Submitted by
ant0
a Cross Country Rider
from England Date Reviewed: September 2, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
V light and stiff, rides surprisingly well, I'd expected it to bone shake me something cronic but its very comfortable. Also very competant and FAST! on the road
Above anything else, what impresses me about this bike is its ability to climb just about anything with the minimum of effort, it really flatters your skills no matter how skilled a rider you are
Weaknesses:
A little twitchy at low speed. It's a racer, though and the responsivness of this thing at speed is incredible, it took me a little time to adjust to how quickly this thing can change direction.
so no weaknesses as such, this thing is perfect in every way (imo) for XC, I wouldn't go downhill with it too much obviously but with the setup i've got it's more than capable of tearing down jumps too
Similar Products Used:
Specialized rockhopper
Bike Setup:
At the moment: RS Reba SL 08 forks, hollowtech 1 chainset + BB (needs replacing soon), XT mechs, chain & Cassette. Mavic XC717 disc rims, XT hubs, hope mini (front), shimano hyraulic lx (rear) Hope HS. I've got wide, hi-rise EA70s with a cut down steerer tube and 10 degree 90mm EA50 stem which is about right for me as a compromise between XC balance/ poise and road cruising. 2.15" Specialized enduro pro
Bottom Line:
The best bike ive riden by a long way. The frame is perfection as far as im concerned, it can do everything very very well it's party peice is climbing ability, you point at the sky and pedal, its that simple! around fast bends its incredibly planted, feels like an extension of your body. At the same time its very chuckle and can change direction with lightning speed and accuracy, feel slike im riding a smaller frame (I've got 20")
My setup is by no means perfect, my back brakes for example, are very weak and i was skint when i bought them. The hope mini is excellent though
Bottom line is: You'll struggle to find a better hard tail than this. It does all the basic things better than almost anything: It's light, stiff and the geometry feels perfect, same as every other Kona i've riden.
Buy this bike!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ghostrider
a Cross Country Rider
from Stoneleigh, Maryland, USA Date Reviewed: May 20, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Loch Raven
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$1700.00
Purchased At:
from an xc pro rider
Strengths:
Zippy Light! Soaks up bumps, very agile, terrific climber, Scadnium Frame
Weaknesses:
right chainstay very close to chain, lots of chainslap beating up the frame
Submitted by
CNC
a Cross Country Rider
from MANCHESTER,CT USA Date Reviewed: December 4, 2007
Favorite Trail:
case mountain
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
ebay ( 2005 frame only )
Strengths:
very light(2.9 lbs. scandium frame),geometery of frame,color and graphics(blue and silver , team edition)
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
trek 9.8,gary fisher big sur,specialized rockhopper
Bike Setup:
100mm fox xterra fork , all bontrager xxx lite and xtr , fizik gobi seat , mavic crossmax sl's
Bottom Line:
this frame is sick.i paid $350 last year on ebay for the 2005 scandium kona kula primo frame (only 2.9 lbs.).i spent the last year builing it (about $3000).i put all bontrager xxx lite parts (handlebars,seatpost,stem and cranks), all xtr (shifter and brake combo ,rear and front derailluers , skewers , cables and brakes), mavic crossmax sl rims , fox 100 mm xterra fork , jagwire housings , kenda klimax lite tires and fizik gobi seat.all together my bike weighs a super lite 19 lbs.the geometery of the frame with a 100mm shock is great ( i had an 80mm rock shox sid world cup on it also and that works great to).it desends and climbs hills like a rocket.on flat land it flat out flies.i'm a heavier rider ( 185 lbs) and it is stiff.i've riden alot of bikes and this by far is my favorite,i couldn't be happier.i HIGHLY recommend this frame.5 flamin' chili's all around.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
edwin widianto
a
from Jakarta - Indonesia Date Reviewed: August 6, 2007
Favorite Trail:
xc
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$466.00
Purchased At:
Rodalink (frame only)
Strengths:
Good control,great geometry, light, fun to ride
Weaknesses:
paint, and I dont like the colour, easy duplicate.
Similar Products Used:
all xc hardtail made by easton aluminium
Bike Setup:
raba race, full xt groupset, kore xcd wheelset, fsa stem, handlebar and headset
Bottom Line:
The bike handle so well and I don't feel any pain due to the great geometry, amazing climbing and descending, good value, I dont think you have to buy us$ 1.000 frame if you already found the good frame. and im very proud to use it, because not so many people buy original frame, mostly people here use a copy or duplicate from kona frame but the biggest population is copy of giant.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Carlos Teissier
a Cross Country Rider
from Monterrey, Mexico Date Reviewed: June 9, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Icamole Mexico
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
West End Bikes Houston Tx.
Strengths:
I bought the frame only and builded it. If you care about the weight/strenght combination, this is your best choice. The Kona Rage geometry is more than the greatest, I mean it.
