Kona 05 is here
- Thread starter perplex
- Start date
I like the new decal. Very military along with the colours.
The 2" prototype is damn ugly
The 2" prototype is damn ugly
Nice, I want to see the Hardtails though.
OMG i so want the stinky supreme 
O damn, very nice.exactly like roasted said.
I think i'll have to wait for 2005.
Nothing against kona since i've never owned one but.....When are they going to change anything? I understand the bikes work but with the advances in linkages and shocks I dont' get excited about a stinky primo or whatever. It's been the same bike for years. Hell i don't care how well it works but come on show me something new and different(even if it's a prototype that i'll never ride).
Which leads to my next question. If part of the $$ of high end bikes is R&D(as people have stated before) then why has the price of a 5 or 6 year old design not come down?
Let me put it into perspective. The coiler came out and got press and articles about it. It looks like an 01/02 stinky to me. 5 inch front and rear with a single crown fork. Sound familiar?
Which leads to my next question. If part of the $$ of high end bikes is R&D(as people have stated before) then why has the price of a 5 or 6 year old design not come down?
Let me put it into perspective. The coiler came out and got press and articles about it. It looks like an 01/02 stinky to me. 5 inch front and rear with a single crown fork. Sound familiar?
They don't follow the popular trend, you will never see a Kona FS Bike with VPP, ala Intense, Santa Cruz or some odd design like Nicolai's DH/Freeride bikes have, or confusing design like the Giant. They are like Rocky Mountain in which they just tinker with a proven design, they will probably do a redesign when they run out of refinements to make. You can have your fancy high tech FS rigs, I'll stick to something that is a proven design.
(Probably going to catch alot of flack from the nicolai, santa cruz, and intense people here for this.)
(Probably going to catch alot of flack from the nicolai, santa cruz, and intense people here for this.)
There actually is a difference between the coilier and a 01/02 Stinky. The stink was made for the intent of freeriding and the geometry on it shows that. The coiler is a trail bike that is more intended for slalom/4x.
i love everything about my currenbt stinky-d except i want more travel. looks like this may be the ticket
note the floater and the dhx, from the dh bike pic with an 888 on it seems the crowns didnt change, that or the fork has 05 stickers on it and 04 crowns.
I'm just saying it's strange. I'm just saying it's interesting. I'm not on the VP bandwagon. I wouldn't care if it was a kona bullit, i just like seeing new stuff and I think at this point the price should have come down. That's it, not talking shyt just seeing what others thought.
Yeah that will be very nasty, for the dealers , when this will be known to them. But then, when will the kona o5 's be available, mabey it will be till the end of the year. And if you want a Kona now, you will have to buy a 04, or wait till the 05 are available.
That can take a long time.what fork and shock is on the stinky, looks like an upgrade from this year's
If you check it out, most of those shots you could get walking around the pits at a race. I know I saw the cowan fs and some other 05 frames at the sea otter this year. It's not really that different from Santa Cruz releasing product previews of the vpp free or specialized giving nsmb a press release of the demo-8 for 05. Kona has been releasing new paint jobs every year, if the customers haven't caught on they are stupid. Yes there is excitement when the new pictures of the frames come out. Having worked at a kona distributor though I've seen people come in asking for an 03 or 04 or whatever, only to realize that it won't be out for several months and happily buying the current model. I don't see a problem, especially since this isn't really an official press release(ie. the 2" kikapu pic has been around for some time, pictures from races, etc.)
Regardless, I'm a fan of the new paint job, but won't be buying one.
The Ito
Lexx, Kona was touting the Coiler as a reserected 5" Stinky but modernized with better geometry for all mountain riding (longer TT) and adjustable travel forks etc. They have been saying that since the bike premiered this time last year. People loved those bikes and that's exactly why they came back as the coiler. The new bikes are innovations of the older designs, that is Kona's philosophy, if it ain't broke...you know the rest. The new Stab supreme has a floating brake and revised geometry, hence it is is better. Kona builds bikes for people who want a solid reliable bike and don't care about making new designs just for the sake of being new. That doesn't really make sense now does it? If you rode Konas you'd understand. I have had many different bikes through the years and Kona bikes can do anything any other bike can do as good or better and more reliably. Finally Kona gives more money to IMBA and other advocacy groups than just about any other bike co. so they are looking out for you and me. you know the old expression, don't knock it until you try it...
Originally posted by NastySid
Me neither..
Not selling either
I'm selling mine...need money for going to Australia....someone pick it up! 
