Kona Cinder Cone > Reviews > Cinder Cone matures with age

Author's product rating:   

Value for money	OK
Durability	Excellent
How does it compare to similar products?	Good

Advantages:	Fork with lockout, hydraulic disc brakes and rigid FSA crankset
Disadvantages:	No travel adjustment on fork, lighter options for the money

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This review scrutinises the Kona Cinder Cone 2007.

Frame tubing Kona All-Mountain Butted Aluminum
Fork Marzocchi Mz with Lock out
braze-ons 2 bottles, fender, Disc brake tabs
Headset TH
Crankarms FSA Alpha Drive Powerdrive
Chainrings 44/32/22
B/B FSA Powerdrive
Pedals Wellgo LU-A9 w/Toe clips and straps
Chain Shimano CN-HG53
Freewheel Shimano Deore (11-32t, 9speed)
F/D Shimano Deore
R/D Shimano Deore LX
Shifters Shimano Deore
Handlebar Kona Riser
Stem Kona Control
Grips Kona Mooseknuckle
Brakes Hayes Hydraulic Sole
Brake Levers Hayes Sole
Front hub King Kong KDF2S
Rear hub Shimano FH-M475 disc
Spokes Stainless 14g fr/14g rr
Tires Maxxis IGNITOR 26x2.1
Rims Sun Black Eye
Saddle WTB Pure V SPORT
Seatpost Kona Thumb
Seat clamp Kona QR
Colour Orange

The Back Country aluminium frame is fairly light and uses the same frame as the £100 dearer Kona Caldera. The entire Kona range is famous for their long-lasting and sturdy frames; however at times this does sometimes come at a cost as they are often under-specced for the money in comparison to competitor's offerings in this price bracket. The paint job is a sort of burnished orange which is very unique.

The Marzocchi MZ fork is an integral part of this bike's success. Kona finally treats us to an XC bike with the lockout feature at this price. The quick flick of the lever cancels out the threat of pedal bob when cycling uphill while retaining the ability to turn it back again into a fairly stiff suspension fork.

The bike is kitted out with a complete Shimano drive train including Deore rapid-fire shifters as well as 27 gears and even an LX mech for the pimp factor! The Hayes Hydraulic Sole hydraulic disc brakes are fairly basic when compared to other offerings from Hope but they do provide extremely reliable, strong braking power regardless of conditions.

The Maxxis Ignitor tyres provide uncompromised grip and durability. The FSA Alpha Drive Powerdrive is an extremely rigid and reliable Crankset at this price range. Customers will be reassured to know that other componentry like the stem, Seatpost etc are all Kona branded.

The Kona Cinder Cone is a very impressive XC thoroughbred. While the bike is often described as 'upgradeable', anyone who wanted an entry-level MTB to thrash around their local trails has stumbled across the right product. However, if you require a lighter bike for XC racing then you might be better served going for a Kinesis or Rock Lobster frame and building up your own bike. With hydraulic disc brakes, a Deore gearing group set and a stiff, responsive fork with lockout there's no need to replace any parts after the bicycle has initially been bought.

Why not also consider?

Kona Caldera- upgrade on the Kona Cinder Cone with a general specification upgrade
for £100 while retaining the same frame.

C Boardman range at Halfords- amazing value for money from XC newcomers C
Boardman

Giant XTC EX- Some retailers have this bike at almost half price at around £600 at time of writing and it is significantly better specced for the money