Bike vs Bike: Connor Fearon's 2007 Kona Stab Deluxe vs 2020 Operator

Sep 12, 2020
by James Smurthwaite  
Connor Fearon bike vs bike
Photos: Operator - Andy Vathis, Stab - Kane Naaraat

Connor Fearon had big plans this year, and was hoping to double up on EWS and World Cup duties to prove his 3rd place at EWS Derby was no fluke. Unfortunately, as with so many other things this year, COVID-19 got in the way and travel restrictions meant he was forced to stay at home for the race season in Europe. He's been able to keep himself busy in another way though - building up and racing a 2007 Kona Stab Deluxe.

He found the frame and wheels on eBay and built it up by delving deep into his parts bin and sourcing some bits from friends too. The hardest part to pull together was apparently the Boxxer, but Connor's friend Lindsay Klein managed to find a pair in his shed that had been sitting there for the last decade.

Connor unveiled the bike at the Inside Line Mountain Bike Club race at Eagle Mountain Bike Park and finished second to Troy Brosnan by only 6 seconds. Apparently the biggest difference between the two bikes comes down to size, with the medium Stab coming up way too small for him. He also noticed fatigue was an issue. He says, "I got way more tired riding the old bike, I think that comes down to fit and suspension. In comparison, you just stand in the middle of a modern-day DH bike and let it do most of the work!"

It's safe to say there have been a fair few changes in downhill bike tech in the past 13 years so to see just how far things had come we got both bikes side by side to compare more than a decade of progress.

About the rider

Connor Fearon

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Age 26
Height 177cm / 5'10"
Weight 72kg / 159 lb
Instagram @connorahoyhoy

FrameWhat a difference 13 years makes. While the link-driven single pivot still remains king for Kona's downhill bikes, the frame surrounding it is completely different. Kona now uses a carbon front triangle and the whole package looks a lot cleaner than the classic design. There has also been a decrease in travel from 8" (203mm) on the Stab to 195mm on the Operator. The final big change comes from the wheelsize where Connor currently runs 29" front and rear on his Operator, but 26" front and rear on his Stab, which is from an era when the bigger wheels were nothing more than punchlines.

Connor runs a medium frame on the Stab although he's actively looking for a larger one as it is a bit too small. If you know where he can find one, get in touch!


Kona Stab Deluxe

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Frame size Medium
Chainstay length 439mm

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Kona Operator

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Frame size Large
Chainstay length 440mm - longest setting

Connor Fearon bike vs bike


Fork

The Boxxer is a name that has been around in mountain biking since 1998 so it's no surprise to see it on the front of both bikes here. It's a 200mm model on the Stab but only 190mm on the Operator.

A Charger damper and Debonair spring replace the Motion Control and Solo Air Spring of the earlier fork. With the new tech comes more tuning options as well and high and low speed compression can now be set on the Boxxer and bottomless tokens can be added.


Kona Stab Deluxe

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Fork Pressure 140psi
Volume Tokens N/A
Compression Fully open
Rebound "Not sure, in the middle somewhere"


Connor Fearon bike vs bike
The Boxxer was the hardest part of the build for Connor to source. Thankfully his friend Lindsay Klein had this battle-scarred one hiding in the back of his shed.


Kona Operator

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Fork Pressure 147psi (190mm travel)
Volume Tokens 1
High-Speed Compression 3 clicks
Low-Speed Compression Depends on the track
Rebound 3 clicks

Connor Fearon bike vs bike


Shock

With the advent of metric sizing in 2016, Rockshox swapped over from Vivid shocks to Super Deluxe for downhill. The shock on the Stab is shorter eye to eye than stock, so it has slackened the head angle to a bit less than 64° and makes the cockpit feel even more cramped. Connor is looking to find a regular sized one if he can.


