Mountain Bikes > Kona Mountain Bikes > Disc

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

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 ...
...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 ... Read review

Advantages: exelent value for money, very strong can take some abuse
Disadvantages: the overall bike is quite heavy, and has bad saddle

I bought the 2005 model Fire Mountain in the beginning of last year. I rode it XC for a good 3 months after purchase. The bike performed well, has a good gear ratio (has capability to go extremely fast, and get up the steepest of hills). But the comfort was not great, especial on longer rides. I found myself having to stop not because I was tiered or out of breath, but because I was in so much pain I had no choice. In the summer I rode some slightly ...
...trails the bike seemed to handle it ok. The only part of my bike that didn't was my bars when I stacked it going to fast and bent them. I've gone back to Xcing now and all the components are still going strong. componaents: the fork make this a smooth ride for the price but the adjustability is not efective the disk brake do not need much wearing in and can still lock my weels today no matter how fast im going, and I've still not changed the pads. ... Read review

Advantages: Great handling, climbs like a mountain goat
Disadvantages: Can be a handfull on rough, fast decents

To date I've owned three Kona Kulas, spanning a perod of nearly ten years. I've ridden 100km marathons on one, ridden the trails of South Wales on one, and commuted on one, so from that you could surmise that I like the bike. Well yes I do, but as technology has moved on is there still a place for the Kona Kula in todays market place? When it comes to riding fast, smooth singletrack, either up hill or down, the Kula is superb. The bike climbs very, ...
...Leith Hill in Surrey. Real Kona Kula territory. Smooth trails with lots of technical singletrack. Just the sort of place this bike was meant for. Now I'm living in South Wales, where the trails are a lot rougher. Guss what, I bought a full suspention, the Kulas brother, The King. I still take the Kula out around Afan Argoed now and again, just to remind me what it's like to ride a "real bike", but I have to admit that the rocks have to a degree ... Read review

Advantages: great bike for a good price
Disadvantages: tire clearance

This is one of my favourite bikes. It is the perfect bike to upgrade, but it is also billiant with original parts. Thats what is so good I think- every one i've seen has been modified differently- some people have put on suspension, others disc-brakes. You don't have to upgrade this bike to make it good though. I've had this bike for 1 month now as new and all the parts are great. I especially like the bombproof frame, the grippy tyres, the brilliant ...
...bars (the list goes on). The minor weaknesses such as the tyre clearance only matter really to an absolute perfectionist. For normal people like me, there is nothing wrong with it. May I just say that this bike looks alot better than in magazines- the bike looks way better in real life. If you want a dirt/street/just about anything bike than this is for you, and if you want a more expensive bike, just buy this and upgrade it! And finally, lots ... Read review

Advantages: Nimble, durable, versatile
Disadvantages: Gearing too low for speed on downhills

I purchased a Gary Fisher Nirvana as a deeply discounted "clearance" item in the late 1990s, and have used it for short commuting and longer weekend rides ever since. The cro-moly frame and fork have worked smoothly and held up well, the wheels have taken a pounding without distorting, and the gears are still functioning without flaw. The small frame accepted fenders, luggage rack, and other unstylish but useful add-ons. This hybrid bike has been ...
...and off road use. Gary Fisher sold his company to Trek in the early 1990s, and I suspect that some of the models have been "decontented" by Trek as Fisher's personal involvement in the product faded. A bike enthusiast that I know told me that this was a carry over of one of the last genuine Gary Fisher products. I have not ridden later versions of this model. That may be the source of the intense dissatisfaction of the reviewer who found the Nirvana ... Read review