2011 Kona Bass - Out of the Box

May 16, 2011
by Kona Bikes  
photo
Paul Basagoitia and his stock signature bike. Ready to rock just like that. Photo: Trent Palmer


Paul Basagoitia is one of the best slopestyle and dirtjump rider's in the world. Two-time winner at Crankworx Whistler, Bass has stood on more podiums than most of his peers, in some of gravity riding's more insane competitions. With a style that's all smooth, mixed with a bevy of tricks that's all top of the pile, the 25-year-old from Minden, Nevada recently sent us this ripping clip of him on a fully stock 2011 Kona Bass.

"I wanted to showcase that my signature bike is ready to go out-of-the-box, that you don't have to spend any extra money to make it fully suited for professional level riding." The bike you see in every shot is full handlebar to tire stock. Featuring a Marzocchi DJ2 100mm fork, Avid Juicy brakes, Maxxis Larson TT tires, Kona Custom DJ cockpit and a raw aluminum clearcoat finish, priced at $2,099 USD, the Bass is one of the best riding, best priced DJ specific dual suspension bikes on the market today. If you don't believe us, just watch the video, shot, edited and produced by Trent Palmer.

2011 Kona Bass Out of the Box

by konaworld
Views: 28,522    Faves: 284    Comments: 25


Posted In:
Kona


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Member since Nov 18, 2008
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145 Comments
  • 64 5
 chain ring looks like a 1999 dmr left over! lol
  • 23 3
 from the sounds of it everyone's going to be spending money to get a new sprocket lol
  • 20 30
flag DH-Til-I-Die (May 16, 2011 at 14:22) (Below Threshold)
 doesnt look nice compared to banshee's , doubles etc
  • 16 1
 the bass looks like an old cowan ds so also looks like it should be good Big Grin
  • 12 4
 hey DH-Til-I-Die, since u wre talking about the double, how would a double hold up on whistler jumo trails like a-line?
  • 9 6
 doubles hold up fine on aline. i have two buddies that rode them all last year and i rode a sx which is very similar and it held up good
  • 5 1
 they seem to be making drastic savings on paint and paying someone to choose a nice font haha. i love basses, mine is blatantly the best bass, basically (baha)
  • 9 2
 I have a friend who's broken three transition frames and he's not even close to what I'd consider a hack...so double may be cooler but they don't hold up nearly as well to the abuse that gets thrown at the bass.
  • 12 1
 surely the kona is more value for money
  • 3 5
 wow at the price...are they joking?
  • 6 0
 they should call it the bassomatic 5000 and ship it with a fresh bass!..............mmmmmmmmmm that's good bass!!!! i'm almost certain Dan Ackroyd would approve!!!
  • 2 1
 that chainwheel... haha other than that the bike looks really sick! its nice to see a complete bike that isnt total trash. kona is stepping it up
  • 2 7
flag hbfreerider (May 16, 2011 at 19:58) (Below Threshold)
 another raw kona :-(
  • 4 1
 they stole the song i used in m edit Frown
  • 6 0
 Cool idea, but with the talent Paul has, I'm surprised they used that calm of a video as an advert...
  • 6 3
 he basicly did no riding in this vid, how are we supposed to know if it rides to a professional standard out of the box, from a vid that shows hardley any riding, and the riding it does show, to be honest isnt that extreme... im not saying it isnt at that standard but if we are suposed to judge from the video alone, i would say no.
  • 5 7
 haha thanks for the negative props... have fun paying 2100 for a kona single speed, one brake, shit chain ring, not painted, white griped (which will be brown afte two rides), etc...
btw a double costs about 500 less
  • 7 1
 I dont see whats wrong with the chainring.
  • 6 2
 Your buddy must suck or just buy beaten used frames. I rode my double all last year at silverstar and whistler and all local dh trails. Over 20 laps of aline and freight train on it with no problems. The Bass on the other hand and their thin flimsy rear triangle snap like soggy crackers.
  • 1 1
 looks like a sick bike to build on but i wouldnt buy it, but does anyone have the song name? sounds pretty sick!
  • 3 1
 Derezzed (The Glitch Mob Remix) Salute
i know cause i used it in an edit and they stole it Frown
  • 1 0
 Thanks and hahaha well they did pretty good with this song haha
  • 1 0
 i have ridden my bass down every trail i can find and rode it down the whistler trails and kmloops all of last summer.... it held up fine. Mine isnt nearly straight out of the box.... but when it was, even then it rode pretty well. Going on 3 years strong!
