Double Vision: Kona Release the New Hei Hei Carbon - Video
Take another look. That really is Kona Endurance racer Spencer Paxson ripping around the trails of Vancouver Island on what appear to be very similar Hei Hei bikes. Upon closer inspection you’ll find two fresh new Hei Hei’s that are built for two different styles of rider. Both bikes feature an all new 1800g carbon frame, our proven FUSE Independent Suspension, Boost spacing and Stealth dropper post routing. The Hei Hei Race DL was developed on World Cup XC courses where an ultralight carbon frame, 100mm of front and rear travel, efficient power transfer and speed are the key components to winning. While the Hei Hei DL was built on the same WC proven carbon frame, it gets more travel up front, a trail worthy spec and a dropper post for scampering up climbs and railing descents. So no matter the riding style, or trail preference these new Carbon Hei Hei's are ready to roll.
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 The Hei Hei DL was perfectly at home on the flowy trails at Bear Mountain and so was Kona Endurance Racer Spencer Paxson. Spencer describes himself as a mountain biker that just happens to race XC and he loved showing us that trail side of him as he flicked, popped and rallied the Hei Hei DL around the XC course after the Race Tape had come down. |
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| The Bear Mountain XC course started on the golf course's driving range, riders and spectators not only had to negotiate each other but also the thousands of balls left embedded on the green. Spencer leads a group around the unusual race backdrop before hitting the first big climb of the lap. |
Can you tell Jordie Lunn had a hand in the course design?
With the other racers gone and the course free from crowds, Spencer hits the step-downs just how they were intended.
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| Spencer powers through the Bear Mountain race course utilizing the new carbon Hei Hei's 100mm of rear travel and super stiff chassis. |
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| With the race tape gone and the fun factor now higher on the agenda Spencer takes advantage of the Hei Hei DL's wider rims and longer travel 120mm fork, to get every ounce out of the trail. |
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| Nimble, quick and ready to tackle the toughest of WC Courses. |
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| Something-something, over used scalded cat phrase, something-something. |
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| Not many XC courses pack a downhill flow trail filled with doubles and triples into their race laps, but they do things a little different on the Island. Spencer sure isn't complaining. |
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| The Hei Hei DL is the perfect tool for those unpredictable all day rides that take you deep into the heart of forest primeval. |
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| The Hei Hei Race DL at rest. |
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| Kona's in-house filmmaker Joonas Vinnari and legendary race videographer Rob Parkin join force's and try to encourage Spencer to devour another bowl of porridge for the Hei Hei video's opening scenes. #anotherone |
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| The new 100mm travel Carbon Hei Hei DL is a supremely versatile and capable trail weapon. Components like WTB's i29 rims, 120mm Fox Float 34 forks and KS's Lev internally routed dropper post, combined with the long reach and low standover of this modern XC bike, mean that there is not much that it won't do. |
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| From L-R. Clean chainstay/seatstay junction, FUSE Independent rear suspension with 100mm of travel, stiff head tube, and 120mm up front |
Model - Hei Hei DL
Frame - Kona Race Light Carbon
Wheel Size - 29 inch
Wheels - WTB KOM i29 TCS
Front/Rear Suspension - 120mm/100mm
Shock - Fox Float Performance
Fork - Fox Float 34 Performance 120mm Tapered
Crankset - Race Face Aeffect cinch 1.x 34t Narrow/Wide
Crankset -Shimano XT Shadow Plus 1x 11spd
Cockpit - Kona XC/BC 35 Riser bar and XC/Road 35 stem, ODI Ruffian MX grips
Brakes - Shimano XT
Tire Front - Maxxis Ardent EXO TR 29x2.25"
Tire Rear - Maxxis Ikon EXO TR 29x2.2"
Saddle - WTB Volt Comp (Volt Sport SE 250 size S)
Availability - The Hei Hei DL is available in North America now and the Hei Hei Race DL will be available in the first week of August. Both models are available in Europe and UK now.
