Kona Hei Hei DL 29 - Review

As I noted in that 2017 Kona preview a few weeks back, the Hei Hei line is growing leaps and bounds--from two Hei Hei models in early 2016 to a total of eight models for 2017. Prices run from $2,499 to $7,999. It’s a much more diverse range for 2017 that includes straight-forward XC race bikes, more aggressive 29ers (such as this one), and some 27.5-wheeled, trail-bike Hei Heis boasting an additional 40 millimeters (1.5 inches) of rear suspension travel.




Frame Details

When Kona set out to re-design the Hei Hei, they wanted to create a race bike that could tackle more technical courses—a more versatile flavor of cross-country. They were also looking to drop some frame weight. Making a bike more capable in rowdy terrain while cleaving weight from the chassis aren’t always goals that party well together. Kona accomplished it this time around, however, by making, in essence, a lighter, simpler and slightly steeper version of the Process 111. To that end, the new Hei Hei features massive standover clearance, a longer front center, lower bottom bracket and a considerably shorter (15 millimeters) rear end than Hei Hei models of yore.

The frame is a sleek, low-slung affair. Though the images here show both the dropper post and rear brake line running externally along the downtube, there is a port near the head tube that allows you to run the entire dropper-post line internally through the frame.There are no ISCG mounts on the Hei Hei, but given the bike's XC lineage, that's not a huge surprise. The bike comes equipped with a fairly pinned 2.2-inch Maxxis Ikon out back, but there's just enough breathing room in the rear end for some 2.3-inch tires, if you're so inclined. If you're in the market for a cross-country frame, it's worth noting that Kona also sells the carbon Hei Hei 29 frame (along with a Fox Float Performance rear shock) for $2,599.



Suspension Design

Though the new Hei Hei drinks heavily from the Process Kool-Aid, it is certainly not the same bike. The Hei Hei is configured around Kona's new Fuse Independent Suspension system, which has no pivots at the seatstay/chainstay junction. Instead, Fuse relies on a small amount (about 1.5 degrees) of vertical flex in the seat and chainstays. Light, simple, laterally stiff and efficient under pedaling—those were the goals with the new design.

The Fuse design is, in fact, lighter than the 2014-2015 "Beamer" walking-beam design it replaced--240 grams (a half pound) lighter, to be exact. What kind of weight savings did Kona achieve by going to a complete carbon frame? Kona says the carbon Fuse frame is a full 1.5 pounds lighter than the aluminum version that debuted in early 2016. I was skeptical about that claim at first, but sure enough, even with the addition of a dropper post, this bike weighs a solid pound less than the aluminum version I tested in early 2016. Kona claims that going to carbon wasn't merely an exercise in shedding weight, but also a means of stiffening up the chassis. To that end they also moved to Boost 148 for the 2017 models.

high mode with a 120 fork spearheading it), Pivot Mach 429 Trail or Ibis Ripley LS. The 68 and 74-degree head and seat tube angles (respectively), 1161-millimeter (45.7-inch) wheelbase (size Large), and 430-millimeter (16.9-inch) chainstays would have been at home on an all-mountain bike a few years ago, before everything got enduro-slack.

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Set-Up

The Hei Hei DL 29 comes out of the box wearing a Fox Float Performance rear shock and a 120-millimeter travel Float 34 Performance fork. There aren’t a ton of bells and whistles to twiddle with here on these mid-tier Fox products, so I promptly set the sag at 25 percent. Running any less in my neck of the woods is just a recipe for rattling the fillings from your teeth. Running more on a bike with 100-millimeters of travel usually feels like too much of a good thing—you’re already running out of travel faster than you’d like when that’s all the squish you have at your disposal.



Climbing

The bike weighs 27.6 pounds and sports a suspension design that’s supposed to lean towards the efficient pedaling side of the spectrum—the Hei Hei DL 29 should climb well. Not a huge surprise, it gains elevation easily. Suspension squat is minimal, even with the Float rear shock run wide open. In fact, traction on loose and rocky singletrack climbs suffers a bit in the firmer “Medium” mode, so I only opted for the extra compression damping when climbing fire roads.

