Mountain Bikes World

The Kona Bicycle Company at all times cares about its customers and designs bikes for specific needs of novice and expert riders. Headquarters are located in Ferndale, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia, in the volcanic Cascade Range. They concentrate chiefly in high-performance mountain bikes; their product line also covers racing bicycles like the King Zing, cyclo-cross bicycles including Jake the Snake, and touring bicycles like the "Kona Sutra". The company name comes from the owners' love of Kailua-Kona in Hawaii. Kona bikes have a long tradition of building fantastic feeling machines that look as sweet as they ride.

The Kona Factory Team races internationally on the World Cup, NORBA & Maxxis International Circuit. These riders compete in Downhill, Cross Country, Cyclo-cross, Free Ride, Dirt Jumping and Four-X competitions: Ryan Trebon (USA), Paul Basagoitia (USA), Barry Wicks (USA), Wendy Simms (Canada), Kris Sneddon (Canada), Erik Tonkin (USA), John Cowan (USA), Tracy Moseley (United Kingdom), Lluis Lacondeguy (Spain), Andreu Lacondeguy (Spain), Grant 'Chopper' Fielder (GBR). Kona has a great team behind them, who help to go forward, develop and push the limits of what a machine like this one - Kona Stinky Air can do.

So about Kona Bicycle Company and we move to the next step, let's review closer this marvelous fantastic mountain bike, which impressed me so much.

Constructed from beefy 7005 aluminium, bulging welds and additional triangulation around the seat cluster add to the stout looks. The new matt finished linkages amplify shock stroke to offer 7in of travel and are machined to save weight. The well proven Faux Bar linkage has a tight feel with massive bearings on the linkages and a neat stiffening brace between the two sides. Kona's DOPE system (floating brake arm) is there to keep the suspension active during aggressive braking. On the bigger Kona machines, the position of this arm can be moved to allow the bike to squat slightly when braking into a corner. Without this the Stinky felt a little weighted toward the front end. The matt white paint finish goes down a storm with anyone who lays eyes on it and the tidy cable guides and unpainted chainstay (the paint can't chip off if it isn't there) really consolidate the overall package.

Marzocchi's latest 66 ATA fork sits up front, with massive 38mm stanchions, killer graphics and 140-180mm (5.5-7in) adjustable travel. It includes adjustable rebound, compression and an end of stroke ramp-up. Nestled in the mid-ship is Fox's DHX 5.0 The tremendous Mavic Crossmax SX wheelset is only 1.95kg for the pair, which brings better acceleration and amazing agility. Why Kona didn't fit UST tyres? - instead they slapped on heavy Maxxis DH tyres and tubes, which are well over 500g heavier than going tubeless. RaceFace bar, stem, crank and seatpost are very comfortable. A Shimano XT shadow rear mech coupled to Saint low profile shifters with Shimano's superb new refined XT brakes all running smoothly.

Specifications.
Frame Tubing: Kona Clump DH 7005 Aluminium/7" Travel
Rear Shock: Fox DHX Air 5.0
Fork: Marzocchi 66 ATA 140-180mm w/20mm Thru-Axle
Headset: FSA Pig
Cranks: RaceFace Atlas X-Type
Chainrings: Rockguard /36/24
Bottom Bracket: RaceFace Atlas X-Type
Pedals: Kona Wah-Wah
Chain: Shimano HG93
Freewheel: Shimano XT (11-32, 9spd)
Front Derailleur: Shimano XT
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT Shadow
Shifters: Shimano Saint
Handlebar: RaceFace Atlas OS
Stem: RaceFace Atlas OS
Grips: Kona LOG
Brakes: Shimano XT Hydraulic Disc
Brake Levers: Shimano XT Hydraulic Disc
Front Hub: Mavic CrossMax SX Wheelset
Rear Hub: Mavic CrossMax SX Wheelset
Spokes: Mavic CrossMax SX Wheelset
Tyres: Maxxis Minion 3C 26 x 2.5
Rims: Mavic CrossMax SX Wheelset
Saddle: WTB Pure V Race FR
Seat Clamp: Kona QR
Seatpost: RaceFace Evolve DH

Rocky Mountain Element 50 is a mid-level full suspension bike for cross-country/trail riding and racing.

The ultimate cross-country race bike, the completely re-designed 2007 Element is the result of ten years of continuous innovation and improvement. The new Element's exceptional cross-country geometry guarantees a great fit, while the unique design of Rocky Mountain FORM tubing and carbon fiber seat-stay provides race winning ride quality. Rocky Mountain's unique 3DLink suspension technology turns even a novice rider into a pro. Large outboard INA precision ball bearings give the rider a smooth suspension feel and precise wheel tracking crucial to high performance riding and racing.

