Aug 26, 2008
Kona Bikes has been in the business for 20 years now and they have a recipe that works for them. Recently I attended their 2009 bike and soft goods launch up in Whistler BC.
Here's a look at the Shonky hard tail and the Bass Slopestyle bikes:
Before the product launch took place the folks at Kona presented Rob McSkimming of Whistler Bike Park with a plaque for 10 years of bike park relations. After that it was time to talk bikes.
The Kona Shonky will retail for $899 here in Canada and is a fully rigid DJ hardtail bike. Last year the Shonky was a frame only offering, but now it's complete and ready to get dirty or hit the skate park.
The Shonky is disk ready, but comes with V-Brakes to keep the cost down. This Cromoly DJ frame is a great building block for up and coming riders or someone looking to fill that void in their bike line up where an affordable street machine could fit in.
The Bass is back and looks way more bad ass than before! Adjustable drop outs, multi or single speed option, Giro Tabs, yep this bike is ready to jump and hit the bike parks hard!
Retail pricing set at $2699 CDN 
Running a Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 1 up front, with a ROCO Air TST rear shock keep this 4 inch bike damped. White parts are all in the mix for the Bass, from the rims, to the e.13 chain guide, to the WTB Devo saddle and the amazing paint job purple to white fade.
Kona is one of the few bike companies that offers up a complete clothing line too. After a very successful relaunch in 2008, they have upped their game for 2009. The line up includes Hats, Touques, Gloves, T-shirts, Jerseys, Hoodies, Shorts and socks for both casual and riding times. Lots of bold graphics and stand out pieces for everyone to look over for both men and women.
Check back in the next few days for a look at the big bike offerings from Kona for 2009. We'll also be taking a few for a ride and showing you a little video in the next Kona article, so stay tuned.
-Tyler "Brule" Maine
The Kona Shonky will retail for $899 here in Canada and is a fully rigid DJ hardtail bike. Last year the Shonky was a frame only offering, but now it's complete and ready to get dirty or hit the skate park.
The Shonky is disk ready, but comes with V-Brakes to keep the cost down. This Cromoly DJ frame is a great building block for up and coming riders or someone looking to fill that void in their bike line up where an affordable street machine could fit in.
The Bass is back and looks way more bad ass than before! Adjustable drop outs, multi or single speed option, Giro Tabs, yep this bike is ready to jump and hit the bike parks hard!
Running a Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 1 up front, with a ROCO Air TST rear shock keep this 4 inch bike damped. White parts are all in the mix for the Bass, from the rims, to the e.13 chain guide, to the WTB Devo saddle and the amazing paint job purple to white fade.
Kona is one of the few bike companies that offers up a complete clothing line too. After a very successful relaunch in 2008, they have upped their game for 2009. The line up includes Hats, Touques, Gloves, T-shirts, Jerseys, Hoodies, Shorts and socks for both casual and riding times. Lots of bold graphics and stand out pieces for everyone to look over for both men and women.
Check back in the next few days for a look at the big bike offerings from Kona for 2009. We'll also be taking a few for a ride and showing you a little video in the next Kona article, so stay tuned.
-Tyler "Brule" Maine
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73 Comments
- + 14 props
dustin19
(Aug 26, 2008 at 0:16)
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props to you i dont care to much for konas but i do like the bass pretty sweet!!
despite what everyone else thinks i think kona has gotten worse since 2005.
i did like the bass until i saw the pinched bottom bracket shell.(not referring to swingarm)
i did like the bass until i saw the pinched bottom bracket shell.(not referring to swingarm)
they have gotten ALOT better for 2008. still not my choice for a full on dh rig, but there working on it. i really like the bass and shonkey... my opinion, they have SO many different makes and models, but none of them are really up there competing with the expensive top of the line bike out these days, i say reduce the amount of product, and concentrate more on quality
quantity is not always quality !!!
quantity is not always quality !!!
well,peopel dont actualy realize hwo good cowan ds is. it does have technology not featured on other bikes and it is specific for slopsetyle. i know evryone hates kona but when u have 5 of the best riders in the world riding that frame im sorry but you dont have any argument going on.i think bikes need to keep up to the cowan for slopestyle rather then people saying oh kona needs to keep up to other companies.the cowan ds isint the stinky its realy a very succesful frame. i dont like konas new decals i think the decals from like 2003 were the best but whatever.
all kona has done is finally given there bikes a new look, other than that its still the same overpriced kona quality. Don't be fooled by a bit of white paint the will come off in a week or two. Kona's are great bikes to start out on if you get a good deal.
thats prety much true,but like i said thats not the case with atleast one of there bikes,the most popualr the cowan ds or bass.with the bb pivot you can loose a casette deraluer shifter chainguide and cable.thats great for the pros but even better for kids who want to build a bike that wont get snaged on barspins and is much lighter to throw around when you loose weight like that,and it mite not create the best travle design but on jumps or slopestyle courses you only need your bike to compress one hit at a time.