Is the Hei Hei DL 29 an absolute weapon on the climbs? If you are comparing it to the likes of the Process 111, it’s practically a rocket. It’s not simply lighter—it also accelerates like nobody’s business. But let’s get more apples-to-apples here. Compared to some bikes more apiece with the Hei Hei--say the Ibis Ripley LS or Specialized Camber--the Hei Hei DL 29 holds its own in the climbing department, but isn’t top of class. The Hei Hei displays a bit of pedal kickback when you're humping the bike up particularly chunky climbs in low gears. It's the flip side/necessary evil of all the chain growth (and resulting anti-squat) that also makes the bike such an efficient pedaler. I’ve certainly experienced more dramatic tugging on the pedals with other bikes, but the kickback on the Hei Hei DL 29 is noticeable all the same.

Despite the relatively slack geometry, I had no difficulties winding the bike through tight uphill switchbacks. None whatsoever. If you’re coming off of a more traditional cross-country race bike—say, an older Epic or Scalpel—you might find your comfort zone more quickly on the more traditionally spec’d Hei Hei Race 29 model, which bears the same frame, but has a 100-millimeter travel fork up front. That bike might feel more “normal” and if you are that guy who rides around with his suspension always locked out, it might be the better choice. But I’ll be honest here: I think going shorter with the fork travel would be a loss. The longer, burlier Fox 34 fork and the slacker front end geo that comes along for the ride bring something special to this bike.



Descending
My first thought when I hit the bottom of that first big downhill aboard the Hei Hei? I’m going to need some fatter tires. Usually bikes that climb this well give up a lot on the downhills. Not this one. This is the kind of bike that has you pushing yourself and the limits of the components—like those skinny XC tires.

I’m not suggesting that the Hei Hei's 100 millimeters of rear suspension somehow feels like 130 millimeters. It feels every bit the short-travel machine that it is—you realize that when you hit a jump or a drop…the kind you might normally not even try on a bike with this little travel.

The Hei Hei DL 29 is a true trail-bike wolf in cross-country sheep clothing. Not terribly surprising, I suppose, when you consider that this Hei Hei is closer (genetically) to the Process line than to its own Hei Hei ancestors. That Fox 34 (and the slacker front geometry that it brings to the table) also deliver in spades. This, frankly, is why I wouldn’t opt for the Race version of the Hei Hei 29 with the skinnier, shorter-travel fork. The Fox 34 is a great match for the frame’s overall geometry.

You do, however, feel the frame reaching its limits—the Hei Hei doesn’t feel as calm in the truly hectic, high-speed stuff as, for comparison’s sake, its Process 111 sibling. You also realize that while the Hei Hei can do outrageous things that’d have dedicated cross-country rigs running away with their tails between their legs, it doesn’t afford you the same wide margin for error that you’ll get with a bike that possesses more rear suspension.



Component Check

• Wheels and Tires: In keeping with the Hei Hei's lineage, the bike's 2.25 and 2.2-inch Maxxis Ardent and Ikon tires are all about reducing rotational weight. That's great and all, but the Hei Hei encourages aggressive, risk taking and you soon outride the limits of those two tires. The 2.4-inch Ardent is a quick-rolling tire and a very different beast than the 2.25--I'd slap that on in a heartbeat. The good news is that Kona equipped the bike with light-yet-wide WTB KOM i29 rims, which will provide plenty of sidewall support for fatter treads.

• Shimano XT/Race Face Aeffect 1x11 drivetrain: Quick, solid shifts....that's what you get here. According to the Kona website, this model comes equipped with a 34-tooth ring. Ours, mercifully, wore a 32. Regardless, if you need to drop down to a 30-tooth (or smaller) ring, Race Face's Cinch system makes chainring swaps as complicated as buttering a slice of bread.

• Fox Float Performance shock/Float 34 Performance for: You don't get Kashima coating on the stanchions nor the 22 clicks of compression-damping adjustability in "Open" mode that you'd find on a Fox Factory Series fork, but the mid-rung Fox Performance Series forkdoes feature the excellent FIT4 damper and enough adjustability to keep most riders happy. Both the fork and rear shock are good kit.



Pinkbike's Take:

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Visit the high-res gallery for more images from this review

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MENTIONS: @konaworld / @vernonfelton

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