[stoney]

Buddy just sent me this video.

2011 Kona Bass on Vimeo

Single speed, eccentric BB, DJ bike. At what point do we acknowledge that 'slope style' is a different sport?

Beyond the size of the wheels, the commonality between DJ bikes (and setup) vs their peers, is negligible. The difference is much like BMX vs. street/dj 20" bikes. Only the wheel size and basic bike form are the same.

 

[jonKranked]

who remixed the daft punk track for the audio?

 

[stoney]

I don't know. It's a Kona ad, do you think I have any idea about anything Kona related?

 

[Transcend]

It people riding bikes on dirt. I'd say at what point do people stop trying to put labels on things and just ride their damn bikes?

 

[stoney]

Not arguing that, but a what point do we acknowledge that it's more closely related to BMX than mtb? Crossing from MTB DJ to BMX DJ shows how one-sided that transfer is (bmx>mtb). You can see the same with the moto crossovers in DH.
Although the moto crossover riders do prove that DH is more closely related to moto than 'true' mtb.

 

[Huck Banzai]

Nonsense. Ride your bike, do what you will.

Eat burritos.

 

[kidwoo]

And the ironic part is how many people discover a-line and love it to death.........yet what you just watched is nothing more than an advanced version of your average a-line run.

 

[marshalolson]

Road pedal?: just out riding bikes
Xc ride? Just out riding bikes
Dj shred fest? Still out on a bike.
Dh shuttles? Pretty sure you are on a bike.


Its all the same sport, guy. Its just different srrrokes for different folks.

 

[4xBoy]

I rode my bike tonight and had Tacos.


I also picked up ten wood ticks.

 

[FarkinRyan]

I'm impressed that Kona have built a bike that fits into a standard bike box fully assembled and is ready to tailwhip upon removing it from said box without attaching or tightening anything. At least that's what this ad would have me believe.

Kudos Kona. Kudos.

 

[RUFUS]

Road pedal?: just out riding bikes
Xc ride? Just out riding bikes
Dj shred fest? Still out on a bike.
Dh shuttles? Pretty sure you are on a bike.


Its all the same sport, guy. Its just different srrrokes for different folks.

Off topic:

You don't happen to be asian?

 

[t-rick]

who remixed the daft punk track for the audio?

It was the Glitch Mob

 

[Whoops]

Looks kind of like the old Arrow frame from ~1998...

To the OP, dunno. When those who ride in that niche want to call it something different.

 

[H8R]

I rode my bike tonight and had Tacos.


I also picked up ten wood ticks.

Worst. Taco. Stand. Ever.

 

[EVRAC]

I agree with everyone that is against all the micro-subdividing of mountainbiking.

26" knobby tires, disk brakes, full suspension. Pretty clear it's a mountainbike, but i'm all in favour of bringing down the barriers.

And by the way, it's a concentric pivot, not eccentric.

 

[toodles]

Pretty cool seeing a single speed dually with no tensioner. Was wondering how they'd make that work until I saw the main pivot.

 

[norbar]

Not arguing that, but a what point do we acknowledge that it's more closely related to BMX than mtb? Crossing from MTB DJ to BMX DJ shows how one-sided that transfer is (bmx>mtb). You can see the same with the moto crossovers in DH.
Although the moto crossover riders do prove that DH is more closely related to moto than 'true' mtb.

So what you are claiming is that DH is moto and DJ and SS is BMX. Since many DHers in their later years do enduro that is also moto and the only real mtb is xc? oh wait - people transition back and fort from road therefore MTB does not exist...Be serious. I agree with Fraser and others - its a bike, it has big wheels. Who cares?


Also - have you ever been to a big slopestyle contest? The tenency to go BIG is back and some of the stuff they build is very far from bmx.

 

[weedkilla]

I actually really liked that ad. Made me want to get off the internerd and ride my bike.

 

[Bikael Molton]

Ride bikes.



But please consider other attire than the guy in the video.

 

[stoney]

So what you are claiming is that DH is moto and DJ and SS is BMX. Since many DHers in their later years do enduro that is also moto and the only real mtb is xc? oh wait - people transition back and fort from road therefore MTB does not exist...Be serious. I agree with Fraser and others - its a bike, it has big wheels. Who cares?


