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Submitted by
Davis
a Cross Country Rider
from Mountainview, ontario, canada
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Mountainview! | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | Epic Ride | | Strengths: | light, strong. nice looking paintjob, looks really nice | | Weaknesses: | paint chips easily, but nothing performance wise | | Similar Products Used: | zion 660ebb, craked after one month of use | | Bike Setup: | manitou skareb fork, ritchey rims, xt hubs, syncros bars, stem, i beam seat and post | | Bottom Line: | This is a very nice bike to ride. The steel frame is comfortable, but doesn't flex. I've raced it 4 times already and it has been very fun to ride. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bmills
a Cross Country Rider
from Truckee
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | "the bench" | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | E-bay | | Strengths: | Simple, strong, great geometry, disc hubs | | Weaknesses: | Cheap headset, v-brakes, poor grips, narrow handlebars.......I had these upgrades at home so this was not a problem. I put the unused parts on my wife's bike. | | Similar Products Used: | First single speed, but I've ridden 13 years of multiple very expensive bikes though. | | Bike Setup: | Took the stock bike and added avid mechanical disks, 18 tooth cog, Truvativ XC/DH wide handlebars, lock-on grips and a Fox Vanilla 130>100 fork | | Bottom Line: | Great bike. I had a SC Heckler, Titus moto-lite, Chameleon, etc, etc. I decided to build up a single speed and found this one on E-bay for a decent price, bought it, then added a few parts I had lying around to suit my style. I considered titanium and aluminum and went for steel because of the ride and price. First timers shouldn't build up "blingle-speeds." My last hardtails were the SC chameleon and the MC rumble (both aluminum and heavily gusseted) and they beat me up. My kidneys hurt on long rocky trails. I heard steel was more "pliable" and had no idea what that meant until I rode my unit the first couple of times. It definately has more give than my aluminum hardtails. Kinda like having a 1/2 inch of rear travel compared to stiff aluminum. I heard the rear dropout plates slide but I haven't had any trouble. I ride Tahoe, Truckee, Santa Cruz, Oregon, and BC trails and this thing rocks. Call me eccentric, but, I like singlespeeding so much, I sold all my other bikes. I might buy a DH bike for shuttling/lifts, but for XC/trail it's singlespeed all the way. If I beat the hell out of this thing or it rusts, I'll upgrade the frame to titanium. 'Til then I'm perfectly happy with this bike just the way it is. So if you are thinking of converting single speed, get this bike or the kona 29'er if that's your thing. You can get better single speeds, but for the product/cost ratio, it's hard to beat. 5 chilis! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
alfredo cabrera
a Cross Country Rider
from altadena
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | MT.Brown | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | velo | | Strengths: | Great climber ,great on smooth fire roads. | | Weaknesses: | no disc brakes , rough on the downhill. | | Bike Setup: | as factory | | Bottom Line: | Bike is okay overall , but must upgrade to disc brakes and added bar ends.Very rough on the downhill but can't ask for much it is a rigid fork.But for climbing is a very good bike for training. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
HB
a Cross Country Rider
from Arlington, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Schaeffer Farms | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Direct from Kona | | Strengths: | Brilliant climber, feels more "in control" than my other bikes. Very lightweight. Comes with good components - there's nothing on here that I feel I absolutely have to swap out. | | Weaknesses: | Slow on asphalt, but it's not a road bike. Should maybe come with squishier grips, rigid forks are rough on the wrists. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | 19" 06 Unit (Brown)
Stock except for Ritchey clipless pedals.