Kona Stab Deluxe

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Spring Weight 475 lbs/in but feels about 100lbs too light.
Compression "Pretty much fully closed because the spring is too soft"
Rebound "Couple full turns"

Connor Fearon bike vs bike


Kona Operator

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Spring Weight 450 lbs/in
Rebound 3 clicks
Compression 3 clicks


Connor Fearon bike vs bike


Wheels

26" plays 29" when it comes to the wheels for Connor's bikes. The Stab is still set up using inner tubes so Connor has to run them at higher pressures to avoid pinch flats, although it apparently hasn't been fully successful so far. Tubeless and Cushcore allow him to go down to 24psi front and 27psi rear with punctures much less common nowadays.

The wheels on the Stab are clad with a classic High Roller front and Minion DHF with the super sticky Slow Reezaay 40 compound from an era when tire hot patches were a bit less boring. Connor runs a Minion DHR II front and rear on the modern race bike.


Kona Stab Deluxe

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Wheel size 26" front and rear
Tyre width 2.5" front and rear
Tyre Pressure 25psi front, 30psi rear
Inserts No

Connor Fearon bike vs bike
This floating arm will be familiar to anyone who kept a close eye on the Madison Saracen bikes last year. So old it's new!


Kona Operator

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Wheel size 29" front and rear
Tyre width 2.4" front and rear
Tyre Pressure 24psi front, 27psi rear
Inserts Cushcore

Connor Fearon bike vs bike


Contact Points

Connor has allowed himself modern parts when it comes to his contact points. That means a Deity cockpit and saddle, HT flat pedals and ODI grips on both bikes.


Kona Stab Deluxe

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Bar width 750mm
Stem Length 50mm

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Connor Fearon bike vs bike


Kona Operator

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Bar width 760mm
Stem length 50mm

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Connor Fearon bike vs bike


Groupset

It's SRAM DH gearing on both bikes but the product line has definitely moved on a bit in the gap between these two bikes. The SRAM X0 Connor is running is a bit newer than the Stab frame but it's a 10 speed cassette with 12-26t on the cassette. The modern Operator has a similar range on its 10-24 cassette but it does it with just seven speeds thanks to the XG-795 mini block cassette on the X01 DH groupset.

Brakes are also SRAM and it's Code RSC brakes on the Operator but Avid X0 Trail brakes (from 2012) on the Stab.


Kona Stab Deluxe

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Chainring 36T
Cassette 10 speed, 12-26t
Brake rotor size 200mm front and rear

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Kona Operator

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Chainring 36T
Cassette 7 speed, 10-24t
Brake rotor size 220mm front, 200mm rear

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Connor Fearon bike vs bike

Connor Fearon bike vs bike
Note the grip sleeve, normally used by mechanics to keep grips clean. We're wondering if there's something new from ODI hiding under there.


Author Info:
jamessmurthwaite avatar

Member since Nov 14, 2018
1,770 articles

120 Comments
  • 264 3
 When I was a kid I really wanted a Kona Stinky, but alas, I was too poor to afford a full suspension, so I sold some stuff and saved my pennies until I could buy a Giant STP. But I remembered feeling like if I had a full suspension bike like that, I'd be able to conquer any jump and drop and be a true king of the mountain.

Fast forward many years and I am riding my bike at my local trails where there is this little drop that is about maybe two feet max on this fairly steep section. You could probably roll the thing and be ok. Nothing too gnarly that your small travel "down country" bike couldn't handle.

As I ride through the area, a little voice comes out of the bushes and tells me to halt. His buddy, no older than 14, is about to do this drop and you can bet your favorite donut, they are going to get some sweet footage of it and they don't want me in the shot.

Then up on the trail comes this majestic boy emerges, dressed in what I imagine is his fathers old riding gear and a beat up Kona Stab. A look of pure concentration on his face as he is about to do the gnarliest drop he has ever done and make his bike and father proud.

He did the drop easy with very little drama, but they were both incredibly stoked with themselves and feeling super accomplished. Watching it unfold, I was thinking to myself, "Damn, this is exactly how I imagined myself riding when I was their age and riding that bike."

