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Kona 2009 Launch - Big Travel Machines
August 26, 2008Published by bruleWith 88 bikes in their line up, Kona has a lot of styles to cover. Thankfully here at Pinkbike, we're more concerned with their gravity offerings for 2009.
Here's a look at the Stinky, the Stinky Deluxe, the Minxy and the Stab Supreme: Ladies freeriding is an ever growing portion of the freeride market and bikes that help meet their needs are always welcome. For 2009 Kona is unveiling the Minxy and it is for all you lady rippers out there. It's based around the Stinky, but with ladies in mind-lighter tubing, women specific parts, tweeked geometry and a lower stand over height are all part of the new package.  Canadian Retail of $2299
Sticking with the Stinky line of bikes lets have a look at the entry level Stinky Six, coming in at $1999 CDN. The Stinky Six is the only 6 inch travel version in the Stinky line up. It is built with budget in mind for those that want to climb up to their descents-only one in the line up to feature a granny gear too. This is the do all of the Stinky line up. 
 The Stinky Deluxe is the abuse ready offering for 2009, with 7 inches front and back thanks to a Marzocchi 66 RC3 Fork and a Marzocchi ROCO TST shock. Kona/Brake Therapy floating disk brake system cut out the brake jack from the gnarliest of descents. The 1.5" head tube adds some strength to the front end. The all new rocker arms add strength to the package, while the laser etched alloy fasteners let us know just how much torque to apply when tightening the whole thing done. The bold color mix really stands out too.  Canadian Retail $3999 
From a visual stand point, the 2009 Kona Stab Supreme was my favorite bike in the line up-simply stunning to look at. This is their flag ship downhill race machine with no holds bared on the parts package. Full Shimano SAINT drive train and brakes, Marzocchi 888 RC3 WC fork, Race Face parts, DOPE Floating rear brake, ya that parts list goes on and on. The new rear drop up will work with any 150x12mm rear hub.  Canadian retail of $5999 
 After the show and tell was over and lunch was consumed it was time to take a few bikes out on the mountain. Kona hired some guides and we all got to head up the peak chair for our afternoon ride on the Khyber trail. To say it was hot out would be an understatement, I was dying, but wow the views from up there were oh so worth it!  Up we go to the Peak   By the time we got down to Creekside a few of us were pretty tired, so I was super happy when Francisco told me that his wife was coming to pick him up and that there was room for 3 more-Done I am in! Unfortunately for us, we got pulled over for a seat belt infraction on Lou's part. Ok maybe had to do with me yelling out the window to a buddy, but Lou got the seat belt ticket-sorry Lou.  The day ended back where it all began at the Kona tent and trailer at the base of the bike park.  You can check out the Shonky and the Bass HERE. Please visit www.konaworld.com to learn more. -Tyler "Brule" Maine |
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philipstonier
(August 28, 2008 at 0:18)
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its good to see kona changing the frames abit, i mean by got its been at least 10 year of vertually the same thing with different names
looks like the fourth guy riding down puts some nice scratches on the bike; hits a rock then a second later biffs it lol.
personaly i think they seem like they will perform better but i like a bike to look like a machine not a toy.
why are you cad's hating on the kona bikes... they are canadian. they are the grandfather of freeride bikes. but im going to stick to american bike companies like specialized and trek and black market and gary fisher and giant.
dno why people hate kona's because they are the same design for like 10 years, why change something that works?. fair enough the 06-08 stinky's sucked abit but looks like the 09 are back to the good old 04/05 style
88 bikes in their line up and all use the same suspension design. (ok the full sus ones) knew someone would burn me bout hard-tails
Seriously, Kona never innovate on nothing, open your eyes! Trek have the same system but with many improvements, alway minimum 5 lbs less than this and have same price, so why buy a Kona enh? This big corporation sit on ther fat ass and do nothing great but burn your precious bucks!
Wee, it looks to me as if someone has stumbled over a bucket of white paint over there... Some parts are okay... but for f**ksake... Not the whole bike... The color of the stab looks soo damn ugly... It looks like a pimp bike for wannabes riding down the city streets with a hucking bike without actually knowing, what it was built for... Get over this white shit... The 2005 line up was just great... the colors, the tubing, the parts... lets spray a bike for bikers...
Actually you will probably win a first prize with the stinky dee... I think it is the ugliest color i have seen in the last 16 years of riding. Well done.
That is a way of getting attention as well...
Actually you will probably win a first prize with the stinky dee... I think it is the ugliest color i have seen in the last 16 years of riding. Well done.
That is a way of getting attention as well...
I know for sure that I will never buy a Kona. They have to be the ugliest bikes out. Look at the graphics! Barf!
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/2406028/
With the stickers removed this don't get any better! Ugly as H E double hockey sticks!
With the stickers removed this don't get any better! Ugly as H E double hockey sticks!
this ones for the testers, do the 2009 888 on the stab seem to be an improvement from the drastic fail of 2008 marzocchi forks?