Also - have you ever been to a big slopestyle contest? The tenency to go BIG is back and some of the stuff they build is very far from bmx.

Semantics - "more closely related to" /= "DH is moto and DJ and SS is BMX."

 

[Sandwich]

Eat burritos.

I rode my bike tonight and had Tacos.

Better question: At one point will slopestyle die off? Great to watch, hard to do. Requires a massive time/monetary commitment by the hosting park. Requires a separate, expensive bike apart from a DH or trail sled. I'm not talking about a-line style trails, but legitimate, backflip over a schoolbus to landing on a skinny slopestyle.

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

its the same as sub dividing rock music...drives me insane...it's all rock n' roll...

 

[Westy]

I rode my bike tonight and had Tacos.


I also picked up ten wood ticks.

What you did was some entomolocycle style, clearly a new sport.

 

[slimshady]

I'm impressed that Kona have built a bike that fits into a standard bike box fully assembled and is ready to tailwhip upon removing it from said box without attaching or tightening anything. At least that's what this ad would have me believe.

Kudos Kona. Kudos.

Epic. Rep added.

 

[marshalolson]

Pretty cool seeing a single speed dually with no tensioner. Was wondering how they'd make that work until I saw the main pivot.

fyi kona first came out with the concentric full suspension singlespeed in 2003

 

[stoney]

fyi kona first came out with the concentric full suspension singlespeed in 2003

The Cowan. Funny what the young'uns don't know.

 

[IH8Rice]

dont see how its a "different" sport. its a 26" wheel with suspension....what else would it be besides a mountain bike?

 

[Total Heckler]

I agree with everyone that is against all the micro-subdividing of mountainbiking.

26" knobby tires, disk brakes, full suspension. Pretty clear it's a mountainbike, but i'm all in favour of bringing down the barriers.

And by the way, it's a concentric pivot, not eccentric.

That.

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

The Cowan. Funny what the young'uns don't know.

it had gyro tabs...my best bud rode one of them for xc/fr/dh for years it was an awesome bike.

 

[NoUseForAName]

At the weekend i saw a kid racing DH on one of these Konas. Should i have told him he was doing the wrong sport for his bike, or high fived him for having a good time?

I'm pretty sure a high five is the better option.

 

[time-bomb]

At the weekend i saw a kid racing DH on one of these Konas. Should i have told him he was doing the wrong sport for his bike, or high fived him for having a good time?

I'm pretty sure a high five is the better option.

And you would be wrong! If I have learned one thing from the interwebz is that it is always better to hate.

 

[-BB-]

Not arguing that, but a what point do we acknowledge that it's more closely related to BMX than mtb? Crossing from MTB DJ to BMX DJ shows how one-sided that transfer is (bmx>mtb). You can see the same with the moto crossovers in DH.
Although the moto crossover riders do prove that DH is more closely related to moto than 'true' mtb.

So what is "true" MTB then?

If Slopestyle is more like BMX, DH like Moto, then 4X is more like one of these two as well. Then you will say that XC is more like "road". So what IS mountainbiking then?

 

[Transcend]

Better question: At one point will slopestyle die off? Great to watch, hard to do. Requires a massive time/monetary commitment by the hosting park. Requires a separate, expensive bike apart from a DH or trail sled. I'm not talking about a-line style trails, but legitimate, backflip over a schoolbus to landing on a skinny slopestyle.

Same could be said for supercross though...

Slopestyle event generally bring in massive crowds and sponsors and have a huge cash purse. It's working out pretty well to be honest. The guys who have the skills put in the time early on. Won't ever catch me backflipping a schoolbus. I don't have to worry about owning that bike!

 

[-BB-]

I'm impressed that Kona have built a bike that fits into a standard bike box fully assembled and is ready to tailwhip upon removing it from said box without attaching or tightening anything. At least that's what this ad would have me believe.

Kudos Kona. Kudos.

I doubt that the bike is THAT ready to ride out of the box. You would at least have to either put the wheels on, or rotate the stem. I wouldn't think that they would have a box that is wide enough for handlebars and/or bars to fit sideways.