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| Hei Hei Race DL and its 100mm Fuse suspension have been tested around the world in multiple high-pressure events, from World Cups in Europe, Canada, and Australia, all the way through to the epic Pioneer five day stage race in New Zealand. To say this bike is race proven would be somewhat of an understatement. |
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| From L-R. Clean chainstay/seatstay junction, FUSE Independent rear suspension with 100mm of travel, Stiff head tube and 100mm up front |
Model - Hei Hei Race DL
Frame Material - Kona Race Light Carbon
Wheel Size - 29 inch
Wheels - WTB KOM i25 TCS
KIS Platform - Fuse Independent Suspension
Front/Rear Suspension - 100mm/100mm
Shock - RockShox Monarch RL
Fork - RockShox Reba RL 100mm Tapered
Crankset - Race Face Aeffect
Drivetrain - SRAM GX 10 - 42 11spd
Cockpit - Kona XC/BC 35 Riser bar and XC/Road 35 stem
Brakes - SRAM Guide RS
Tire Front - Maxxis M340 Maxxlite 29x2.0"
Tire Rear - Maxxis M340 Maxxlite 29x2.0"
Saddle - WTB Volt Comp
Availability - The Hei Hei DL is available in North America now and the Hei Hei Race DL will be available in the first week of August. Both models are available in Europe and UK now.
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To create our best Hei Hei to date, we turned to a product manager with a wealth of MTB knowledge and to one of our veteran endurance racers for input. Pat White has been a Product Manager at Kona since 1995 and had a hand in developing many of the iconic mountain bikes we’ve become known for. Spencer Paxson has 18 years of racing tucked into his spandex and knows his way around a MTB race course. He is currently on the Long Team for the 2016 Olympic Games. The result of their combined knowledge and experience is the lighter, stiffer, more capable, all carbon Hei Hei.
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| "The whole development of the new Hei Hei platform started back in 2012, we had learned a lot from the development of the Process bikes, and we wanted to transfer those things over to the new Hei Hei's. We wanted to address the fit of the bike and also the bike's capability and versatility. Both the carbon and alloy models are designed to have the same geometries, the same range of fit and they also share a lot of components like the rocker and bearings." Pat White - Product Manager |
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| "We knew that we were going to get something relatively light but the first samples and the actual production bikes came as a bit of surprise, while the stiffness and ride quality were still spot on." Pat White - Product Manager |
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| "World Cup courses are more frenetic and technical than ever, there are still stupid super steep climbs, but now you have slippery rock shoots, drop-offs, and jumps. The versatility to adapt to these types of terrain is not only required from the rider but also from their bike." Spencer Paxson - Kona Endurance Team Racer |
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| One of the really important features we wanted the new Hei Hei design to have was a geometry compatible with both 100mm and 120mm travel forks. We had to take a look at having both lengths and making sure things like our bottom bracket drop and our head tube angle still fit within acceptable parameters while actually enhancing performance. Pat White - Product Manager |
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| At the end of the day I'd like to consider myself as a mountain biker who likes to race cross country. Although I've ridden the carbon Hei Hei all over the world now, I like to remember that I live in a very special part of the world, Bellingham. Right out the back door we have an incredibly high level of trail quality, and that's really enabled me to see what this bike is truly capable of and the spectrum of riding that it can cover. No matter what type of rider you are there's a special application that I think a bike like this really opens up. Spencer Paxson - Kona Endurance Team Racer |
About Kona:
At Kona, we're all about the freedom and empowerment of the bicycle. We have been since 1988. We still have the same founding owners. We're still populated by a staff of keen, active, impassioned cyclists. We're not big, nor are we that small. Just a dedicated group of cyclists making bicycles for people who love bikes - no matter if that love is new or long established.
MENTIONS: @konaworld
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Member since Nov 18, 2008
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The bikes are pushed to market with little refinement as Kona doesnt wasnt to spend whats necessary to develop a solid frame. This is why there isnt a proper carbon process yet where smaller manufacturers have refined and perfected better and more capable carbon bikes in the same field.