Plan on putting on a carbon flat bar , bar ends, QR seat clamp, Ourys. | | Bottom Line: | This thing is great at what its supposed to do - fire roads and singletrack. For $900 retail nothing else compares. Gears are for sissies. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MarsB
a Downhiller
from Morgantown, WV
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | www.bikeman.com (via eBay) | | Strengths: | Steel, low top tube, innovative dropouts for disc usage, price, color - '05 army green | | Weaknesses: | paint, weight of sliding dropouts and their tendency to loosen (fixed w/ new hardware) | | Similar Products Used: | ss-converted Giant ATX-890, brief rides on a Kona Kaaboom and Soul Cycles Hooligan. | | Bike Setup: | Avid BB7 mech disks, Flak Jacket cables, Avid SD 7 levers, Surly Instigator fork, Thomson seatpost and stem, WTB Laser V seat, Monkeylite carbon bar, LX cranks, Truvativ lexan bashring, Shimano M545 pedals, XT BB, FSA Pig headset, ODI Ruffian grips, WTB Weirwolf 2.5 race, both f&r | | Bottom Line: | I purchased the frame on closeout and built it up primarly from parts off of my Giant. Ironically, the wheels I had been using were Mach IVs off another Unit - my only 'stock' part! I love this bike! My plan was to build it w/ a similar cockpit and head angle to my DH bike (thus the 100mm-corrected Surly fork). I'm not big on XC riding, but I wanted to try to simulate the fun (and difficulty) of DH riding on my local trails. It is so much fun to rail through turns and singletrack - it is great training for riding DH. Riding fully rigid makes you really have to choose lines, and concentrate on momentum. Using your tires, knees, arms, and bar as your only suspension reinforces handling skills that you sometimes forget riding a squishy bike. There's just something nice about the both the similarities and contrasts between a 45lbs 7inch geared DH rig and a simple steel rocket like the Unit! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steven Kilburn
a Cross Country Rider
from Old Town, Me
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Spider Loop, Okinawa, Japan | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$479.00 | | Purchased At: | Ski Rack Sports>Bangor, Me | | Strengths: | Fast! Great Geometry. Steel! I have the true temper version and it is solid. | | Weaknesses: | Dropouts slide. Found a fix and getting around to it.
| | Similar Products Used: | :::::: | | Bike Setup: | Unit/Fat Alberts/XT Discs/Thomson stem/Rogue lockjaws/4"Fork | | Bottom Line: | Great bike. Handles wonderfully. Resilient. Great deal. I find myself not missing my 3000 dollar heckler while riding this 470 dollar SS. That tells me something... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew Martinez
a Cross Country Rider
from Koloa, HI USA
Date Reviewed: February 3, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Kealia, Waimea, Tour de Suds | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | BikeMan.com | | Strengths: | Probably the easiest dropout arrangement you can have for a disc singlespeed.
Decent price for a quality steel hardtail.
Extremely Versatile. You can go Disc or V-brake. You can use a SS specific hub or use your old QR wheelset with a spacer kit, disc or otherwise no problem.
Nice profiling and shape on the tubeset. Gives a good ride quality.
For my style of riding the geometry is nice. East coasters take note! This is a Explosif SS and not a Unit! | | Weaknesses: | Paint is very thin.
The dropouts are the best part of this bike and also it's weakness. They require special attention and they are heavy.
