame this year, but this is the frame that helped start the OB-Freeride revolution, and it's a classic. It's a little lighter than Kona's current 7005 Clump frame that makes up all Out of Bounds hardtail in 2002, but it's just as strong and it does the job. It may be too heavy for the XC Lycra-shorts, but I like the "heaviness". It feels plush and stable, like a range Rover. The electric green paint job doesn't look that appealing on Kona's web site, but with the all-black forks, seat past, bars and rims, it looks way f'in cool in person and I couldn't beat the price or the service at Atomic Bikes in Whittier. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
The Beef
a Weekend Warrior
from Alaska
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$950.00 | | Strengths: | -Super Strong Frame w/ Gusset
-Strong Wheels
-Great Brakes
-Great Fork
-Disc Brake Ready | | Weaknesses: | I didn't like the seat, so I replaced it. | | Bottom Line: | The Stuff is a great bike for jumping and freeriding. It will haul through anything you give it with it's great handling. An awesome bike for the price!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bobby
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$950.00 | | Purchased At: | R & E Cycles | | Strengths: | -Unbreakable frame.
-Top o' the line Components.
-Easy on the wallet. | | Weaknesses: | -A bit heavy---if thats a weakness.
-The label "juvenile bike"? What the hell does that mean? Its Out of Bounds Hardtail as far as I know and doesnt come with training wheels. | | Similar Products Used: | Diamond Back Ascent (not too similar though). | | Bike Setup: | Size 17" (medium) and stock for now. I will be upgrading to some Hayes Discs eventually. | | Bottom Line: | This bike is perfect for the person who is just beginning to get "the bug" for riding. Ive been riding this bike for less than three months and have noticed a huge increase in my riding skills but more importantly my confidence. This bike will flat-out go over, under and through anything you point it at. If youre looking for a hardtail that doubles as a great trail riding bike and as a street bike, go get a Stuff. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gregory
a Downhiller
from California
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | konaworld.com | | Strengths: | Its a hardtail built to bomb on for a cheap price. Frame has a huge gusset nice and heavy for all the abuse you want to give it. Components are great the z5 is awesome after you break it in. The alivio works fine for it you can switch to LX of XTR later. Disc break ready. Cranks are strong no flex! | | Weaknesses: | Seat is bulky, but then again how much time are you gonna spend on it. | | Similar Products Used: | specialized p.3 | | Bike Setup: | stock besides seat and a shorter azonic stem : ) | | Bottom Line: | This bike is the s**t, its an awesome bike for an awesome price. Tts just bad. Dont hesistate | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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