Point is, old Kona full suspension bikes are my nostalgia bikes.
  • 15 152
flag TheLoamDeranger (Sep 11, 2020 at 16:36) (Below Threshold)
 Alright
  • 23 0
 it is said that nostalgia is heroine for old people, well I am that now 46yo old bloke that dreamed of being like Steve Peat, Nico Vouilloz, Mike King etc on my '96 GT LTS DH back in the day, weird thing is that todays bikes seem to let me ride harder and faster than I did back in the day. I'm in the fortunate position to have watched the sport progess over the near 30 years i've been playing at it and it's been a fantastic watch. I hope to ride and keep progressing for a while yet and maybe i'll get my lazy ass into putting that old LTS back into service, it's been sitting in my garage as a bare frame for almost 20 years now.
  • 8 0
 Funny that, when I was riding 15yrs ago kona stinky was the dream machine, but everyone seemed to get around on gians STPs
  • 8 0
 awesome post......funny enough I saved my pennies in 2002, bought a Stinky and promptly moved across the country to the Shore. 18 years later Im on a Process 153. You're bang on, something about the brand is nostalgic.
  • 3 0
 I've also saved for STP when I was 16, but that was because Jeff Lenosky was riding it. Great bike, but I was too poor to replace breaking parts.
10 years after buying an STP I've bought a Kona process 134, though it was a bit sad not to see the flower logo on the bike. It's a bike I've enjoyed the most and to be honest, remembering Paul Bass ripping on the Kona did make me to consider the brand a tiny bit more ????
  • 59 0
 A good reminder that Connor is faster than you no matter what bike he is on.
  • 7 0
 I could be riding Connors brand new 29er super bike, and he on the department store special and he'd still be miles faster than me.
  • 55 1
 Awww, I miss those Slow Reezay tires.
  • 7 0
 Yes, especially on pavement and also Whistler berms when blue-grooved...a bit grippier than Super Tacky 42a. Same with 99-04 era Intense “Stealth Rubber” / “Sticky Rubber” tires...so much grip!
  • 9 0
 Excellent vibration damping and grip on chattery terrain — helped fatigue some too, and had some similar damping benefits to CushCore in certain ways. That semi-viscoelastic Slow Reezay rubber, like Intense Stealth Rubber, was also exceptional on roots, rock faces, etc. Just watch videos of Kovarik on those tires. Still remember Kovarik qualifying 1.5 seconds or so ahead of Lopes and everyone else at the 2000 Big Bear dual slalom on those Stealth Rubber tires (and winning Dear Valley DH by 10 seconds) — numerous top pros I saw and talked to were in awe of his cornering on that slow-rebound 40a rubber =)
  • 4 1
 @WRCDH: Some say Continental has the slowest rubber back-to-original-form nowadays.
  • 7 5
 @Notmeatall: Tried their Baron DH tire with Black Chili — didn’t like the unsupportive sidewall (just below the knobs, allowing the knobs to completely fold into the sidewall under hard cornering loads if under 33psi, which is way too high), and the compound didn’t grip like current Maxxis 42a — at least riding at 180 pounds and former Pro DH pace at Whistler. Vee makes a slow compound that I liked...probably the closest to Slow Reezay and Stealth Rubber that I’ve found. Also disliked the softest Schwalbe compound I tried (at least compared to Maxxis 42a Maxx Grip on PNW wet roots).
  • 6 1
 I saw these when he race and can confirm they are now as hard as foam tyres on a kids bike
  • 3 0
 @WRCDH: But how do they roll if you're over 6'1"???
  • 6 4
 the softest rubber in 3C Maxxgrip is the same as slow reezay
  • 6 0
 @jzPV: why you gotta shit all over a man's nostalgia like that?
  • 2 3
 @aaronjb: Well (in jest, but also in reality), if you’re over 6’1”, chances are you’re heavier — so energy losses related to sidewall and knob flex could be a consideration, and especially if it’s a knob geometry that will flex and deform much more significantly at say 185 pounds than 145 or 120 pounds (or if you’re too tall for a given bike or bike/stem setup and thus have a considerable rear-wheel weight bias). There is a fair amount of friction and thus heat generated in lower-durometer rubber polymer chains as heavier riders displace the knobs a lot — the exact polymer structure and polymer side-chain pendent groups can have a big impact on rubber “rebound” speed, internal polymer chain friction, and ultimately the tire’s rolling resistance (also taking into consideration the synergy between the rubber’s inherent dynamic performance characteristic and friction related to the molecular structure, and the shape / size / configuration of the knobs and resultant displacement of the knobs). Maxxis 3C base/cap construction will help minimize losses related to internal polymer-chain friction of 40a-42a rubber, and the displacement related to the geometry / size of the knobs (especially small knobs like High Roller 2 center knobs that result in higher pressure on those knobs, thus more knob-rubber displacement and rolling resistance).