No chain tensioner on or allowed | | Similar Products Used: | Redline Monocog, Rocklobster Nontrager, Bontrager Race Lite, Fisher Ziggurat. | | Bike Setup: | 06 Bomber Marathon XC up front. Avid Mech. Discs w/ Avid levers. Paul WORD hubs laced up on Salsa Semi rims. Raceface Deus cranks and stem. Thompson seatpost. Selle Italia Flight saddle. FSA carbon bar. Time Z Control Pedals. | | Bottom Line: | First off I bought an Explosif frame and not a Unit but alot of this info will apply. Second I've been a bicycle mechanic for over nine years and a darn good one too so this will be lengthy. 1. I've ridden alot of bikes alot of places and I've been a single speeder for years so I'm kinda particular about frame geometry and set up. I know where I like to ride and what I like to ride and what geometry helps make my ride funner and easier. I chose the Explosif over the Unit stricly because of the geometry. In years past the two bikes were almost identical except for stinking gear braze-ons but the 06's differ slightly. The Explosif 18" has a Head angle of 69.2 degree, Seattube of 72.2, and a Bottom Bracket height of 12.3 . Versus the 71/73 11.8 BB of the Unit. The trails here are predominatly very technical and slow with a fair amount of longs and steep roll-ins and logs (More like east coast riding). The geometry also fits my philosophy of bulding a SS. Lets face it, on the knarly climbs your standing and hammering so why the steep head angle? When your going down hill, you hit a point pedaling isn't going to get you squat, why not have a little rake out there to give you a little edge on the DH, right? I say slack that headtube! Now the real advantage to getting this bike/frame is the droputs. Honestly if your going to use V-Brakes I'd reccomend another frame however if your riding conditions or your need requires you to have disc brakes these dropouts are very, very trick. Now my retro-grouchyness cried against the placing of discs on a SS but this is the wettest place in the entire world. Sorry grouch, we're going disco but we're doing it smart! If your going discs look at a standard horizontal drop out with disc tabs and ask yourself, "Self, what if I have bad trail karma and I get a flat?", or "Self, what if I just replaced my chain and half way through my ride I need to retension my chain?" These things are pain in the ass on the trail. I work on other peoples bikes for a living, I hate to work on mine, keep it simple stupid. Eccentric BB with vertical drops? Heavy, ackward to work with, and creates some slight bike fit issues, not huge, but still there. Whats so great about the Kona dropouts? Glad you asked! Imagine this, there you are on a group ride with your friends sticking it to the gearies when, hisssss you've got a rear flat. All you do is loosen your axle bolts, drop your wheel straight down and out disc and all, fix your flat, put the wheen straight back in then way it came and your chain tension and brake set up are exactly the same. How can this be!? The dropouts are an idependent unit from the frame via a rail and four burly 6mm bolts two each drop out. If you look at the pics of the bike, you loosen the 6mm bolts and slide the dropouts on the rail to tension the chain. If you look at the disc tabs you'll see that the tabs are on the dropout itself and so move with the dropout and the bike hub.Chain tension is seperate (but equal!) from the disc brakes and the dropout is SS friendly but functions like a regular vertical dropout with discs.And if you don't want to spring for a SS wheelset you can use any QR rear wheel (within reason) with a single cog and spacer kit (keep the Kings, ditch the gears, yay!. The downside, those big aluminum chunks with those big steel bolts make the ass end heavy. For seemingly svelt steel frame, she's got junk in her trunk. The dropout also is a little finicky. Use red locktight on the bolts and when wrenching at home use a heafty 6mm, something nice and long to give you some torque. The multi-tool will get you home but to keep those dropouts in place use the big allen. The paint on the frame is useless. If you sneeze hard on a ride it will chip the paint. Attack it with steel wool, primer, then can job cammo. That way when your riding in places not allowed you can go commando (you know what I mean, steathly, this doesn't have to be about underthings)! That way if you chip the paint, rattle rattle spray it's fixed. If you dig the dropouts but you want higher end, check out Paragon Machine works. They make nice steel and Ti dropouts like these with chain tensioners built in (another weakness of the Kona). The Explosif is nice too if your a self-loathing gear user that wants to try SS but may put that crap on later or a capitilist pig dog who may sell his SS later because he's going to build a nicer frame later. Well if hope this helps, email me if you've got any more questions and Kona's website is www.konaworld.com. Oh and the 06 Bomber fricken rocks on a SS! If your doing a seated climb ETA baby! Stand and hammer, lock out too! 100-120mm of travel to boot! I'm still mad at the big M for changing thier bushings but as much as I hate bells and whistles, this bikes doing allright by me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alan Oberlander