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looks like the shonky will be a direct contender for most popular bike over here in the uk - taking the crown from the P bikes.
looks like a nice little frame too.
looks like a nice little frame too.
They probably ride sweet and the Shonky looks nice but could the Bass get any more trend whorey? Ok they are a company and have to sell bikes up with the trends but...
The trend whore is the guy who calls it trend whorey! It's just white bike parts. I like it. It looks clean!
i really dont think that trends matter much to anyone when your out on the trail ripping around having fun
nice post man
nice post man
Wee, it looks to me as if someone has stumbled over a bucket of white paint over there... Some parts are okay... but for f**ksake... Not the whole bike... The stab looks soo damn ugly... It looks like a pimp bike for wannabes riding down the city streets with a hucking bike without actually knowing it what it was built for... Get over this white shit... The 2005 line up was just great... the colors, the tubing, the parts... lets spray a bike for bikers...
Well nice look, might work well but is there a R&D department at Kona ? Almost the same bikes since 1999, only different colors..
quentos I;m with you on this one. Same old bike. same pivot. copy/past some old drawing. some people got to love them there still doing buisness
Colors do not affect the quality of a bike..and why fix the pivot? Single speed with no extra crap to add?
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The bass looks good.. the colours i'm not overly wild about, i love all the white but white gets dirty FAST. The suspension i'm more intrigued of. Love the piggy back system for the rear shock.
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im not sure about the components on the shonky, but im sure it feels great to ride. I am definately impressed
i have ridden a bike like that before, i liked it. it not too too expensive and im sure a dj2 or 3 would be great on a thing like the shonky
The bass is an underbuilt Cove G-spot. All the structural elements without the reinforcements.
watch out for the main pivot at the rocker cracking at the seat tube! no gusseting at the HT? kinda worries me.
watch out for the main pivot at the rocker cracking at the seat tube! no gusseting at the HT? kinda worries me.
The disc brake mounts on the rear dropout do not look adjustable when tensioning the rear wheel. Maybe that is why it comes with v-brakes.
it's either or. you have to use a chain tensioner with fixed disc mounts that's also why the price would jump.
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Figure I'll start a fire here, but I have to agree... it's the same thing they've been doing for ever. The hardware looks like they picked it up in the fastener section at Home Depot, and I have to wonder if they've figured out how to make a frame that comes properly aligned. FLAME ON!!!
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Not a fan of kona's, mainly because they haven't changed their frame setup in more than five years. But I love the colors, and components.
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I can't believe they put gyro tabs on the Bass AGAIN. I thought it was supposed to be Paul Bass's signature bike? I don't see him running a giro?
They could have atleast made it with removable gyro tabs instead of that massive bloody bullbar of a gyro tab on the front...
They could have atleast made it with removable gyro tabs instead of that massive bloody bullbar of a gyro tab on the front...
If you buy a Bass and can confidently say that it affects your riding then by all means have a winge about it. but until then, shut the f**k up
I've always thought there fully's where kick ass and but the dirtjumpers sucked but the chonky changed my mind and there fully's still kick
At least they finally figured out that they need to lower their geo on their DJ frames. Their old ones look like XC.
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the only good bike in the kona fleet is the africabike. its also the only new design they've had in, oh, 10 years maybe.
kona is like the GMC cars of the mountain bike industry. boring cars with nothing new design wise, mainly sold to taxi complanies and rental fleets. oh and look at all the kona rentals at just about every resort...
kona is like the GMC cars of the mountain bike industry. boring cars with nothing new design wise, mainly sold to taxi complanies and rental fleets. oh and look at all the kona rentals at just about every resort...
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awe man!!!! i was going to buy the shonkey frame!!!! 300 bucks and its rare to get in canada 
im kickin myslef right now for it.
im kickin myslef right now for it.
Don't say anything bad about Kona, Pinkbike needs the money and doesn't appreciate bad review's of their Sugar Daddies product! Very weak taking my comment off!!(and others too) Said the shonky was over priced and the P2 was more bike for the money W/ no swear words!!!
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I think the Shonky looks awesome, and it doesnt seem "that" over priced. Thats only about £450 UK pounds, and you'll be paying that for a fully rigid Identiti P45, and that only has V-brakes too. Should be a sweet little contender in the park/street market
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i am glad that i bought this years bass. dont like the color at all. i dont know what they are smoking up there but it aint good shit.
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i am in love with the shonky, if anyone in ontario has one that they are willing to sell, pelase contact me!
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