Looking for a new bike....why so much hatred against Kona?

PB Forum :: Freeride & Slopestyle
Looking for a new bike....why so much hatred against Kona?
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Posted: Mar 7, 2009 at 21:36 Quote
the silver mt rentals are sick when i broke spokes on my sgs and broke front piston in my hayes i had a armband becuase my freinds parents were paying for the condo the shop was like 50 bucks to fix your bike but if you have someone 18 with you that armband gets you free rentals they are 08 big hit 3s....nice and they were closing so they said my bike wouldnt be done till noon the next day...WHAT the lift opens at 9

Posted: Mar 8, 2009 at 10:55 Quote
Thanks for the comments.....I sold my reign because it was too long for me and it felt ike I was always pushing the front end around because my arms werent long enough...also I seem to be doing alot more steep freeride stuff,shuttle etc...so I am looking for something with a bit more travel...although I do agree the reign pedals awesome all over the hill but dropping in off structure just felt like I was off balance I think a small would have been better.My friend got anew 09 stinky and he has been riding an A line and he says the Kona is aot better and he is a pretty awesome rider and recognized trail builder as well so Ill take his word for it,...I guess Ill have to try them....I am just getting impatient because just when the snow is starting to leave the trails get another 4 inches dumped on to an already frozen ice patch......

Posted: Mar 8, 2009 at 11:02 Quote
Kona's are not bad.
They break, yes. ALL bikes do.
The reason you see so many broken Kona's is because of the fact they are very common. More so than most.
Kona has issues with the suspension, yes. Nothing a bit of technique, flow, and propedal can't solve. The problems are the same with all similiar suspension designs not just them.

They are (relatively)inexpensive entry to mid level bikes that get people into riding more stuff.
They are NOT super engineered race machines for the top level pro's.
They DO have rider friendly geometry. And are popular choices for resorts.
For WHAT THEY ARE, they are amazing.

If you buy a stinky put a 170mm single crown fork on it(2005 66rc is love). They come stock with a 160mm drop off I think. A slightly longer fork makes them feel so much nicer, and handle way better.

Posted: Mar 8, 2009 at 11:10 Quote
Thanks...that was what I was thinking, I want to keep a single crown platform for the front end....gives the bike more travel when it is flying into the trees....LOL!!!

Posted: Mar 8, 2009 at 11:12 Quote
Single crown forks generally have less travel than dual crown forks.
FR bikes in general just feel better with a single.

Posted: Mar 8, 2009 at 11:20 Quote
In my opinion Kona are overpriced for the spec and the quality is inferior unless your getting a higher-end model. Konas can be nice though, dont get me wrong, but i think you can get much more bang for your buck with other bike manafactures. Maybe the problem is they concentrate too much on marketing and creating an 'image' rather than investing in r&d... You could do much worse but definately spend some time looking around. Also, demo before you buy!

Posted: Mar 8, 2009 at 11:27 Quote
I once figured it all out, if you bought frame only and all the parts you would spend roughly 3-400 more on each model of stinky/stab.
that was a few years ago though, back in 06 or something when I actually did the math.

but yea I agree, definitely demo something before buying it

Posted: Mar 8, 2009 at 12:09 Quote
Unhallowed wrote:
Kona's are not bad.
They break, yes. ALL bikes do.
The reason you see so many broken Kona's is because of the fact they are very common. More so than most.
Kona has issues with the suspension, yes. Nothing a bit of technique, flow, and propedal can't solve. The problems are the same with all similiar suspension designs not just them.

They are (relatively)inexpensive entry to mid level bikes that get people into riding more stuff.
They are NOT super engineered race machines for the top level pro's.
They DO have rider friendly geometry. And are popular choices for resorts.
For WHAT THEY ARE, they are amazing.

If you buy a stinky put a 170mm single crown fork on it(2005 66rc is love). They come stock with a 160mm drop off I think. A slightly longer fork makes them feel so much nicer, and handle way better.

Well put!!

Posted: Mar 8, 2009 at 12:15 Quote
Thanks, I've owned 3 Kona's and ridden many others so the Kona-hate kinda rubs me the wrong way.
The bikes do have limits though... Which is why I will be upgrading to a 2007 Banshee Scream or a demo 7(no clue on year) sometime between now and the 2010 season. Would prefer the Scream, cheaper and stronger, but we'll see... For someone who's either just starting out in FR, wants something inexpensive, or intends on FR-light... Kona is a good choice.

O+ FL
Posted: Mar 8, 2009 at 12:16 Quote
I used to have a Kona Pahoehoe and I loved it. I even managed to bounce it off of a tree once and it survived (I didn't).

Posted: Mar 9, 2009 at 12:33 Quote
the reason people hate kona's are because they got popular real fast and due to that more kona's are floating around meaning that you will obviously see more broken kona's there's absolutely nuthin wrong with them they are solid bikes

Posted: Mar 12, 2009 at 12:27 Quote
thanks everybody for the comments...one more thing,after doing some research it seems that alot of people prefer the 2007 models over the 08,09 models any input??? I would be looking for a stinky deelux size M if any are out there.

Posted: Mar 12, 2009 at 12:42 Quote
ogie42 wrote:
thanks everybody for the comments...one more thing,after doing some research it seems that alot of people prefer the 2007 models over the 08,09 models any input??? I would be looking for a stinky deelux size M if any are out there.
Kona changed the frame design for 2008.
since then there is a larger number of issues with them.

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