[Coach417]

I am looking to get rid of my FS 26 and possibly build up a Kona Hei Hei 29er. I did a search and came up with only one thread (useless). If anyone knows the frame weight or has reviews on the bike I would appreciate the input. I am a 200 lb. Florida rider (flat), but very technical w/short steep climbs and descents. Rooty and rocky. Thanks.

 

[Nater]

There's a review in the current issue of Dirt Rag...

http://www.dirtragmag.com/print/article.php?ID=1167&category=stuff_reviews

 

[Pho'dUp]

Frame weight for a 19" came in at 6.6lbs. at my LBS.

I have mine built between 28-29lbs. with Spec. Resolution and Captain tires.

It's a great bike, climbs well, handles well and very comfy. I've done 4 endurance events this year on mine and it hasn't let me down.

I, too run mine with a 100mm fork and it's great.

 

[j-rocket]

Go here to see a good, in-depth review by pedalmasher.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=406843

J

 

[Coach417]

That's timely

Thank you for the link. I also watched the You Tube video they did with the camera they tested. It showed them "hucking" (sort of) the Kona off a 3 or 4 footer to flat.

 

[Coach417]

Clarification

In that thread someone said a Canzo frame was 1/2 lb. lighter:skep: How is a scandium frame heavier than a generic tubed Al. frame? Don't get me wrong, my other bike IS a Voodoo, so I do like them, but that doesn't seem correct. Any thoughts or real weights?

 

[Torque Wrench]

I have a 19" that was 6.7 lbs on my scale. The frame is beefy in the right places which drives the weight up a little. Mine built up at 28.1 lbs with wide rims, big tires and a bash guard. I have a Fox F100 on the front. The neutral balanced feel is what impresses me most about this bike.

 

[aardvark102431]

HH29 great ride!

i bought a stock bike and swapped out parts from my hardtail
here is what changed:

xt DRIVETRAIN TO SRAM X.O, EXCEPT FRONT D
YBN SL9 CHAIN
HAYES STROKER BRAKES TO AVID JUICY ULTIMATE
RACE FACE DEUS TO KCNC BEARBONE CRANKS
FSA SEATPOST TO KCNC PRO TI
FSA HEADSET TO AMERICAN CLASSIC ULTRALIGHT
FSA STEM TO RITCHEY WCS
FSA OS RISER BAR TO FSA FLAT CARBON BAR
STOCK WHEELS TO AMERICAN CLASSICS
MAXXIS IGNITOR TO CROW TIRES (MAXXIS CROSSMARKS ON SELECT COURSES ADD 1/2 LB ROUGHLY)
WTB SADDLE TO SELLE ITALIA XC SLR
STOCK CABLE HOUSING TO NOKON SHIFTER CABLE SYSTEM
EGGBEATER CRO MO PEDALS

25 1/2 lbs
This is obviously a XC race setup, but that's mostly what I use it for. When riding just for fun i throw the stock wheels back on and beat the crap out of them.
the bike is an absolute tank. I haven't tried a 100mm fork, but that might not be a bad idea...

a narcissistic video for those interested:

 

[jrm]

Its too bad..

I am looking to get rid of my FS 26 and possibly build up a Kona Hei Hei 29er. I did a search and came up with only one thread (useless). If anyone knows the frame weight or has reviews on the bike I would appreciate the input. I am a 200 lb. Florida rider (flat), but very technical w/short steep climbs and descents. Rooty and rocky. Thanks.

they dont offer it as a frameset..

 

[Pho'dUp]

In that thread someone said a Canzo frame was 1/2 lb. lighter:skep: How is a scandium frame heavier than a generic tubed Al. frame? Don't get me wrong, my other bike IS a Voodoo, so I do like them, but that doesn't seem correct. Any thoughts or real weights?

That's true. The Canzo is closer to the low 6lb. range (6.2 maybe?). But if you look at the frames side by side, the HeiHei rear triangle is much beefier. Especially the Chainstay yoke near the BB. The Canzo looks exactly like my 2002 Kona Kahuna before Kona started beefing up the rear ends. The HeiHei rear is closer to their 5" Dawg frames.

I need to ride a Canzo side by side to see if I can feel a flex difference. But you should note, the Canzo's frame comes with a RS rear shock which doesn't come anywhere near the Fox RP2 that the HeiHei comes with. Most guys on our local board with Canzos all upgraded the rear shock to RP3s.

 

[Pho'dUp]

they dont offer it as a frameset..

They do offer it as a frame only. Talk to your LBS, or call the Path Bike Shop. That's where I bought mine, frame only.

http://www.thepathbikeshop.com/

 

[Lugboot]

I just built a Hei Hei 2-9--here's my thread but maybe it was the "useless" one you found.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=423559

Anyway, I just got to ride it for the second time last night and so far I love the way it rides. I weigh about 210 and am around 6'1".

I have a 20" frame that weighed in at 6.7 lbs. on my hanging scale.

Complete build right now is about 30 lbs. but I am building a Stan's Flow/DT Swiss 240 wheel set that should drop some serious.weight off that.

Major differences I noticed between the Kona and the Canzo are the pivots in the rear rocker arm and the rear rocker arm itself. THe Kona has a much beefier rocker arm and the seat stays are captured on both sides at the pivot, instead of just one side on the Canzo. The rear end is laterally stiffer than the Canzo. Of course, the Kona has a highly manipulated tubeset in the front triangle, too.

I think the bike handles great in tight/twisty singletrack here in PA, and I don't have a problem with the acceleration. and it rolls so sweet. Have launched off some smaller stuff without any issue.

I liked being able to get the frameset and build it myself, especially since I loathe the Rubba fork on my other 29er. This bike with the Manitou handles off camber, tight, slowspeed technical stuff much better than the Reba ever tried to. Much more precise.

Hope this helps--let me know if you have any questions.

Brett

 

[Coach417]

Thank you for the replies. I am torn b/w the Kona and the Canzo. I like my Voodoo, but I have always admired Kona (midsize comp., seems to do it right). The best I have seen is the Hei Hei frame for ~$1300, but I can get a Canzo for ~$800. Is the Kona a $500 better frame? I have a WB Fluid 110 and X-9 (1 X 9) parts to go on either along with Mavic C29 wheels (if any of that matters). Again, rocky, rooty, short steep technical (rocky, rooty) climbs and descents. As a side note, glad to see Rampages fit both frames (have a set of those with Stan's on the Mavics).

 

[wedge]

Yeah, Kona tends to overbuild their frames. Even the Kula 29er scandium hardtail is heavier than most others alu hardtails out there .The massive swingarm on the hei hei 29 looks very much like the one on my Coiler AM ride...
does it make sense on a 3.5" travel race machine? depends on your priorities...it's probably better from a stiffness and durability standpoint, and the downside is, obviously, more weight.
FWIW I'm in the process of replacing my Coiler with a Canzo, as my riding style doesn't needs that much beefiness, but my lazy arse will appreciate the lighter weight...YMMV.

 

[Lugboot]

I guess it depends how you treat a bike and what you expect out of it. The stiffer rear triangle is enough to make me very happy with my purchase of the Kona over the Canzo. I'm coming from a Titus Racer X so I really didn't want any slop in the rear end. The Kona deals with this better than the Canzo. My buddy has the Canzo so we could compare them straight up and he even said the Kona was stiffer. We're both running Rampages right now, so that's no problem. I have an 80mm Manitou on mine but may opt up to a 100mm when I have the chance.

Is it worth $500 more? That probably depends on what you want and can live with. Personally, I'm glad I got the Kona.