But bring on the neg props from the haters because I clearly havent ridden a new one?
@FindDigRideRepeat: THANKS but no thanks.
Check out this brah, he's way too gnar for 68 on a trail bike. It's amazing he didn't die!
Dont make this personal.
Was it that you were just feeling a little twitchy at high speeds? Just curious to know more about the want for the steeper HT angle, thanks.
I've only heard good things about the Process line. I've only ridden the 111 but I def didn't find anything to complain about (except the water bottle thing, you're def right on that).
The slacker geo just makes bikes jump and descend better
I almost put a longer fork on to correct the angle but decided I wanted the shorter reach from the angleset in addition to the offset.
@bkm303: You're right. The HA wasnt a secret and I can't blame Kona for that.
"The rear was extremely flexy and didnt track well it rough terrain" It's actually very solid and not flexy at all. Your wheels are what's flexing. I know this because I'm a 215lb very fast rider who needs very stiff components. I've raced at the expert level so not a novice. I disagree with this point and finding flex is something I'm damn good at. Feel free to ask @recklessness how much I can flex shit.
"It has 68deg HTA that just doesnt cut it for anything but glorified XC riding" Yes. I agree. This is 1 or 1.5 deg steeper than literally ALL competitors. It's a poor design choice and is too steep for very aggressive riding which is what it's aimed for. a 1 deg difference is very noticeable and I had to run a longer fork to help make it more stable at speed. Again, ALL competitors in this category barring a few are 1 or 1.5 and even 2 deg slacker. 68 is a joke and Kona knows this.
"The rear brake cable mounting on the non-drive side inside the chainstay had no guides and would either wander into the spokes or would rub on the frame." Weird, mine has it. thats kona QC for you
"I had issues with a few of the speced parts but that doesnt reflect on the frameset in any way". Agree, mine was a custom build.
"ALSO the seatstays are the widest in the industry, far wider than necessary" I don't see this since I'm, again, a large guy. I'm 6'1" and don't notice this.
I will add: ZERO mud clearance. Good luck rolling 10ft in a muddy race. Poor suspension kinematics.
Other than that it's good. The waterbottle thing I agree with, I just run a pack. All in all it's fun but I won't be getting another one.
and lol at the neg props. "he doesn't like my bike! I hate him!" lmao.
With the stuff Kona's been dishing out over the last couple of years, you just know this bike's gonna be fun.
The awesome people at the Kona bike shop gave me the alloy version of Hei Hei Trail DL to go rip on for the weekend a few months ago. I decided best way to test it was to take it down Fromme.... damn these bikes are capable! She went down upper oil can, pipeline, grannies and a few other ultra classic shore trails and I really never once felt I was in over my head. There is a lot of similarities between the trail and 111, the 111 is deffinitly a bit burlier and takes bigger hits but the new Hei Hei climbs like a god damn goat! As I say that I should note the Hei Hei did fly off a few 4+ drops and handled it pretty decently and man that fox 34 was a smart move.
If you are in the market fora trail/ single track/ occasional all mountain/ weekend racer rig go test one of these out.
Only things I noticed is a dropper post would have been nice (I was on alloy trail) and I think at 6'1 I'd go to the XL frame and run an ultra short stem, whereas on my 111 I'm on the L with a short stem.
but by all means, every XC bike with a vertically mounted shock looks the same.
Having been lapped by Spencer though... can't say it is the best choice to put him in an ad. He's so damn smooth. Oh, and fast. And really damn courteous.
Maybe a better approach is to show a rich old pasty blowhard with a gut having a good time despite being old and fat and slow? Maybe that sweet bike gets him more attention from the ladies?
Ad drives home to me how little I need a new bike.