Weaknesses:
No, and if you find one it's because you work for Kona's competition.
Similar Products Used:
Kona Caldera, Trek 6500, trek 4500.
Bike Setup:
I used the FSA XC300 wheelset, Marzochi MZ Pro 100 Fork, Race Face XC Cranckset and XTR shifers and deraileurs.
Bottom Line:
I race eventually, but I'm more involved in the long (6 to 8 hours) mountain roads and trail riding. At the beginning I was afraid that this bike would be uncomfortable for the long runs, but believe me it's great. Particularly I had a problem climbing, with this setup I fly on the steep ascetns. I got a less than 24 pound bike. Forget about Specialized, trek, GT and other imitators, this is the best frame you can build up.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Colin
a Racer
from Anncey, France Date Reviewed: November 12, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$599.00
Purchased At:
Ute City Cycles (USA)
Strengths:
Super Stiff, relativly light for as strong as the frame is. Basic graphics, nothing flashy, but also not dull or boring. Disc only mounts, Easton top grade Alum.
Weaknesses:
I bought it frame only(great price, not a weakness, but when I got it there was a bit too much paint on the headtube and needed to be re-faced. nothing that really detracts from the performance of the bike but a hassle when building.
Similar Products Used:
Giant NRS, Rocky Mountain Carve, Redline Monocog
Bike Setup:
Sid Team fork, Juicy 5's, 952XTR, Race Face Cranks, Crossmax SL wheels
Bottom Line:
I got this frame so I could have a really nice race bike that I knew was reliable. I built it up pretty stock in terms of a race bike, nothing crazy and was a hair over 24lbs. A little heavy for racing, but the frame is SUPER stiff and didn't feel weak at all. Super fast in the corners due to the stiffnes. The frame is a real nice Easton top line Aluminum, some of the best in my opinon. You are going to get beat up a little, but no more than any other hardtail, I never saw it as an issue or a draw back. I feel like buying this bike you know what you are getting into as terms of ride. The frame tracks really well and geometry is great for racing, but not restricting to racers only. I definatly recommmend this frame. I have crashed on it in a rock garden before with no dents at all, and I rode it all over the US and some of Europe with great results. I think if you paid more attention to weight you could get it to about 22.7-23lbs relativly easily. I had some 03 parts speced on mine and it was still a sweet ride.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
david o'brien
a Cross Country Rider
from ottawa ontario canada Date Reviewed: September 4, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
FULL CYCLE OTTAWA
Strengths:
WEIGHT,FORK,BRAKES,CRANKS,BOTTOM BRACKET
Weaknesses:
WHEEL SET,TIRES,HEADSET STEM
Similar Products Used:
TO MANY TO MENTION
Bike Setup:
RACEFACE DEUS HEADSET AND STEM,RACEFACE NEXT SL CARBON SEATPOST AND LOW RISER BARS,MAVIC CROSSLAND RIMS MICHELIN XC DRY TIRES
Bottom Line:
VERY FAST,CLIMBS LIKE CRAZY,SUPER ON SINGLE TRAC,THIS BIKE GETS 10 OUT OF 10 WITH UPGRADES 8 OUT OF 10 STOCK.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Marc
a
from Newtown, PA, USA Date Reviewed: August 25, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Light, durable, good components (all XT), good fork, and climbs and descends awesome.
Weaknesses:
The headset that came on the bike was pretty bad and became slightly pitted after 1.5 months so i upgraded to a King headset, and now no worries
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Stumpjumper
Bike Setup:
06 Kona Kula Primo: Stan's no tubes, eggbeater sl, oury locking grips, chris king headset
Bottom Line:
Great bike for what you pay for. Good for weekend warriors and races.
Just upgrade the headset> then its an awesome bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ben Morton
a Cross Country Rider
from San Marcos, Texas Date Reviewed: August 11, 2006
Favorite Trail:
i like them all!
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
New Revolution Cycles- Kyle Texas
Weaknesses:
The only part of this bike that could be better is the wheelset. It comes with sun rims with deore hubs. So a little heavy in that area..
Similar Products Used:
My only other bike was a Giant Rincon with EVERY single part replaced and upgraded to XT quality... (that giant did not even come close to the Primo)
Bike Setup:
Answer Carbon handlebare, oury locking grips, San Marco Aspide Arrowhead saddle... (coming soon, egg beater ti pedals, carbon seatpost, mavic crossmax xl wheelset)
Bottom Line:
This bike is a great all around bike. Comes with a great set of components, the brakes, cranks and whole drive terrain for that matter are BAD ASS. The frame is also a big plus on this bike. The Fox 100RL that comes on it is sweet and you sure will not be sorry if you get this bike. With the cheapo shimano clipless pedals that came with the bike it weighed around 25.25 if memory serves me correct...
For me this bike was for sure worth the money and am very pleased with it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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