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With the Libre being a relatively new addition to the Kona drop-bar lineup, it was surprising to see a complete geometry revamp this morning when the new model was announced. The best news is, while these changes apply to the higher end build kits, the lower end Libre model packs all these updates, at an unbeatable pricepoint of just $1799. The aluminum Libre features flat mount discs, Apex build kit, and a revamped geo, nesting it inside the Libre lineup quite well. Head to Kona to see more.
Jake Hood takes the Honzo ESD out for a casual rip around his local trails in the latest video from Kona.
Finally! Kona hinted to us that a “new Honzo” was on its way a little while ago but this is not what we were expecting. The Honzo ESD hit the internet today with a 150mm fork, a 63º head angle and a 77.5º seat angle with 62.5mm bottom bracket drop and 417mm seat stays, the Honzo ESD looks to be a very modern hardtail. The complete will set you back $2699 and the frame just $665, one dollar off from really raising hell.
Specs:
-Frame Material: Kona Cromoly Butted
-Wheels: Race Face AR 30 on Shimano SLX Hubs
-Front Suspension: 150mm
-Fork: Marzocchi Bomber Z1 Grip Damper 150mm
-Crankset: Race Face Aeffect R
-Drivetrain: Shimano XT/SLX 12spd
-Brakes: Shimano Deore with 203mm front/180mm rear rotor
-Seat Post: Trans-X Dropper +RAD Internal w/ Shimano Lever 31.6mm
-Cockpit: Race Face Aeffect R 35 Bar & Stem with Kona Lock-on Key Grip
-Front Tire: Maxxis Assegai EXO TR 3C 29×2.5″ WT
-Rear tire: Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO TR 3C 29×2.4″ WT
-Saddle: WTB Volt
See more at Kona.
Remember that funky Sutra ULTD we teased a few weeks ago? Well, Kona has all the details on this drop bar touring bike up on their site now, including pricing and build spec. To start, if you just wanted to build one of these up yourself, the frame will set you back $599. Or a complete would run you $2399 with the specs below. The Sutra ULTD will fit a 29×2.25″ tire, comes with a Trans-X +RAD dropper installed and ready, as well as SRAM Rival 1 flat mount disc brakes. It dons a 69.5º head angle, a long wheelbase for added stability, and either a 74mm or 72mm BB drop depending on the size. All in all, the Sutra ULTD looks to be a very funky, yet highly functional touring bike from a brand that knows how to put together rad bikes. See more at Kona.
Frame Material: Kona Cromoly Butted
Fork: Kona Project Two Cromoly Disc Touring
Wheels: WTB KOM Light Team i27 TCS 2.0 29”
Crankset: SRAM NX
Drivetrain: SRAM Rival 1 11spd
Brakes: SRAM Rival 1 with 160mm front/160mm rear rotor
Seat Post: Trans-X Dropper +RAD Internal 31.6mm
Cockpit: Kona Road Bar/Kona Road Deluxe Stem
Front Tire: Maxxis Recon Race EXO TR 29×2.25″
Rear tire: Maxxis Recon Race EXO TR 29×2.25″
Saddle: WTB Volt
… and it brought back the Rove LTD, which features GRX 810, the Rove Verso flat-mount carbon fork, butted tubing and more. The whole Rove lineup has a breakdown at Kona, so head on over to check it out.
Kona shared with us their new Sutra ULTD 29r, which looks like the most beastly Kona drop-bar bike yet. 1x drop bars, dropper post, massive tire clearance. This looks like quite the trail ally! There is much more info to come but right now, I’m excited to see where this is going!
We love a good hardtail shredit and Connor Fearon knows how to take the right lines, the hard way…
Kona-rider Chris Hornbecker made good use of his quarantine time with this fun video:
“A quick bikepacking trip with the goal of getting back to and reconnecting with nature. Making the best use of my time during lockdown. I decided to embark on this journey with some old school movie magic. Well, not quite magic – more of a projector and some complimentary lighting. With those ingredients in place I just needed to add some stock footage to complete the journey. Now that we can actually venture out again, let’s go reconnect with nature and slow down.”
Spencer and Donny have two different styles and preferences when it comes to riding bikes. One is the ultra XC hardtail guy and the other loves downhill. What could bring them together after such a schism has formed?
Hints of a new carbon Hei Hei have been floating around the internet for a while and today, Kona announced the all-new Hei Hei CR DL and Hei Hei CR bikes, with all new geometries, specs, and a brand new carbon frame. Check out the details below.
Kona’s popular Libre DL all-road model has some changes in build spec for 2020. Most notably is the wheel package. The Libre DL now comes with 650b/27.5 wheels and a 2x Shimano GRX 800 drivetrain, giving this capable bike even more range. The Libre DL’s frame is made using Kona Race Light technology and is mated with an Easton carbon bar, Race Face carbon seatpost, Easton EA70 AX wheels and a Kona Verso Carbon touring fork. Retail for the complete build is set at $3999 with the frameset coming in at $1999.
-Frame Material: Kona Race Light Carbon
-Fork: Kona Verso Full Carbon Flat Mount Disc
-Wheels: Easton EA 70AX 650b
-Crankset: Shimano GRX 810
-Drivetrain: Shimano GRX 810 11spd
-Brakes: Shimano GRX 810 160mm front / 160mm rear rotor
-Seat Post: RaceFace Next Carbon
-Cockpit: Easton EC70AX bar/Easton EA90 Stem
-Front Tire: WTB Venture TCS DUAL 650bx47c
-Rear tire: WTB Venture TCS DUAL 650bx47c
-Saddle: WTB SL8 Pro
Kona’s sponsored riders Barry Wicks and Eric Tonkin take on two beastly climbs in Maui for the brand’s latest video.
Got an adventure up your sleeve? Or a creative way to do projects? Or perhaps you just really love Kona. If you’ve ever wanted to be a Kona Ambassador, now is your chance. The brand has just posted their call for entries to be a 2020 Kona ambassador. Head to the Kona Blog to see how you can enter…
Nevada City is located in the western Sierra foothills in California. If you were to drive from San Francisco to the sleepy little mountain bike destination town of Downieville, chances are you’d roll right through Nevada City. It’s this gateway location that prompted Jay Barre to open a new bike shop, named You Bet.
Russ and Laura from Path Less Pedaled take out a Kona x Swift Adventure Co rental bike to the San Juan Islands outside of Seattle to ride and paint the landscape with water color artist Chris McNally.
Look, e-bikes are polarizing but over the past few months, the users I’ve met on the trail are always the ones with a physical ailment like a vet who lost feeling in his leg from shrapnel while overseas, or the woman in her 50’s who just can’t do the climb as well anymore due to a hip surgery. I think the more we realize e-bikes open the door for more users, the better off we’ll all be. Sure, there will always be people who abuse power, but I just hope the positives can outweigh the negatives. Man, that’s a lot of battery puns in one post!
Check out the Kona Remote 160 at your local dealer!
This animated short features Kona Ambassador Gretchen Leggitt and friend Robin Kodner, as they embark on a 900km bike tour, with their bikes jammed packed with climbing gear. They rode from Bellingham, Washington to climb in the Bugaboo mountains.
With only 201 models in circulation, this Swift Industries x Kona Rove ST is a very limited edition project. Built for touring, the Rove ST comes with a limited edition headbadge, Tubus Tara Big Apple front Lowrider rack, fenders with mudflaps, limited edition Swift Industries bags, and Shimano’s GRX 600/800 group. If you’re in the Seattle area, you can rent this bike from Swift Adventure Co. Check out more photos below and all the details at Kona.