  • 3 0
 @dtroyan123
Try again, the double is 1600 for just frame and shock, full build kit is 3500.
  • 1 0
 hate to be this petty but if you look in the video he doesnt even open the box to get the bike out, so it couldnt have come straight out of the box
  • 40 5
 I would definitely buy that bike too. Kona is constantly improving and stepping up their specs and designs. Well done Kona.
  • 7 5
 specs lol there specs get shiter every year Ive got an 09 bass an the specs alot better, has anyone ever heard of those cranks! mine came with race face parts not kona, major downgrade
  • 12 2
 Better specs aren't always about better parts.... There are many factors like price, weight, cool factor and consumer/sponsor input. Your comment is ignorant.
  • 6 1
 yeh you could say it was better cos 'it came with XT gears' but WTF, they make a single speed full sus and put gears on Facepalm now its single speed its a great improvement.
  • 1 0
 but by putting on the single speed they dropped the price abit aswell did they not..?
  • 1 0
 yes
  • 20 1
 Finally a bike you can ride straight out of the box. I'm sick of always having to put the pedals and bars on myself.
  • 6 1
 LOL! lol
  • 2 0
 haha, freaking awsesome!!!!
  • 15 1
 Looks one hell of alot better than the old one. Like ten times better.
  • 7 2
 i'd say about 11 and a half times, myself. did you check out that raw finish? rad.
  • 10 0
 I can say that this vid isn't exaggerating. I've had this bike for 4 months and it's sweet. Rock solid, light, dialed geometry.
  • 4 0
 yeah same i love my bass! yay for kona!!!!Smile
  • 8 0
 I'm not a massive fan of the bike but those manual shots are some of the nicest I've ever seen Smile
  • 6 0
 I have always like the design & feel of the old Cowan DS & the new Kona Bass. With this bike the old saying goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." l like this bike.
  • 2 5
 theres also a saying that goes "jack of all trades, master of none" haha, not against the bike though i think kona have got it just right
  • 7 0
 i would murder someone for that
  • 15 0
 Someone buy this guy a bike.
  • 5 0
 Wow, it looks like Kona fired the 5 year olds they hired to do last years color schemes, and forgot to hire some more...
  • 4 0
 so nice, not over keen on the brakes, a nice sprocket and pivotal seat would be sweet.
  • 2 0
 ney to the pivotol seat, let the bmxers keep those me thinks. and i actually find the sprocket gives the bike a clean look.
  • 1 1
 the sprocket looks liek a weighty heap of crap.
  • 1 0
 Just finished the build out on my '11 bass. Saint hubs laced to DT Swiss 5.1 hoops,10spd. X9 shifter/derailleur, Saint cranks, LS1 guide, Welgo pedals, E13 sproket. Even after making it a 10spd I've managed to make it lighter than stock. Amazing!
  • 2 0
 why did they run a air shock made by them it would be better if it came with like a fox thats what the guy is running and they he is winning
  • 6 0
 it does come with a fox shock its just been destickered

and they run an air shock because its lighter than its coil equivalent (without a ti spring) and there is no real need for a super plush coil shock on a bike with 100mm rear travel which will be ridden mostly with a very stiff shock so its extra weight and no real gain

also there is no issue with the shock heating up as it will only be subjected to singular large impacts so there is no issue with heat build up

the fox rp shock also uses propedal which allows the shock to be stiffened up with a flick of a switch which is perfect for a dj bike

therefore an air shock is perfect for the bass

also Basagoitia runs an air shock on his bass
  • 2 0
 it could be a fox shock ...but last time i saw it they called it a Kona/Fastrax Air...could be a fox shock that kona put there name on but...never hear of it
  • 2 0
 yer i just checked it out hmmm spares might be an issue with a one off shock Razz but to be fair run it till it dies then fox rp23 Big Grin
  • 4 0
 sick manuals and really nice bike
  • 6 6
 The bike he is jumping is not stock. I know I am splitting hairs, but......the 'stock bike' has a front brake. The bike shown in the photo has no front brake and the bike he jumps in the video has no front brake. The bike shown at the end of the video showing the close-ups of some parts of the bike has a front brake. Neg rep away kidlets!! Nice bike though.
  • 6 3
 "Neg rep away kidlets!!"