a
from Newport Beach/ Lake Tahoe
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Rim Trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$730.00 | | Purchased At: | The path | | Strengths: | Frame, geometry, price. | | Weaknesses: | BB sucks, after 200 miles in the first ten days Its already starting to talk to me. I think Im also having problems with the rear hub but being patient. The frame alone is worth the $730.00 purchase price. Kona spec's the bike with clipless pedals but mine had flat so that cost an extra $70.00 | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Stock except I switched to a 18 cog rear and ourey lock-tite grips. | | Bottom Line: | This is the fastest, most responsive bike I have ever riden. Learn to be patient with your ride group becuase you will always be waiting at the top of the hill for your friends. If you are looking to purchase this or any single speed bike contact The Path. All these guys are super stoked with thier jobs and have all of the answers. I could easily drop a hundred shop names where I have dropped my hard earned cash this year, The path is #1 on my list. I waited five years before finally commiting to a SS and have no intensions of ever switching back. Every time we approach a climb I hear all of my friends shifting, I laugh, stand and attack. Dont stop till the top. A.C. Disco | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Luke
a
from melbourne, Aus
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | awesome fun bike. light (not the lightest, but still good), good mix of components, very thrashable bike... | | Weaknesses: | could come with discs, has the disc hubs. | | Similar Products Used: | no XC singlespeeds, got me hardtail oryx dh SS and me XC lts1000 | | Bike Setup: | 05 unit, avid discs, specialised seat, think thats about it... | | Bottom Line: | just such a fun bike to go ride some XC on... theres something about singlespeed which is just mad. bike handles it all, ive given it a good thrash for a year and all held up better then i could of dreamed. dont know what BB comes stock, but its startin to creak like crazy, but thats what happens when it gets ridden every few days during winter... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert Walker
a Cross Country Rider
from Mission Viejo, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Aliso Woods | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$769.00 | | Purchased At: | The Path | | Strengths: | Overall good starter bike for the price. Good way to find out if you like single speeds without dropping big dollars. | | Weaknesses: | Truvati bottom bracket weak, replaced with an XT 2 piece right away, handlebars to narrow, replaced with Easton Monkeylight DH bar, thin paint. Broke top tube almost all the way through coming down the Luge. | | Similar Products Used: | This was my first SS and it I have converted. I replaced my Kona frame with a Gunnar Ruffian and will be riding it for the first time today. | | Bottom Line: | Good starter SS for the money, but if you get serious you will need to upgrade most of the components. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt G.
a Racer
from Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Western Rim (colorado/utah border) | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Monkey Wrench Cycles - Lincoln, NE | | Strengths: | - ride feel
- dropout design
- quality tubeset
- affordability
- versatility
- works awesome with a 29" front/26" rear wheel (rigid fork): that's how it handles best, actually | | Weaknesses: | - headtube angle too slack to be used with 100mm forks | | Similar Products Used: | - '05 kona king kikapu
- '04 klein palomino xx
- '04 kona kula deluxe
- '96 bontrager ti lite
- '99 klein attitude and adroit
- '04 kona stinky deluxe | | Bike Setup: | - 2005 explosif frame (same as unit, but with cable stops for derailleurs)
- kinesis 29" aluminum fork
- king headset
- thomson post
- raceface evolve xc X-type crank
- king rear hub/bontrager racelite rim
- shimano 105 front hub/mavic ma3 rim (from my 'cross bike)
- answer bar/stem
- xtr v-brakes | | Bottom Line: | my explosif has been an awesome bike for me. after trying it with my 100mm travel manitou black up-front, and finding that the geometry is a bit too slack to work with that amount of travel, i went 180 degrees the opposite way and installed a rigid fork for a 29" wheel, and set it up as a b*stard 'niner. this has tightened up the handling perfectly, and i've really taken a liking to it as a result.
the tubeset really gives this bike a lively character. the top tube is not super stiff, so the frame displays a little flex, or whippiness under hard power. i don't consider this a bad thing, however. it's like the frame is working with you to find traction. also, the bottom bracket is dead stiff, so pedaling isn't affected. in short, the frame just has the 'right' feel -- it's exactly as i expect a good steel frame to be -- and it didn't cost an arm and a leg!
