Kona Stinky > Reviews > My first 'proper' downhill bike

Author's product rating:   

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

Advantages:	Great fun, 'do anything'
Disadvantages:	Poor customer service

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

A Stinky was my first 'proper' downhill bike although not necessarily my first choice, I would much rather have had an Orange Patriot but the five month waiting list deterred me.

I wouldn’t say I regret having bought the Kona with its reasonable weight and specification, it certainly seemed to perform pretty well off-road. My Stinky is now a couple of years old and this is the model which I will review although I can say that the newer model does strike me as being of a much higher spec and better value for money.

So, I bought my Kona and the first thing I did was upgrade it from v-brakes to disk brakes (come as standard now) and the bike rode fantastically, especially once the Marzocchi forks had bedded in, no complaints whatsoever.

For the next few months the bike rode beautifully and I was more than happy, no problems whatsoever but then one day quite surprisingly my rear triangle snapped, shocking when I'd only had the bike around three months. Becoming increasingly more frustrated I waited almost three months for a replacement part, gutted…

Once this was replaced, the bike rode perfectly again and still, a couple of years on, most the parts are in full working order and it’s certainly fair to say that I did some things which could have broken plenty of other bikes!

Please note, I haven’t reviewed the specification as it has changed on the newer models, rather I would say that in my opinion the quality but budget hardcore accessories were good value considering the price bracket at which the bike is targettted.

I'd recommend this bike but equally would never recommend buying any bike without having thoroughly checked out the market to make sure what is best for you and preferably having taken a test ride on two or three of your favourites...

If you would like more detail then the Kona website at www.konaworld.co.uk is fantastic and if you’d like any personal info regarding opinions etc feel free to leave a message in my guest book.

Happy riding…