Why is rep so important to people?
  • 8 0
 he didn't add any aftermarket parts.. he just removed the front brake like many other people will.
  • 2 1
 add less weight. that makes it better.
  • 16 2
 "add less weight," is that even possible?
  • 3 1
 oxymoron...
  • 11 0
 10+(-3)=7
Simple maths.
  • 2 1
 Them's the words of racing legend Colin Chapman: "add lightness"
  • 3 0
 pretty sure its a legal requirement to sell all new bikes with both brakes?
  • 3 1
 Just broken the rear triangle on my 2008 bass for the second time, not really riding it hard either being a 15 year old boy. Not impressed!
  • 1 0
 havnt yet broke my steel jump bike frame after hitting the biggest stuff i can find on it - being a 15 year old boy.
  • 3 0
 i think its funny how the video acts like its all bad ass when he pulls his avid juicy
  • 1 0
 is it just me or does lance look surprised to see a bike that he spent alot of time developing, maybe the poor guy struggles with ADD , we should take up a collection, imagine the surprise when he receives the cheque!!!
  • 3 0
 soo sick!! Paul Bass is such a sick rider!
  • 1 0
 sooo.... the bike is out of the box with the front brake cable not going through the headset and he does a tailwhip. I dont understand how thats possible
  • 1 0
 good lookin bike. congrats to kona for not makin it stupid lookin by painting it fuckin purple and white, like the first year bass.
  • 4 1
 Very nice bike, but why only a Dirt Jumper 2?
  • 3 0
 Bass is only 25? It seems like he's been around forever!
  • 1 0
 he' actually 24 haha
  • 1 0
 cry about? sorry for posting my opinions. On another note, are you guys blind? your going to say thats a good out of the box set up? what the hell do you guys ride? CCM?
  • 1 0
 that bike is killer! the geo looks so clean! I'd defiantly buy if I had the money! sick!
  • 2 0
 good to see kona stepping up there game operator is just lush now this Smile
  • 2 1
 why buy this years when i can get next years...why buy next years when i can get the year after.......................
  • 1 0
 ill get one! i have a 2010 specialized P.2, but i dont like it, so im getting a fs DJ bike
  • 2 0
 I'm stoked, single speed and everything.....
  • 2 0
 2011 bass is lookin sick!
  • 2 0
 yessaa
  • 3 3
 Ya Paul...look at those eyes cant believe it another bass bike.....kona went above and beyond again....cant wait to see ya ride it paul...see ya in June im comin down
  • 3 1
 scikk bike, sickk rider, vod maybe ?
  • 1 0
 I love how it showing that's this is what he gets when they give him bikes. Specks are always def on pro models
  • 1 0
 What kind of tires does bags have on that kona ??
  • 2 0
 thats the shit
  • 1 2
 put an Elixer CR new chainring atlas fr cranks chromag bars a fox dhx 5.0 air and an 841 on the front you would have a beast bike would rather buy a trek tho
  • 3 0
 Kona is out of the box the best deal, even with a few in-house brand parts, still way better deal than a Bontrager bike.
  • 1 0
 you could spend 3 grand building a dream bike, or you could get this, and buy an uplift van with the change. i know what i'd do
  • 2 1
 Gotta say, Kona does have the sickest ads this year.
  • 1 0
 thank you for making my 2010 bass look like a 2012!
  • 1 0
 if it only had like fox 831's it would be sick
  • 1 0
 sickest bike evr made for slopestyle and thrashing around for sure
  • 1 0
 dom69foc I'm pretty sure it's X - Fusion
  • 1 0
 gotta agree Kona's= taiwan
  • 3 2
 Sweet, but why the disgusting sprocket!?
  • 3 0
 It aint for looking at, dude.
  • 1 0
 Well you say that, but what bike manufacturer discounts asthetics? Looks sell (whether that's right or wrong), I have no doubt that the thing rides amazingly.
  • 1 0
 And does anybody know the soundtrack?
  • 1 0
 sounds like the daft punk TRON film soundtrack, might be a remix???
  • 2 0
 Daft punk - Derezzed
  • 5 0
 Daft Punk Derezzed - The Glitch Mob Remix
  • 1 0
 Thanks a lot!
  • 2 0
 Such an AWESOME bike!
  • 2 0
 clearcoat is awesome!
  • 1 3
 Yeh great box bike except for the fact that I'd probably change every component on it including the unbranded air shock. Bottom bracket and chainring look like they've been lifted from the mid 90s.
  • 3 0
 looks to me like a destickered fox rp shock