 

[stoney]

So what is "true" MTB then?

If Slopestyle is more like BMX, DH like Moto, then 4X is more like one of these two as well. Then you will say that XC is more like "road". So what IS mountainbiking then?

street/dj bmx:dj mtb::bmx:4x::motoH

 

[-BB-]

Ok, so I have one more comment about this bike. Yeah, the Grom's will be all over it bc of the image thing and it might be good for "gravity" runs, but I have MAJOR issues with the susp design if you are gonna pedal up to get your downs. Having that lower pivot placed around the Bottombracket is gonna make it bob all over the place. It has been done before...

Same design as the Arrow DS-3

I'll admit that bike (I owned one and then sold to Sandwich) was a ton of fun when pointed down, but climbs like crud and accelerates out of the "gates" poorly (so no bueno for DS or 4x). Actually, the DS-3 might be even BETTER for slopestyle bc with the 24in rear wheel design the rear stays are VERY short.

 

[bdamschen]

Ok, so I have one more comment about this bike. Yeah, the Grom's will be all over it bc of the image thing and it might be good for "gravity" runs, but I have MAJOR issues with the susp design if you are gonna pedal up to get your downs. Having that lower pivot placed around the Bottombracket is gonna make it bob all over the place. It has been done before...

Same design as the Arrow DS-3

Complaining about how this bike pedals uphill seems kinda like complaining how a DH bike would pedal uphill or how a DJ bike doesn't have the proper seat angle for climbing...

 

[stoney]

Won't ever catch me backflipping a schoolbus. I don't have to worry about owning that bike!

Does anybody have the picture of Frasier planting his face into the ground with his hands on the bars? I think that would be fitting here.

 

[norbar]

Same could be said for supercross though...

Slopestyle event generally bring in massive crowds and sponsors and have a huge cash purse. It's working out pretty well to be honest. The guys who have the skills put in the time early on. Won't ever catch me backflipping a schoolbus. I don't have to worry about owning that bike!

I agree. I've been to white style this year and its a great event that gathers more regular joe attention than downhill. It's not like anyone can do formula 1 or FMX and it doesnt die out. Not to mention there will always be new riders because the entry gear for the sport is very cheap. I know some of the top local riders here and most of them don't come from wealthy families. So that expensive bike argument is invalid. Montgommery was 2nd in last year on a hardtail, our top local pro who was 6th on Kona White Style this year on a frame that costs here 400$. (the alternate fs slope frame his sponsor sells is 750$ new w/o shock)

Not to mention if it was to die out why there is a constant rotation on who is on top? We see fresh faces every year. People come into slope from dirt jumping which is very popular in flatter cities where a dh sled has no sense. Doing DH in a flat city is 5x as expensive as doing slope and dj, even if you have an expensive bike (still cheaper than a dh rig)

 

[MDJ]

I agree. I've been to white style this year and its a great event that gathers more regular joe attention than downhill. It's not like anyone can do formula 1 or FMX and it doesnt die out. Not to mention there will always be new riders because the entry gear for the sport is very cheap. I know some of the top local riders here and most of them don't come from wealthy families. So that expensive bike argument is invalid. Montgommery was 2nd in last year on a hardtail, our top local pro who was 6th on Kona White Style this year on a frame that costs here 400$. (the alternate fs slope frame his sponsor sells is 750$ new w/o shock)

Not to mention if it was to die out why there is a constant rotation on who is on top? We see fresh faces every year. People come into slope from dirt jumping which is very popular in flatter cities where a dh sled has no sense. Doing DH in a flat city is 5x as expensive as doing slope and dj, even if you have an expensive bike (still cheaper than a dh rig)

I guess I would have to disagree. No, I don't think the equipment is expensive but are there really fresh faces every year? I don't really pay attention to SS, but it seems to be the same 10 people every time. Okay so maybe 20 people do it now, but that's about it. Anyone that can ride a bike can do DH runs but very few can do SS runs.

SS has been a good promotion for the sport but I have a hard time seeing it sustaining itself. Of course, NASCAR has a huge following for no apparent reason so I guess SS may be able to pull it off.