Kona Blast Nine

Advantages: great frame
Disadvantages: expensize

...PECIFICATIONS Tires: Tioga Terra Firma The tires are very grip and are pretty strong and puncture resistant. Frame: double-butted, 7005 aluminium The frame is very light as you would expect if it's made of aluminium and the lightness does not take away the durability in this case. Seat: SDG comfort comp This seat is very comfortable I took this bike out on a day ride to test it and the ache in my bottom was significantly lower than my old bike. Handlebar: kalloy aluminium riser The handle bars are a nice length and they turn nicely but sometimes get a bit sticky if over oiled. Grips: kona moose knuckle The grips don't lose there grip with sweaty hands much atall and are nice and soft on the hands compared to other bike grips. Suspension: marzocchi MZ-comp 100mm travel fork. The suspension can take alot of shock of jumps... Read review

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Advantages: Quick, nippy, lightweight bike.
Disadvantages: Ride it too hard and it will break.

...Kona build some brilliant bikes... freeride, downhill, cross country, road and recreational. The Kona Fire Mountain is recreational also marketed as an entry-level Cross Country mountain bike. I bought the 2005 model for £450 in Halfords but I've seen the 2006 model for just £400 online at Evans Cycles. Older models can still be bought brand new from various suppliers and get knocked down dramatically in price. Now, I've owned this bike since May 05 and use it daily for travelling to and fro, and in that respect it's a very good machine, lightweight, quick and it looks great. But you have to remember that this bike is very much at the bottom end of the Kona range. The brakes are disc, which is good, as it gives great stopping power, but these are not fluid control brakes... they're cable controlled and brake 'cables' do have... Read review

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Advantages: handles perfectly this is a great bike, useful on a range of levels
Disadvantages: no rear suspension so on rough tracks you have to stand to avoid jumping off saddle!

...Kona make a wide range of bikes so whatever level or type of biking you prefer then kona would be a great make for you to go for! i have had this bike for 4 years and it has continued to impress me throughout the duration i have ridden it. first off i just rode on the usual dry mud tracks, and have progressed onto forest riding and mud tracks. and now i have started to use my bike on jumps and fast downhill/uphill styles. before i had this bike, i had always had a specialized mountain bike, and these i found to be equally as good, they also make a wide range of bikes. so choosing a bike that was new to me was a big decision, especially one that came with a £600 price label at the time. when you go to buy a mountain bike at a shop, the assistant will normally ask you what you want to use your bike for, once you have answeredthat... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful