Kona Kikapu Deluxe

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

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Advantages: Singletrack, Marathon Machine
Disadvantages: Don't try jumping on it

...I already owned a Kona Kula, but the rocks of Glyncorrwg had finally wrecked my ageing body, and I needed a full suspention bike. I loved the sharp handling Kula, and so The King seemed the obvious choice. I wasn't to be dissapointed. I'm about 5'11" tall, and went for the 19" size. It fits like a glove. With "only" four inches of travel there are plusher bikes out there, but The King loves twisty singletrack, and that was the main reason for me going for it. This bike loves singletrack. There's enough travel to get you through the rockiest sections of Afan Argoed, and it climbs very well. It's by no means superlight, coming in at about 26lbs, but the bike rides light, and is a great marathon machine. I swapped the FSA wheelset, fo a Chris King wheel set I had lying around, and put the FSA set on the bike I ride to work. They... Read review

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