Michelin’s excellent-traction DH tires have been notoriously slow in terms of soft-compound rolling resistance over the years, going back to the late 90’s and even today with their DH22 and similar new tires. Michelin’s slow-rolling reputation (just ask Vouilloz today, or refer to his old interviews) is especially true for heavier riders, partially due to their old (and new) natural rubber compounds that many pros ride/rode that have excellent traction characteristics, but deform a lot and thus convert some of the rider’s forward kinetic energy into friction / heat within the rubber, creating a “slow” rolling tire...and the sidewalls on those Michelin tires usually use a similar softer natural or semi-natural rubber which likewise has relatively high internal polymer-chain friction.

But ask Greg Minnaar — he’s waxed intellectual about stresses on various bike parts of being tall...and believe it or not, it can affect things including tires and traction =P
  • 2 0
 @jzPV: I was thinking it was different than Slow Reezay — possibly Super Tacky on the Maxx Grip side knobs? Even if it was 40a, I think it’s not the super slow rebound 40a Slow Reezay compound. Could be wrong, but I thought Maxx Grip side knobs are 42a Super Tacky (which is technical slow rebound, just not Slow Reezay Slow).
  • 1 0
 @WRCDH: info directly from Maxxis. 42a are the side knobs on MaxxTerra.
  • 1 0
 @WRCDH: nice info but I’ve wasted a lot of time arguing over the years on here about tires and some people just don’t understand or want to understand that different tires and especially pressures slow you down it always boils down to my setup is perfect and wouldn’t be any faster with higher pressure or x tire. It’s really silly and unscientific A for effort maybe you can get through.
  • 1 0
 @loganflores: Haha, totally! It’s INCREDIBLE what a difference it makes. For example, I rode / practiced with Thomas Slavik a bunch at the 2019 Whistler Crankworx dual slalom (super cool dude, BTW, as is Mick Hannah, and Austin Warren — all class acts). But Slavik’s amazing 26” wheel setup was 3.5 pounds lighter total than my 26” wheel/tire setup (I was running Maxx Grip DH tires at 25f/28r psi). He was running Maxx Terra EXO tires at just a little higher pressure, I think he said maybe 30-32psi but I forget (with light DT rims, light hubs, etc). Likewise, Matthew Sterling was running 33/35psi he told me — essentially just super fast low-drag tires for the fast bermed corners, letting his suspension do most of the traction work on the choppy corners...which it was choppy enough in those parts that the suspension would help a bunch and the tires not as much, but the tires would be super fast in 2 CRITICAL corners before fast sections.