for value, whether you get the complete unit, or the explosif frameset, these bikes are tops. you can't beat 'em for the money. they ride like a more expensive bike, yet don't cost like one.
as far as performance goes, i'm probably being redundant, but this is an awesome handling frame, that is very responsive to changes in setup. i've always been a fan of konas, and this bike has reconfirmed why i like them so much. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Luke
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | hilly | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Gateshead Cycles | | Strengths: | value for money, rear drop out design, it's steel!!! | | Weaknesses: | rear drop out design, paint's a bit thin | | Similar Products Used: | first single speed | | Bike Setup: | stock except for 2.35 ritchie front tyre (poor man's suspension), irc serac rear, dice hoodoo front hub, comp spokes, truvativ carbon riser (not so poor man's suspension), candy sl pedals, avid mech brakes, selle oktavia saddle | | Bottom Line: | this bike is a great buy, I initially wanted to build up a surly 1x1 but here in Oz it would have proved too expensive for a first single speed, the kona was a "cheap" but still quality way to try out single speeding, having said that my addiction to singling speeding is now such that I would cheerfully buy a custom built titanium frame if I could afford it. the units steel frame is very comfortable and i've decided to run it rigid as it's more of a challenge that way (try it for a while it kind of grows on you), simply put I've only ridden my yeti twice since I got the kona, once when I got the hubs redone, and the other time just for a comparison over the same trail | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Enoch
a Racer
from Charlotte,N.C.
Date Reviewed: January 30, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$420.00 | | Strengths: | Great Geometry/ Steel is Real. Stiffer than Ti,but a little heavier. Good tire clearance | | Weaknesses: | Thin paint. 05 drops don't have adjuster screws | | Bike Setup: | 05 Explosif Frame purchase | | Bottom Line: | Good riding bike. If you can't and don't want to get a custom this is one of the best ways to go at about half the price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dave gray
a Cross Country Rider
from plano, tx. usa
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | all of em. | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | bikes and more | | Strengths: | drop design, nice steel frame. | | Weaknesses: | nothing significant. | | Similar Products Used: | Resline mono cog. | | Bike Setup: | top shelf build. | | Bottom Line: | This is a follow up on a previous review. I really like this bike. The rear drop design works flawlessly. I wanted a SS with disk and this bike got my attention. It's easy to adjust the brakes with gearing changes and I have had no slipping problems, the bolts work well, eliminating the need for tug nuts. I find this bike to be just as effective as an EBB but far more simplistic. It's a smart design at a great price. By virtue of the way the drops work, I can remove the rear wheel and replace it with no adjustment of the drops what so ever. Mine is an Explosif frame which is the same as the unit except it has cable stop braze ons which means I can change the drop and make it a geared bike. Very versitile frame. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve
a
from Canmore/Canada
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | dirt/singletrack/urban | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$999.00 | | Strengths: | This is the 03 orange classic singlespeed layout. Horizontal rear trackstyle dropouts, rigid fork, V-brakes only and superlight. The design is 10/10, weight is 10/10, handling 10/10 and the rigid fork rules. Maintenance is minimal, and you can just ride. Take me back, take me way way back...... | | Weaknesses: | Thrashed the Truvativ bottom bracket within 3 mos, replaced with upgrade Race Face Evolve XC 113; much better results. A little pricey at $999 CDN. | | Similar Products Used: | Converted Fisher Montare 1 speed. Cannondale aluminum 1 speed. | | Bike Setup: | Stock with the BB changed and Larsen TT Tires and Specialized ultralight tubes. | | Bottom Line: | For me as a purist this particular version of the Unit is a classic. I do not particularily care for the push to discs or shocks on singlespeeds ...... there are suspended, disco bikes out there that do all that way better, so why mess with a pure, clean, simple idea. This bike simply makes you be the best rider you can be. Acceleration is phenomenal, climbing is wicked and my fitness level is far superior to what it used to be riding a geared bike. The rigid fork does what you tell it; if you don't like what it does