The Radavist

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

Life has a way of changing all of our well-thought-out plans. In a moment, how you relate to your career, your friends, your hobbies, your family, can change. This moment for Beija was when her father became one of the first COVID-19 patients. She immediately moved home to Seattle to be with her family. Back in Seattle, Beija discovered cycling and it soon became her mood elevator, her escape from reality and sleepless nights.

Beija wrote a wonderful piece for us this year and we’re stoked to see her getting some recognition by our parent company, The Pro’s Closet!

What happens when everything in mountain biking has already been done? Rather than swapping their 29″ bikes for mullets or testing the limits of handlebar widths, sibling teammates Ryan and Becky Gardner decide to give up racing altogether to become high alpine extreme tubers. However, pioneering a sport is never easy; Becky and Ryan have faced many hurdles and endless judgment along the way. The Gardners share a common goal: snagging first tubing descents in previously tubeless high alpine lakes.

Kona‘s latest video features an epic bikepacking trip across the recently built Paparoa Track in New Zealand’s South Island.

Check out more photos and a brief synopsis below. Enjoy!

Vivid, a short film by Montanus, explores the memories created by the most meaningful experiences found on two wheels. For Montanus the most vivid memory was their first bikepacking trip together back in 2013. Riding bikes with 26” wheels and carrying big, heavy backpacks, Francesco D’Alessio and Giorgio Frattale set out to bikepack before bikepacking was a thing. It was in the spirit of adventure that they took themselves 1900 meters above sea level to sleep in a little hut, because…why not? Eight years later they find themselves aptly equipped with the right gear and the right bikes-the Kona Hei Hei CRs. Easy on the climbs and fun on the way down, we’re sure they’re going to continue to create the most vivid memories from their experiences in the wild.

Cory Wallace took the idea of Everesting and added his own twist… a world-record attempt at both Everesting and double Everesting. That’s right double Everesting—nearly 60,000 feet of vertical gain in one go. Sound impossible? Crazy? Welcome to Cory’s mind, where the impossible becomes just another interesting idea and insane is all in how you frame a challenge. Battling smoke and summer heat, Cory set out to achieve what most of us would deem impossible.

If you’re looking for a non-custom and more affordable version of John’s Sklar that we posted today, then check out the newly-released Kona Unit and Unit X. For 2022, these popular models return with the Unit ($1,399) offered as a singlespeed and the Unit X ($1,599) comes with Deore 12-speed. You can even buy a frameset for $699. See all the details at Kona and throw your leg over one at your local dealer.

Trail dogs are the best and in the latest video from Kona, we get an introduction to Luna, the 11-year old who loves to rip around on trails…

Kona Ambassador Gretchen Leggitt has created a niche for herself as a muralist of grandiose proportions. Her impeccable line work can be seen on buildings and walls in major cities across the west. She has transformed a plethora of blank walls in her hometown of Bellingham, Washington with paintings of landscapes, flora, portraits, and our personal favorite, the Kona Astrowhip. In her most recent project, Gretchen teamed up with Coast Salish artist Jason LaClair to create a gorgeous 720’ long piece paying homage to cultural roots of the region and the significance of the annual salmon run.

Check out more from this project at Kona.

Rush Dhillon is a renaissance man. Illustrator, scientist, gravel grinding machine-there’s not much he can’t do well. Rush uses his Libre CR DL to help inspire his drawings which in turn help educate people about the intricacies of the human body. This is Rush’s My Kona.

Check out Leah Lind-White shredding the 2022 Kona ESD after work one afternoon…

Kona Ambassador Gretchen Leggitt is paving the way to greatness with an endless bounty of creativity. Gretchen is an artist, muralist, entrepreneur, and bikepacking enthusiast. She’s pedaled thousands of miles across some tricky terrain all in the name of adventure and inspiration. What she derives from her rides she infuses into her artwork that is taking the world by storm. Whether painting murals the size of football fields or creating new artwork for her Hydrascape Sticker company, Gretchen uses her Sutra LTD to get her to the places that bring her dreams to reality.

When Kona launched the ULTD last year, I don’t think they anticipated its success. What began as an experimental model has now replaced the Sutra LTD for 2022 and the 2021 LTD has been discontinued. So why did Kona do this? It could be a change in consumer demand. People want big, meaty tires, dropper posts, and more expedition-oriented tourers. If you want to learn more about the 2022 Sutra LTD, check out our review of the 2021 Sutra ULTD from last year and see more on the 2022 model at Kona.

For 2022 the beloved Honzo got a geometry overhaul, with slacker headtubes (from 67º to 66.5º), steeper seat tube angle (from 74º to 76º) longer reach (by 5mm per size), shorter seat tubes, which allow for the use of longer dropper posts and more standover, as well as 42mm offset on the RockShox Recon RL Solo Air 120mm fork.

This might not seem like a complete overhaul but in hardtail design, a few degrees can drastically improve a bike’s handling. The best thing about the Honzo still remains its price, which is only $1699 USD. Holler at your local dealer for availability and see all the changes in detail at Kona.

The Big Honzo is the Honzo’s big sibling. It’s a Honzo with bigger tires (27.5×2.8″) and a nice build kit featuring hydraulic disc brakes and 130mm of suspension. You’ll have all the benefits of bigger, 2.8” tires such as increased traction and control in a variety of terrains while softening the ride along the way.

For 2022, the Big Honzo DL ($1799 – in mint) is a 12-speed hardtail with Shimano Deore while the Big Honzo ($1499 – in black) is specced with Deore 11-speed. The Honzo platform is perfect for someone that’s curious about getting into mountain biking without breaking the bank. See more at Kona…

Over the next few weeks, Kona will be rolling out their drop bar adventure bikes, beginning with the Rove DL and Roce LTD models today. The DL is a 650b do-it-all, no-nonsense fully-steel bike, filled with all the cargo and extra bottle bosses you’d need in a neat, tight, 1x drivetrain kit. The DL’s fork has cargo bosses and this year, it comes in a bright blue. While the Rove LTD is a 2x, 650b machine with a carbon fork, also equipped with cargo bosses on the fork. Check out the full spread at Kona! If you’d like a full review, check out our Related column below the fold.

Oxford, Kona‘s Chilean distributor shares the beauty of gravel grinding across the Andes with ambassadors Canuto Errázuris and Andrés Tagle, and their cast of friends.

Spring is here. What does that mean for you and your trails?