The Michelin guys like Elliot Heap on Chain Reaction / Nuke Proof bikes with the new DH22 (or maybe DH24?) tires were cornering at noticeably greater angle than nearly all others in two specific corners (then again, he was also runner up in the 4X world champs, so that might be part of it!). Mick Hannah was fast all over, but drooled over my 2001 D521/Hope wheels (it was a throwback Turner 4X rig for fun of it, which also caught the attention of Eric Carter of Hyper who previously rode a bike nearly identical to my Turner...talking to his rider, Bas Van Steenbergen about how I was practically on his old race bike). Mick liked my wheels for nastalgia’s sake, despite how slow that tire/wheel setup ended up being on the new track. Riders pretty much agreed that Maxx Terra / EXO, 30psi+ or so, light light wheels, and more suspension travel than less (5” to 6”, not 4”) was best for this new track we had all never seen nor known details about prior to arriving. Had the dual slalom course been steeper with less critical pedaling sections (like Whistler DS tracks were many years ago when I dusted Andrew Shandro on a similar setup), my wheel/tire choice would’ve been more competitive. But next time I’ll be running something closer to Slavik’s lightweight wheels (probably 26” We Are One) with Maxx Terra EXO tires and probably 29-30f / 32-33r, and 5-6” rear travel (if I stay with 26”...otherwise I need to ping Kevin Walsh of Evil, my old racing teammate, to see if he can hook me up with a rig like Austin Warren’s. My gosh Austin was on fire on that bike!).
  • 2 0
 @WRCDH: oh man, I haven't thought of the intense stealths in a long while.
  • 35 0
 "you just stand in the middle of a modern-day DH bike and let it do most of the work". Guess we don't need an Ibis...
  • 18 21
 3 or 4 years ago bikes hit peak fun. For most of us riding gnarly trails but at a moderate pace being on a bike that makes you actually do some of the work might just be more fun.
  • 21 9
 @friendlyfoe: what an absolute load of rubbish...
  • 9 1
 @friendlyfoe: I said it before and I'll say it again, nothing stopping you to buy an old bike or ride downcountry on a double black. What is this "bike's no fun anymore because newest fastest rig did too much work." Go buy a miata if you think Ferrari's too fast.
  • 7 1
 @enduroNZ: time will tell. For single crown bikes we seem to have hit a max in size L of around 500mm reach and 63.5 degree HA, and now some manufacturers have started to tip toe back in the other direction. I bet things settle out in the 475ish reach and 64.5-65 degree HA. The idea that the best bike for an EWS racer is also the best bike for your average rider coming through the same sections at a much slower pace is not logical.
  • 3 0
 @friendlyfoe: modern downhill bikes are really fun for smashing trails on if you’re one of these riders that can throw your weight around and not become a passenger..a lot of people moan about long bikes can’t even manual em
  • 2 0
 @friendlyfoe: That said, it's what people want. We have people around here convinced that anything above 66 degrees won't be enough to the XC style terrain we have here.

That said, you could not be more wrong about "peak fun". There's literally thousands of bikes with different geometry to choose from. If you cannot find something "fun" currently, you're not looking very hard.
  • 5 9
flag friendlyfoe (Sep 12, 2020 at 14:00) (Below Threshold)
 @sherbet: I hope you can appreciate how silly it is to say someone couldn't be more wrong over what is a minor difference in an opinion.

The comment was in reference to an opinion that a few years ago the majority of single crown bikes having ideal geometry for average riders in even the most challenging terrain, and then moving to even longer and slacker geo. I guess I could be more specific, but telling people on the internet they're completely wrong seems to be a hobby for many so I think I'll probably just move on.
  • 9 1
 @friendlyfoe: I hope you can appreciate how silly of a claim that bikes of the past were more fun.

My reply was to the fact you don't need to buy a bike with long reach or overly slack head angles; other bikes exist. We've yet to reach peak fun. You're basically saying "the geo I prefer is more fun, and people buying other bikes don't understand how much more fun other bikes are" and while there's some truth to that, there's also a lot of ego and ignorance.

Interesting about your last line, grabbing the ball and going home essentially. You started the talking down here, sorry that you don't appreciate it when it comes back to you. Have a good ride dude.
  • 2 0
 @friendlyfoe: No friendlyfoe, you're focused at the wrong end of the bike - maximum fun is about the Actual Seat Tube Angle. Razz

Gotta say, bikes have come a long way over the last few years and the industry is still working it all out but Geo is much improved on those 71 HTA degree hardtails of less than 10 years ago.