This bike can climb! It truly felt like a hardtail when ascending. I stood up, I sat down and was just plain impressed. You just seem to want to accelerate while climbing. The lock out on the front fork (Fox 32 RL) and the propedal on the RP23 came in handy on the longer climbs. This bike feels really, really stiff with the front locked out and the propedal set on max. The combination of the Fox 32 RL (front fork) and the RP23 (rear shock) seemed to fit this bike perfectly.

This isn’t the best bike for descending but does an adequate job. The geometry is really set for XC. With a change in the stem and a quick release on the seatpost collar, the bike performs better on the descents.

Overall, this is a nice XC bike that is ready to race. Climbing is definitely its strong point. All day epic rides might be a little uncomfortable but again, if you change some of the components it could be used this way. The components used for the build were efficient. Sure one could upgrade in a few areas to save weight but if you are on a budget this is a good build. The LX Hydraulic brakes worked great but my only complaint would be the loud squeak they would make when they got wet. Maybe different brake pads would solve the loud squeak issue when they get wet.

You pay a bit extra for the handbuilt Canada quality, sweet paintjob and exclusivity of owning a Rocky Mountain, and that's obvious in the lesser specced kit. If you're a spinner not a stomper and want a bike with as much handling flair as visual appeal, then the Element is an outstandingly enjoyable bike.

It's an ultra-high end carbon bike with an integrated seatpost. The frame weighs in at 2.6 lbs with an uncut seatpost. The frame features very dramatic big carbon tubes for dramatic design elements. It was also designed to be very stiff laterally but compliant vertically. And of course the most revolutionary element on this frame is the integrated seatpost. This design was introduced in the Look 595 road bike and has been in the market for almost a year. The frame as a post designed into the frame. This post is designed to be cut according to the rider's height and preferencs. Then a seapost insert goes in the post and is locked on by compression rings. There is a few millimeters of up and down adjustability using spacers in the seatpost insert. The insert also features and elastomer stack that provides some bump compliance. Two densities of elastomers are provided to work with different rider weights.

This bike is drop-dead gorgeous. It looks like it was sculpted first out of clay for a design project. The integrated seatpost delivers a clean, uninterrupted line that is complemented by Look badging. Plus the E-Post goes in the seat tube with no collars or binder bolts.

It features a monocoque front end and chain stays bottom bracket assembly. The seat stays are bonded to an integrated seatpost, very similar to the top of the line Look 595 road frame. The seat and chain stays are flattened to give the rear end a compliant ride. Also, selectable elastomer inserts on the seat post allow the rider to dial in some shock absorbing qualities to the ride. These design elements are complemented by a huge down tube that keeps the front end stable and keeps the bottom bracket very stiff.

This is a race bike and it weighs less than 21 lbs with pedals. The XO spec is excellent with ultralight yet functional parts. The XO shifters and derailleurs are best of class. The Avid Juicy Ultimates are mounted on integrated clamps with the shifters. Another highlight is the FSA K-Force Light carbon crank with ceramic bearings. Drivetrain performance was flawless. The wheels are Mavic Crossmax SLs and the front shock is a Reba SL with poploc. The tires are ultralight Continental Speed Kings that weigh in at only 450 grams each. The tires say 2.1 but they're really more like a 1.9 tire. The Fizik Gobi saddle is a bit heavy for this bike at 290 grams but it was very comfortable. The handlebars were narrow and low with 23 inch FSA carbons. But this is a race bike and the riding position is optimized for climbing.

The geometry is classic cross-country racer as you'd expect with head and seat angles of 71.2 degrees and 72.2 degrees respectively and 42.5cm chainstays. The cockpit is long and the handlebars are low allowing a great pedaling and climbing position. Aside from the ultralight weight, the bottom bracket is very stiff so the bike accelerates and climbs wonderfully. Lateral stability is excellent and complements the XC geometry of the bike. So tight singletrack is a dream. The bike is so easy to steer and flip through fast and tight corners.

This bike is for the XC racer. Whether you're a top level pro, an endurance rider, an enthusiast who keeps track of your hillclimb records, a competitive rider who wants to school your buddies, this is a good bike. It is purposefully built for going fast and it does it very well. The only knock on it is the E-Post limits versatility of the bike somewhat where you can't lower the saddle in very steep terrain. It's the perfect xc race bike.