The issue with 08 zocchi was the reliability, hardly something you are going to see about from a product launch?
The konas have looked fairly similiar for the past few years- maybe different angled top tubes and alike but essentially the same. Would be nice to see something a bit different from such a big company- perhaps follow norcos footsteps (for example) who have made a massive effort with their aesthetics over the last year or so.
More to the point Barel wasn't riding for them this year and Tracey Moseley just isn't that good compared to the younger batch of female riders
Kona is becoming bullshit...Go see in Broken Bikes in "photos" and you'll see, almost every broken bike is from kona...and they're ugly..Too bad Kona..You've lost the goodness
Shit bikes, about time they changed the design, if it was a timeless suspension design then fine, but it does have many flaws. About time for a change!
The colours and decals of the new range are terrible. I hope this is the last year we see white.
Yes, I think 06 was the classic year for the Stab Supreme and the Stinky Primo. 07 was the year of the last and best Coiler range.
The 09 Stinky Six is obviously the replacement for the Coiler but I don't think it looks as good. I'm sorry, but I can't stand curved top tubes. What's wrong with the good ol'low slung straight tube with a seat tube gusset?
On the subject of curved tubes the new Norco DH has to be the ugliest thing I've seen in years - it makes the new Konas look stunning.
Yes, I think 06 was the classic year for the Stab Supreme and the Stinky Primo. 07 was the year of the last and best Coiler range.
The 09 Stinky Six is obviously the replacement for the Coiler but I don't think it looks as good. I'm sorry, but I can't stand curved top tubes. What's wrong with the good ol'low slung straight tube with a seat tube gusset?
On the subject of curved tubes the new Norco DH has to be the ugliest thing I've seen in years - it makes the new Konas look stunning.
Most of you seem to not know what the heck you are talking about as they change something framewise nearly every year, it is called "refinement". If it ain't broke, don't fix it! IMO, best new 09 change is the new pivot mounting bolts with torquing-guidelines, NO MORE exposed bearing rings,YEAH! White is dope regardless of what some say.
Right, that is why they have sold thousands of bikes over the course of ten years! Once you get comfortable with the four-bar suspension, you don't want anything else.
You said it - there's nothin' wrong with Kona four bar suspension. I don't like the 09 paint jobs much but love Kona bikes for the ride.
Wow, Kona sure seems to be in the-line-of-fire for a lot of peoples negativety... And we all know were it comes from... one person talks Kona down and then the next person does the same thing w/o ever taking a Kona out for a spin. I know first-hand they are a great company... if they were not, they would not have 88 bikes in their line-up to choose from. Kona has a bike for everything... that is what I call a diverse, on-the-ball company. If Transition was not around, I would be riding a Kona hands down.
I beg to disagree- a large stock of bikes does not make a good company, just a company great at marketing. At one time Cannondale was a large company, and so was Schwinn. I have watched Kona grow first hand in BC. Yes they are a nice company with good people working there but they do not have a real design component to their company and it shows- no innovation just selling a repackaged 4 bar linkage year after year.
Nothing! It is actually 4 bar. Faux bar is a term used by people who think you have to have a Horst-Link to call it 4 bar. This will probably get a swag of comments. Anyways whatever you want to call it the Kona suspension design is tried & proven there isn't any reason to change it (apart from marketing). If all you people who hang shite on Kona were to look around you'd find that a lot of dual suspension bikes on the market are single pivot or 4 bar without Horst-Link.
I think its good to see some bike/parts companies trying to get a little style into their product. I think this sport needs some snowboard/motocross style because like it or not MTBers are the geeks of extreme sports. Good to see that starting to change. Oh and btw you can wash your bike... that way it stays purtty an white.
Kona has a kick-ass marketing department that is somehow able to convince people to buy the same old design year after year. Honestly - those guys are geniuses! Their suspension is outdated and performance wise, these bikes get left behind. Just look at that "Brake therapy" floating brake thing - stick on another goofy chunk of metal to compensate for a flawed design. Do you buy your bike for the paintjob? Or how it rides?
Kona summed up in a nutshell - shitty designs/service but flashy cool marketing. I think the Ute is their best bike this year HAHA
I buy a bike for how it rides - that's why I've got a Kona Coiler! Rather than outdated I'd say the suspension design is an all time classic. Gee whiz the same company that designed the floating brake for Kona also make them for Turner, Ellsworth, Trek, Santa Cruz, Cove, Intense, Banshee, Marin, Cannondale, Giant, Yeti, Iron Horse, Specialized, Orange, Tomac, Foes, GT and others. Could it be that no suspesion design completely eliminates brake jack?
The DW link suspension on the IH eliminates, or comes close to stopping brake jack(I ride one). This without the two pound bar added to the frame. I do have Gemini too, and that sucker is the king of brake jack.
My Kona Brake Therapy kit weighed in at exactly 1 pound. Some suspension designs do a pretty good job at reducing brake jack (like your IH)- the point I'm making is that no design is perfect and if Kona don't see a need to change theirs, so be it.