I'm sitting in the middle with 65 but I can pop the thing off roots and rocks on a flat trail and still have fun. Now, that older 12 speed GX drive train - just when I learn to dial it in nice - it craps itself. grrrrr.
  • 1 0
 @gnarterrorist: LoL so that's why I'm not having any fun!
  • 1 0
 @gnarterrorist : Damn I have a similar problem with the „old“ 11 speed GX on my Nukeproof Mega.
No matter how much I fiddle with it, I’m just not able to get the middle gears get dialed in.
Upper 4 and lower 3 are fine but everything in between is just pure luck if you get it to shift right.
A massive pain in the ass, since the rest of the bike brings me so much joy..

I think it’s maybe time to invest some money and get the all new 2021 GX Eagle.
Maybe even opt for the Carbon Crank Option which is now available for the first time in the GX tier.
Everything above GX is just way to expensive for me, even if I’m super tempted to combine the new GX with a AXS derailleur and controller.
However, since this will almost double the investment, it will most likely stay a dream.

On the other hand Carbon cranks maybe not worth it on an otherwise all aluminum bike like my 2016 Mega 290.
But if I upgrade to the totally redesigned Mega (which of course is Carbon now) in 2022 or so,I’ll bite my own butt, if I did not went for carbon cranks.

Heck, way to much decisions to make, way to less money in my bank account..
  • 1 0
 @Pukeproof: Went the other way, stuck with GX cranks and Absolute Black Oval and went X01 with 10-50 rear cassette.

The good: Dialed shifting.
The Bad: The rear derailleur has a habit of collecting forest fauna in the bottom jockey wheel.
Think 10 - 50 with a 32tooth Oval is to wide a spread.
Would prefer 10 - 46 with a smaller cage for the derailleur
Sometimes, go to fish out stuff that gets trapped between the cassette gears, you can tell as that is the only time the X01 doesn't shift happily. The gear with crud sitting inbetween it will not feel it's engaging right. Maybe this is a downside of 12 speed cassettes.

Got the Cassette which is quite light and you notice it, shifter (pre lunar so it does more than single shifts), derailleur and chain. Not cheep but I image it will be more durable than the GX version but time will tell.

Wish I could get as good quality 9 or 10 speed 10 - 46 range.
  • 28 0
 More of this please PB Smile
  • 25 0
 I used to have a Stab like that. When I saw 'weight - 72kg' under the first photo I assumed they were referencing the bike and I thought to myself "that seems about right"
  • 10 0
 Kona now should give Connor a "proper" stab frame, with geo like Barel's from Livigno world championships. Surely more race oriented.
  • 10 0
 Am I the only one trying to drag the vertical line on the split image left and right?
  • 3 0
 I did the exact same thing lol
  • 7 0
 Now I really want to see Fearon and Brosnan ride their 26” downhill bikes in a race together. Fearon on the stab and Brosnan on an old demo. I still think it will be a 1-2 finish.
  • 8 0
 you just stand in the middle of a modern-day DH bike and let it do most of the work!"
I don’t think so Connor. We can see that it’s not a Ibis.
  • 4 0
 They mentioned the floating brake arm but didn’t mention that he has it the low mount. Kona did that because Fabian Barrel wanted more brake squat to maintain geometry under hard braking.
  • 2 0
 I had a stab and took mine off totally. Bike rode so much better.
  • 3 0
 nice read. much respect to Connor for the project. we were a kona " family" in our house for years...till my kids grew up...and went on to motocross. but I still rock the old Kona banner in my shop...although I moved on to a delirium
  • 6 0
 hey sram bring back that silver/platinum XO shifter
  • 4 3
 Hey shimano and sram just bring back silver components
  • 5 1
 I love old bikes being upsized and re-used. It's like muscle car resto-modding. They can still hang!