and those cranks look like 2pc bmx cranks so the bb will be a euro bmx bb so unless you wanted mtb cranks the bb should be fine Razz

but that sprocket is gash
  • 1 1
 i ride a bmx and i would probably break that,out of the box and im like 170 soaking wet
  • 1 0
 831**
  • 1 1
 Bontrager doesnt make bikes anymore genius
  • 4 0
 I'm guessing that he means that all of the Trek components are made by Bontrager, and that's all Trek ever uses. LOL
  • 1 0
 You know how to use the reply button snipee5?
  • 1 0
 oh hahahahaha stupid me!
  • 1 0
 actually i dont haha
  • 2 1
 my favourite bike!
  • 5 2
 sick video sick bike but i dont like the sprocket...
  • 9 3
 i think konas are pretty sickk tbh i dont get why loads of people hate them !!!
  • 2 0
 They never used to be all that great to ride and are synonymous with the 'my first full sus' buyers. (I know this because I owned two, loved them lots but I wouldn't go back). They have really stepped up their game recently though, the range looks pretty sick!
  • 5 1
 coz haters are always gonna hate bro. i loved my bass, such a functional allround bike.
  • 5 0
 I agree, some people just follow the crowd and hate Kona for no real reason. I agree that Kona arn't the most revolutionary bikes (as essentially the sussers have been mostly the same since 1998ish). BUT the Bass/Cowan DS was and is a very good bike, pretty unique when it first came out too.

I absolutely loved my bass. Perfectly fit for purpose!
  • 1 0
 @haydendmorrison: They're a cheapish, yet good spec and upgradable bike hence the "my first full sus" buyers. I mean i'm one of those buyers. 4 years down the line I still have my faithful Stinky, and whilst I have little to compare it too, I can happily say it's been amazing. It was the only bike of that spec that was that cheap and accesible to me. I honestly couldn't name you another bike of the top of my head from '06 - '08 that competed with the Stinky when I bought mine.
  • 2 0
 "The bike you see in every shot is full handlebar to tire stock" Ok so you see the bike in effectively 3 different shots, one corner, one pump section and one real jump.

Im sorry, I am not a Kona hater, but if you wanted to really showcase it you would show a lot more riding than that on it.
  • 1 0
 so maxxis tires are "cheapiest" than Bontrager or special-ed tires? wheels cranks brakes all are way better than any shitty over advertised brand.
  • 1 0
 @haroman666: I know, I had 2... they are good bikes just not as good as more expensive stuff out there. The spec/money ratio is good which is why most riders have had one at some point in their lives
  • 1 0
 Lovin the Tron Remix!
  • 4 6
 give it some purple conponents and that would look sick
  • 33 1
 and a little white wicker basket for your toy poodle, with a teenie weenie barf bag in case the dog pukes during a double back flip, don't forget your dora the explorer backpack...................purple really?
  • 8 1
 justincs. I love you. No homo.
  • 2 0
 Since liking purple makes you a woman? rrrrriiiightttt
  • 1 1
 1984 purple rain .........u do the math!!!
  • 2 0
 man i'm wearing purple right now you homophobes shut up
  • 2 1
 Purples the new mauve..
  • 1 0
 what happened to black? black should be the new black
  • 1 0
 oh shit i thought blue was the new blue ????!!! u guys just blew my mind bahahaha
  • 1 3
 wow juicy three's, kona's really staying with the times huh
  • 3 0
 good brakes if you ask me
  • 1 3
 they are good brakes i agree, wasn't knocking their quality, just kinda weird that such a new bike has old model brakes
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