you need to work on rider input. Kona delivers superbly on this one. The handling is quick, no under or oversteer, you are nicely laid out for more power, cornering is superb, the bike is dead easy to lift over curbs or trail obstacles and it's extremely stable at high speed. As with all bikes you get some good, some bad when you buy. In this case an awesome frame and fork vs. cheap Truvativ bb and slow rolling Tioga tires. The huge strength of this bike is Kona's recognition that it has a specific performance niche. It is NOT a downhiller or a vertical climber - its a rolling singletrack/urban guerilla bike and man does it do what its designed to do. Remember that if you buy one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shakadon
a
from Tustin
Date Reviewed: October 1, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | San Juan | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$699.00 | | Purchased At: | The Path | | Strengths: | Price and geometry. This bike just feels so nice to ride. I reminds me of riding your old schwinn sting ray or BMX bike | | Weaknesses: | Had to buy wider bars, stock ones were way to narrow to torgue up steep hills. | | Similar Products Used: | nada | | Bike Setup: | Stock cept wider bars and WTB Mutumbo rear and Wierwolf front rubber | | Bottom Line: | What can I say. Bought this bike bike in April from the guys at The Path. They convinced me to save my money and go rigid, if I didnt like it I could always add the front fork. Well I absolutly loved it!! All the trails that were boring on my FS bike are now fun and challenging. My Enduro sits and collects dust, but I dont care, gears and suspension are overated.
SS is the way to go. Dont worry about the gearing being to hard, they are easy to change out. Start with an easier gear set up and work your way up, youll be a 2-1er in no time and kicking the tails of your buddies on gears. (another beni is very little maint) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DougZ
a Weekend Warrior
from San Clemente California
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Holy Jim | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | Frame only and built it up | | Strengths: | Sliding dropouts designed for disk brakes. The feel of steel. Price. | | Weaknesses: | Bolts for the drop outs strip. Drop outs slip (easy fix explained below). Frame dents when your three year old son knocks it over into a pointed object (I had to think of something!) | | Similar Products Used: | None first SS | | Bike Setup: | Thomson post and stem, UST rims and tires, carbon bars, Spot hubs, White Ind freewheel, Manitou Black fork w/ lockout | | Bottom Line: | Built this rig up with some extra high parts and also purchased some new SS specific stuff. What can I say I have been riding for M-Bikes for 16 years and I am hooked! I have an Intense 5.5 frame and a fully built Bullit in my garage just sitting there because I am having a great time on the SS. The trails that you are bored with on your F/S geared bike will be a new challenge. If you get this frame scrape the paint from the dropout area and install some large head / stronger Allen bolts and the wheel will not slip.
Enjoy!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lowndesy
a Cross Country Rider
from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | just a dirt!! | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Value for $$$$ easy to set up when using disk's, great spec, True Temper XO tubing. | | Weaknesses: | V brake bosses can not be removed!! Hacksawed then off used the touch up paint to paint over where I filed off the rough edges. Have trouble sometimes lining up the back wheel. | | Bike Setup: | Fox 80X, Zipp 515 rims, Thompson seat post and stem, Easton carbon risers, SLR saddle, Crank Brothers candy SL's, Hayes disk's hydro's, decore front hub, standard rear disk hub, headset and cranks for the moment, IRC mytho's 2.1 rear tyre, Hutchison scorpin 2.3 on the front, 32 on the front and 20 on the back. | | Bottom Line: | My first ride on this was at the World Single Speed's held here in OZ last Nov. I rode fully rigid with disk's after 1 lap I decided riding rigid was not for me!! After riding a dullie for 8 years going back to fully rigid was a SHOCK to the system!! Once I got the gearing sorted out and some suspension up front I was hooked. My project 1 Fuel 100 often sit's in the shed for weeks as this is so much fun to ride!! The steel frame really does take the sting out of the rear end. Great first Single Speed as you get the whole bike for what some frames cost. Kona got it right with this one a bargin for the first time Single Speeder. I have not posted a review before this as I was having to much fun riding!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
david gray
a
from plano, tx.