The Ito
I dont really like the new lettering, I like the original lettering, and the original logo on the headtube like my 2001 Stinky has on it. The new lettering just doesnt fit for a Kona.
i don't get XC bikes...two inches 
if i was concerned about weight and pedaling efficiency then i'd take a hardtail over 2 in. of travel any day. it's much more practical. i'm sure that 2 inches would take the edge off things a little but a hardtail wouldn't ride like the difference between night and day compared to super short travel. i mean...a little under 4 inches and anywhere up from there i can understand but with 2...i just don't see the point. if i was riding XC then i would give up a little bit of a smoother ride for a lighter, better pedaling hardtail (or a longer travel bike that's more fun to ride )
if i was concerned about weight and pedaling efficiency then i'd take a hardtail over 2 in. of travel any day. it's much more practical. i'm sure that 2 inches would take the edge off things a little but a hardtail wouldn't ride like the difference between night and day compared to super short travel. i mean...a little under 4 inches and anywhere up from there i can understand but with 2...i just don't see the point. if i was riding XC then i would give up a little bit of a smoother ride for a lighter, better pedaling hardtail (or a longer travel bike that's more fun to ride
)
Like the bikes but the paint schemes suck. WTF is up with the military ghetto look on a bike with a Hawaian(sp) name?
New slogans:
"Kona - It aint no vacation this year!"
"Kona - Blowin' $hit up tropical style!"
"Kona - Aloha, Mother Phucker!"
New slogans:
"Kona - It aint no vacation this year!"
"Kona - Blowin' $hit up tropical style!"
"Kona - Aloha, Mother Phucker!"
In other words, what *you* find practical is what *everyone* should find practical?Originally posted by InsaneP2Rider
i don't get XC bikes...two inches
if i was concerned about weight and pedaling efficiency then i'd take a hardtail over 2 in. of travel any day. it's much more practical.<snip>(or a longer travel bike that's more fun to ride
I'll bet the 2" FS crowd would disagree.
-S.S.-
P.S. For the record - I think you're right, but to each his own. Everybody buys what they buy for their *own* reasons, not someone else's.
Werd
P.S. Kona rules!
P.P.S. you should buy one (or more)!
in the background of the pic of the base model stinky, it looks like there is a Cowan complete bike...schweet!!!
looks sweet
Dude, just stop knocking the bikes...nobody likes a basher!
:devil: On a serious note...I am always looking at the newer more sophisticated designs hoping for a holy grail. The Kona's are basically a single pivot bike...not very exciting. That being said, last summer when I busted my bike I rented a bone stock Stinky Deelux, and I loved it. The bikes are just really though out, the geometry has been fine tuned and the fit is really nice. Bottom line....Kona's are Kewl.
I don't like the "cross walk" font font though...
My first bike was a GT RTS (1.9" of sweet-sweet high pivot travel)Originally posted by InsaneP2Rider
i don't get XC bikes...two inches
if i was concerned about weight and pedaling efficiency then i'd take a hardtail over 2 in. of travel any day. it's much more practical. i'm sure that 2 inches would take the edge off things a little but a hardtail wouldn't ride like the difference between night and day compared to super short travel. i mean...a little under 4 inches and anywhere up from there i can understand but with 2...i just don't see the point. if i was riding XC then i would give up a little bit of a smoother ride for a lighter, better pedaling hardtail (or a longer travel bike that's more fun to ride
2" is a hell of alot more than zero. If it can be made close in wieght and negate pedaling induced bad traits, it would be one bad arse XC rig.
I have a HT and a Dh bike. I am to fat for lightwieght XC rigs (FS or HT) but I do remember how much the 1.9"s helped on the GT. It should be set up to almost be a HT but deaden the bigger hits. 2"s isn't much to play with so treating it like a 6" travel bike is a nono.
My RTS was wicked but suffered from an extreme high pivot.....making chain torque induced bob a real issue especially when you had any sag. The Kona looks to be a low pivot and I can't see how that wouldn't help the bike compared to the outdated RTS.Rhino
I aint saying it's right.....just that I understand.
I gotta agree with lexx here. I haven't seen much change on the konas other than the introduction of the elevated swing-arm ala stab primo and stinky 9 of 2002ish. I suppose it's a proven design that works, and tweaking with the geometry makes a huge difference, but they are pretty steep for what you get, the new graphics and tubing do look different, but it does get old after a while. why do you think Santa Cruz decided to develop the vpp line?becasue after sticking to single pivot for 5-6 years they had to. i'm curious as to what could kona possibly become like....