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