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Bikes and More, Dallas, Tx. | | Strengths: | drop out design, nice welds. | | Weaknesses: | None that would prevent me from purchasing this bike. | | Similar Products Used: | Other single speeds | | Bike Setup: | King hubs laced to 819's Thompson and Truvativ parts. | | Bottom Line: | I actually bought an Explosif frame and put the SS drop on it. I only have about 40 miles on it but thus far, but I like what it offers. I think the drop design is better than an Eccentric BB for us disc brake lovers. The frame has nice manners. Mine is buit up somewhere between 21- 23Lbs. and handling is effortless. I'll report back when I get some time on it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Racer
from Upland, Ca, USA
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Coates Cyclery, Pomona Ca. | | Strengths: | True Temper OX Platinum tubes (probably only the down tube and top tube). The component specs are very good; Koski components and Avid SD3 brakes are excellent (ignore the hype on the high $$$ stuff that “everyone” thinks you need), very clever dropout/disk mount design and the cool looking Project Two fork. Climbing and handling are amazing. | | Weaknesses: | These are my minor complaints:
The adjustable dropout bolts are pan head style, the heads strip out easily (replace these with socket heads at 12 cents each). It should also come with chain tugs for precise adjustment. The bike is on the porky side for a HT, 16” frame weighs 4.5 lbs., and I have a 20”. The brake posts are not removable. Since Kona went through all the trouble of creating such a cool dropout design, it should come with disk brakes. You have to run cable housing from levers to brakes. The cable "saddles" (only on later 2004 models) don't offer good support across the top tube. I had to add extra zip ties. The paint chips easily.
| | Similar Products Used: | None, first SS. | | Bike Setup: | I added Avid Mechanical disks. The stock brakes worked great, I just like the way disks look and they work better in wet conditions. I keep a variety of tires on hand for different riding conditions. The stock tires (Tioga Red Phoenix 1.9) are very light, offer excellent traction but very little “floatation" and they have a lot of rolling resistance. I still use these for smooth loose surfaces. | | Bottom Line: | I've had this bike for 6 weeks and ride it almost everyday. It climbs like a goat. It's extremely fun! The fork is very stiff and will pound your wrists on drops, rocks and roots. Front tire choice is important here. I intend to keep this bike setup as a hardcore rigid SS. Most of the local SS'ers are going with suspension forks. I like adjusting my riding style to compensate for the lack of suspension and gears.
Bottom line:
Great bike and great value. If you’re looking for a low cost, near high end SS (great components, no hype stuff) with excellent handling characteristics, you should seriously consider the Unit. I had the opportunity to thoroughly test ride before I bought and was certain of my choice.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bungyfish
a Cross Country Rider
from P-burgh, NY
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Blue Diamond (Las Vegas, NV) | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$650.00 | | Purchased At: | Arizona Bike Experts (Tucson, AZ) | | Strengths: | Steel frame, weight, simplicity, gearing | | Weaknesses: | Nothing major. I am not a fan of the Tioga rubber, and the seat is rough on the bum. | | Similar Products Used: | First SS. Numerous bikes over the years. | | Bike Setup: | Stock, with the exception of the fork, and longer stem. | | Bottom Line: | Bottom line is it's a great ride. The OX platinum STEEL frame has delivered all the ride qualities I expected. It is not nearly as harsh on the bumps as my Aluminium HT frames. I am not really an SS guy, but I wanted a good steel frame and since my other bikes are all Sram, buying a fully geared bike would just mean that I would be swapping off the stock Shimano anyway. I ordered the der hangar for it, which will be another $30 or so.