I still browse for xl/xxl classics!
  • 2 1
 I have a medium 05' Turner DHR that I'm building as a full "Works" style build. The rear fits a 27.5 x 2.35- 2.45 tire with good clearance. Plan on making a carbon subframe to tweak the seat position and drop some weight. Also have some areas that will be "ported" to shave some grams on the rear end. With a 6mm offset headset it will have a reach similar to the last version of the demo. I have a extra medium frame with a broken dropout for experimenting on first. Also looking for a large frame, those can definitely be updated to modern geometry. Fun to tinker with and hotrod old bikes.
  • 1 0
 @MikeGruhler: Just sold an '07 Large DHR. Awesome bike, the reach was just not enough.

I'd donate a nut to science for an XL/XXL final gen DHR
  • 4 0
 Be careful if you start its addictive. Currently have Schwinn Straight 8, Iron Horse Sunday, GT DHI 2003 and 2007, Intense M3 x 2, Intense M6, 2013 Demo S-works, Giant ATX1, Giant DH 2003, Santa Cruz VP Free and V10 Mk1 x 2, Avanti D8, Yeti 303 RDH, a Kona Stab almost exactly like this. Some other stuff as well, and thats in the last 2-3 years
  • 1 0
 @cullyen: There's a '14 GT Fury carbon in the basement my buddy won't get rid of because its way better at slow steep tech than the new bikes. They still have their place, and it isn't hard to modify them for keeping up with modern rigs.
  • 2 0
 @schofell84: Yeah, my 05' is the square tube version with remote reservoir. With the large you add 6mm to the reach w/ headset and w/relocated linkage pivot you get modern head angle and bb drop for 27.5
  • 1 0
 @MikeGruhler: What headset are you talking about? I didn't know there was any available for 1-1/8" straight HT's.
  • 1 0
 @schofell84: My DHR has a 1.5" head tube, not a 1-1/8". My fork has a 1-1/8" steerer tube which allows me to run a 6mm reach set headsets.
  • 2 0
 I'd love to see a little more rider info of Connor's "before and after" body weight and such throughout the years with the bikes he's riding if the article's intent is there. Would be such a neat perspective of bike and body over time from somebody who devotes their life to the ride. Personally, it's inspiring as I age, I guess.
  • 2 0
 I had nearly the same, the one in orange, white and blue. Anybody complaining about a loud ride today, you should have run that thing, there was no bear-bell or whatsoever necessary.
  • 2 0
 I wish they included the fact that he was the Second Place finisher to Gwin's chainless run in Leogang 2015. I thought he was going to win that day but the Chainless Wonder happened.
  • 7 4
 Well it’s not a 4 bar linkage on the Stinky.

It’s a Faux-Bar or single pivot suspension “design”
  • 3 0
 Good old FSR patent days....
  • 1 0
 To be fair is horst link really necessary? I dont see people moaning about brake jack on single pivot bikes & they seem to be able to get good numbers
  • 3 1
 @zyoungson: If you look closely on the old Kona, you will find out how that brake mount is constructed which will also answer your question Wink
  • 4 0
 @mountainyj: what’s most impressive is how many companies haven’t abandoned their workaround linkage systems.
  • 2 0
 That brake arm on Connor's (and Fabien's) Stab is actually setup to INCREASE anti-rise relative to a single-pivot (whereas the stock setting, and the whole point of FSR or ABP designs, is designed to decrease anti-rise).