Why thumbs down ? for stating facts ?, I actually want to upgrade my comment ,the geometry for Race for critical dimension such as TT and stack is identical as Niner 9 RKT. Reach is longer because of very steep SA. With shorter TT you can not put shorter steam. What is modern about that ? It looks more like traditional XC geometry with slacker HA , which is not necessarily undesirable thing. Anyway, HA, everybody want to slack more an more is not even that critical for the bike any more with adjustable angles headsets.
Bucket heads are told which bikes are cool and they follow and it is fine and whey they are confronted with facts they give thumbs because they are bucket heads. Essentially is nothing wrong with Kona it is probably very nice XC whip and if you can read between the lines it was probably introduced because of failed experiment of using Kona Trail for racing. So ,all this slack thing is not always the best. As Vernon stated , different horses for different courses.
'Interviewing'(talking to) Kona about this bike for your 'article' would have been a TREMENDOUS opportunity to ask the Following: 'Hey Kona, what's the deal with the 27.5" Operator? You issued a press release this time LAST YEAR-that we printed word-for-word- stating that it would be for sale LAST SUMMER. You included it in your lineup with all the other bikes, took dealer orders, then all of a sudden it disappeared off Konaworld At that point, not only DIDN'T you issue another press release to give your customers-especially the ones that sold their 26" Operators in preparation for PURCHASING the new 27.5" Operator LAST SUMMER- information on what was going on, i.e., WHY the 27.5" was pulled from the line-up, and(more importantly) WHEN it WILL be available, but you didn't say anything. It was as if the bike never existed. So what went down, and what do you have to say to your faithful CUSTOMERS that sold their existing bikes in order to buy the 27.5", only to be totally LEFT OUT IN THE COLD?!'
So PB..YOU issued the press release, don't you think that you owe(d) your readership at least some information on what went down with it, WHY Kona didn't bother to inform their CUSTOMERS of such, and for those who are STILL sticking with Kona, WHEN/IF the Operator 27.5" WILL be released?
I still can't wait till they release the Carbon Process, but that's a good start...
What about geometry? Does the bottom bracket run too low in the XC version or too high with the longer fork? What about the decreased reach with the taller stack height?
If I took any other XC bike on the market, slapped a longer fork on it and tried to sell it as a trail bike I would get laughed out of town.
Why can't we call this for what it is - Kona didn't want to invest in designing a proper XC bike AND a proper trail bike so they just change the fork and call it good good.
Hey Kona: This is Walmart calling, we think our clientele is really going to like this concept.
By the way, the Yeti ASRc and Pivot Mach 429sl come stock with a 120mm fork on the 100mm bike.
Those issues you mentioned are fairly minimal and can be "fixed" (in a band-aid sort of way) with component swaps like stems, bars, and saddle setback. When you have a longer fork, your weight is off the back of the bike a little bit more anyways, which probably takes care of whatever small BB height discrepancy there was. I'd love to try this out. It looks like a sweet bike!
I'm not saying you can't run a longer fork than spec'd or longer front travel than rear (as I do on almost all my full suss bikes). However, to market the bike as two different models (with two different stated purposes) is ludicrous.
And if you're going to have to run a longer stem with the longer travel fork to account for the shorter reach, than you're really foregoing the benefits of running shorter stems on slacker, longer travel front-ends in the first place.
But my real point that I think you're missing is: what is so special about the difference between the HeiHei DL and the Race DL that you can't get by putting a longer fork on any other 100mm XC bike on the market?
Yes, you can stick a 20mm longer fork on any bike, but how many XC 29ers bikes come with 69° HA and are designed around 35mm stems? For the 'trail' oriented rider, most would be a little more of a compromise than this, and for an XC rider on modern courses the short stem isn't a bad thing at all. That's basically the point, they're just bringing some trail elements to a true XC bike to make it work both ways.
My point is not whether the Heihei is a good XC bike. I'm sure it might be.
My point is that the difference between a good XC bike and a good trail bike is not simply +20mm. fork travel. And to market it as such is silly.