I wanted a bike that I could have fun on for the summer in AZ. The guys at ABE gave me a good price and I threw on a fork with my savings.
The geometry and weight make it a very agile bike, and the gearing (32X18) is good for the trails and roads around here. I wouldn't recommend it for long/steep rides. It is limited in its use, but with the hangar and a few parts it will match other hardtails.
Numerous people have asked me about it, many think it is internally geared, and most think it's pretty good looking. It may be vain to say, but the gray/black color scheme is real nice. Right now I plan on keeping it SS for a couple months, but that could change.
I am having a lot of fun on it right now. It has made me look trails and lines a little differently, and I am sure my legs will be stronger for it.
I plan on throwing another review on here in a couple months, but if you want more info or specific questions answered, just drop me an email (bungyfish@yahoo.com).
Steel is real... (with or without gears) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Walker
a
from Portland
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Simplicity, tubing for price range (didn't I have a Yo Eddy! made out of this stuff?), rear drop outs (kick so much ass)(and will kick more when I add discs), Kona ride. The included bell is a nice surprise. I was like a prize in a Kracker Jacks box. | | Weaknesses: | Saddle that came spec'ed made more noise than Fran Drescher. Put on another saddle from the 'ol parts collection. Problem solved n my end. | | Similar Products Used: | Long time rider, first time single speeder. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for previously mentioned seat and Marzocchi fork. | | Bottom Line: | i imagine that I'll have this bike for many moons since it rides and fits so nice. I'll probably end up replacing everything on the bike with nicer stuff (which is okay) as it wears out. What a great, inexpensive way to get into single speeding. Thanks to the kids in Bellingham for thinking about the guy that likes to upgrade. (and thanks for the bell) Viva la Kona. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Weekend Warrior
from SierraVista
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Chiva Falls | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Strengths: | Paint, excellent parts all around | | Weaknesses: | Not sure why, but I bounce on the bike at a fast cadence. Maybe I'm just to heavy! | | Similar Products Used: | Giant Yukon, Surly 1x1, KHS Solo-one | | Bike Setup: | All stock except for the stem and tires. Switched to Ritchie's. | | Bottom Line: | Great bike after 3 months so far. Parts were great thus preventing an immediate upgrade. The bike is pretty light for a steel frame, but I lightened it down to 23 pounds by switching tires and using Stans tubeless system (great stuff). The new style rear dropout seems like a great idea but I still have issues with getting the rear tire on correctly, maybe I just need more practice. The only bad thing is that I am limited as to what gear to install. An 18 tooth freewheel is too big, thus requiring an extra link. Extension is limited by the new rear dropout. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Irvine, CA
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | El Prieto | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | The PATH in Tustin | | Strengths: | Fun, Value, Ox Platinum Tubing,great ride quality, Sliding dropouts, one gear | | Weaknesses: | ???? Paint seems to chip easily, Have to walk some hills that I would normally clear in the granny gear | | Similar Products Used: | Demo'd SASS (nice parts didn't like the chrome finish), Solo One(Cheaper parts didn't like the ride), Monocog (nice but too heavy), 1FG (almost got, very light, aluminum too stiff for my butt/low back) | | Bike Setup: | Explosif Frame built with Unit parts,upgraded to protaper riser wide hbar,thomson post/stem,rocket V seat,odi grips, mx comp coil 85mm fork, 34x20 gearing, various 2.3-2.4 tires,currently Panaracer FR2.4 fr, Maxxis Minion 2.35ST rear | | Bottom Line: | What a blast to ride. You'll learn different riding techniques, especially climbing. Making me faster on my 01'fuel 80, though I'm not riding the fuel much anymore. Thanks to the Path for switching the Unit parts to the Explosif frame in one day. I liked the blue color better, and the ability to change it to a geared bike in case I didn't like singlespeeding. Get one and enjoy hunting down those geared bikes on the climbs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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