So it seems they were looking for more mechanical interference so the bike stays further into its travel and the bike pitches less under braking. This is the exact opposite of what most brands are marketing with FSR and ABP, making you wonder if single pivot is the way to go after all.
  • 3 0
 Stunning bike! Always rooting for Connor at the WC's. Such an amazing rider and a real inspiration!
  • 1 0
 "super sticky Slow Reezaay 40 compound from an era when tire hot patches were a bit less boring"
Thank you Pinkbike for listening Smile
Maxxis bring back the old hot patches please!
  • 1 0
 That old Boxxer actually has high-speed compression too, they just called the knob "Floodgate" back then. I remember finding out, turning the knob and being blown away by how much better the fork became.
  • 2 0
 Floodgate is in no way similar to HSC damping. Its basically like having an adjustable climb lever
  • 3 0
 @IllestT: "The Flood Gate sets the level of how much force, or how soon the ‘blow-off’ circuit is engaged and flows into the high-speed compression circuit."
That sounds like high-speed compression to me?
  • 1 1
 What I get from this story. 29 inch wheels are faster. Bikes have not changed much in 13 years. Minor refinements that's all. Suspension kinematics have changed to make riding easier. I like the playful small wheels that you have to work with the terrain. I don't miss the 50 pound bikes but for pure DH doesn't matter.
  • 1 0
 I am putting together vontage Kona Stab with exactly the same frame. And have the same issue. L is so hard to get that I need to use M. The major difference is that I have 07 888 RC2X which is closer to stock specs.
  • 1 0
 The issue with this frame though (all between 2006-2008 and some earlier ones) is that you need to use modified hubs. 150x12 which are shorter to fit floating caliper. It is hard go get Sun Ringle Abbah hubs nowadays. Better option is with 2009, when they moved to regular 150x12
  • 3 0
 When you put the pics side by side, you can see the heritage for sure.
  • 3 0
 What a sweet bike! The old one that is Smile
  • 2 0
 „Preety much fully open” sounds like much more like it, than „three and a half clicks, 174psi, nine tokens” to me
  • 1 0
 I find it hard to believe that he had trouble finding the old boxxer just go on the buy and sell he probably just didn't wanna pay the prices people still want for them lol
  • 5 0
 Surprised SRAM wasn’t able to source one for a sponsored rider.
  • 1 0
 Respect to Connor for riding that thing so fast! The footage from Troy was hilarious. Like the old bikes but they are so sketchy, we’ve come a long way in a short period.
  • 2 0
 Now one of the Giant DH team members need to resurrect an ATX1 DH bike like Warner used to ride!
  • 5 3
 God those Avid brakes SUCKED
  • 2 0
 No wonder he's fast on the Stab - he can't slow down!
  • 1 0
 I used to love them until I realized (couple years later) I was only on a xc bike at the time lol
  • 1 0
 Two sets of X.0 Brakes and I moved onto Shimano for all brakes.
  • 2 0
 would love to see those old school graphics on the new line...
  • 2 0
 Need a new series: "Now that was a swingarm!"
  • 1 0
 Brooklyn Machine Works also used the floating brake arm on their DH bike. Solid resurrection, bringing 26 back from.....!
  • 1 0
 ...which was equally terrible
  • 1 0
 when the session came out I thought it looked like a stab, just with the floating brake integrated into upper stay
  • 1 0
 Does "rebound 3 clicks" mean 3 clicks from all the way fast?
  • 1 0
 Typically it means from all the way slow.
  • 3 5
 It’s from full open. From full slow would be like molasses
  • 16 0
 Hey mate it’s 3 clicks from slow/closed!
  • 2 0
 @WayneParsons: He's probably running a custom tune or his suspension is just much stiffer than a 'normal' rider's. This requires extra damping. Also that super deluxe doesn't have many clicks of rebound so 3 clicks from closed isn't unreasonable.
  • 1 0
 @LeoTProductions: yeah makes sense.
  • 1 0
 Would a stab garbanzo work for him? I can find one of those.
  • 1 0
 I would check the floater if its cracked tho.
  • 1 0
 I ride a 2005 Kona Stab Primo.....still does the trick.
  • 1 0
 I still ride my 2001 Schwinn 8. it's Built like a tank
  • 1 0
 Which one is the new one?
  • 1 0
 Onya Lindsay coming through with some forks.
  • 1 0
 Someone here has a large or xl stab frame im sure. Hook Conner up!
  • 1 1
 Needs narrower bars on the 2012 Much narrower
  • 1 0
 Sweet bike shed!!
  • 2 1
 Lets see a timed race!!
  • 1 0
 Class read. Cheers
  • 1 0
 amazing
  • 1 0
 twenny6 is sex
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