Author Archives: wicks

Punta Ala prolouge onboard with Alex Stock

Posted on 05/22/2013 by wicks

Punta Ala Prologue | Onboard with Kona rider Alex Stock from Superenduro TV on Vimeo.

Posted in Dan & Jake, Enduro, News, Racing, The Team, Videos | Leave a comment

Connor Fearon trains on a Honzo

Posted on 05/14/2013 by wicks

Connor has been off to a solid start this season, and is cranking out the training miles on his new Honzo. Connor Approved!

Posted in Dan & Jake, Downhill, Racing, The Team | Leave a comment

4 Races, 4 Wins for the Kona Factory Team

Posted on 05/13/2013 by wicks

It was a busy weekend for the Kona Factory Team, with Riders competing all over the globe. Locally, Matt Slaven won the Dog River Enduro, on Mt Hood aboard his team Process race machine. Barry Wicks and Spencer Paxson battled it out to the bitter end at the Cascade Chain Breaker in Bend Oregon, with Paxson taking a narrow edge in the sprint finish. Cory Wallace raced the Salty Dog Enduro six hour MTB event, and not only did he win, he beat his old course record by a few minutes, and Wendy Simms won the Stottlmeyer MTB race in Washington. Good work Team!

Posted in DirtJump, Enduro, Freeride, Grassroots, Racing, The Team, Videos, XC | Leave a comment

cyclingdirt.org checks out the new kona carbon bikes at sea otter

Posted on 05/02/2013 by wicks

Kona came to Sea Otter with their 2014 Major Jake, a carbon ‘cross bike equipped with all the latest including discs and internal cable routing. The new Jake with be available complete as the Major Jake and higher spec’d Super Jake, as well as a frameset.

The new carbon Jake features a tapered headtube and a WIDE fork crown that has eyelets for running fenders. Internally routed shift cables keep things looking tight while the rear brake cable is run externally. Read the complete report here

Posted in cyclocross, My Kona, News, Racing, Road, The Team, XC | Leave a comment

Cowboys and Bikers: cory checks in from whiskey 50

Posted on 05/01/2013 by wicks

The final stop on our America road trip was in the cowboy town of Prescott Arizona. This town of 40 000 country folk was the capital of Arizona from 1864 to 1889, but more importantly is now host of the annual Whisky 50 mountain bike race. The race attracts most of the top pros in North America, as well as nearly 1800 amateurs for a weekend of high altitude (5500ft-7500) racing. There are saloons all over the old western town with nightly shootouts and cowboys strutin their stuff. There’s also an obsession with elk hunting as elk statues, elk head mounts and elk fajitas are found everywhere. The only elk that couldn’t be found around the area was a smiling live one. Read more over at Cory’s Blog.

Posted in Dan & Jake, Konaworld Travels, News, Racing, The Team, XC | Leave a comment

Whiskey Offroad

Posted on 04/29/2013 by wicks

The Whiskey Off Road 50 mile MTB race is quickly becoming the premire mountain bike event in the United States. A $40,000 prize list, huge vendor area in downtown Prescott, and over 2000 amature racers, all combine into a super fun weekend.

The Kona XC crew was in town to test their legs on the 50 mile, 7500ft of climbing loop through the Prescott National Forest.

Friday evening featured a fat tire criterium in downtown Prescott. In the mens race, a group of 15 formed at the front, and pushing hard the final few laps Spencer Paxson captured 4th place on the evening, with Barry 9th and Kris and Cory both in the top 20.

Sunday morning dawned bright and early, as the gun went off at 8:30 am. After a series of pavement and dirt climbs, the race funneled into high speed desert single track, shaded under a canopy of desert pine trees. The race blew apart pretty early, with a select group of 10 at the front. Spencer and Wicks where both in the group, until Wicks suffered an unfortunate flat tire and was relegated to chase mode for the remainder of the day. Spencer fought hard, and even while battling cramps in the last few miles was able to secure an awesome 6th place on the day. Read More→

Posted in Dan & Jake, News, Racing, The Team, XC | 2 Comments

Connor 3rd at Port Angeles NW Cup DH

Posted on 04/29/2013 by wicks

Kona had a great day today as Connor Fearon and his new Carbon Operator finished third at the Northwest Cup DH in Port Angeles, WA in front of a lot of the big names like Aron Gwin and Brook Macdonald. Connor started out the weekend aiming for a top 10 position in this stacked, World Cup level field, so qualifying 4th and finishing in 3rd in the final was great on the new Carbon Operator.

The North West spectators where loving Connor out there, and they were cheering all the way down the track, Chanting KONA,KONA,KONA as he was on his final run.

Connor has a great feeling on his new bike and he cant wait for the World Cups to start soon.

Awesome job Connor!

Posted in Downhill, News, Racing, The Team | Leave a comment

Sea otter Classic

Posted on 04/22/2013 by wicks

Sea Otter is a classic event with lots of bikes and hot racing on tap. The Kona Team made the journey down this year, with Barry, Kris, Spencer and Cory racing the XC events, and Connor Fearon showing off his new Process bike in the DH and Dual Slalom.

The weekend Kicked of with the STXC, on a new, spectator friendly course. The XC boys rode hard, and looked good in their shiny new kit, rolling through for top 20 finishes all around.

Saturday brought on the XC, with the most stacked field in recenmt memory, including many former World Champs, the current Olympic champ, and many nations worth of National Champions. Barry Wicks had a killer ride, making the elite front group on his 21lb Hei Hei 29 supreme, and holding off a massive chase in a solo effort to finish 8th. Spencer had a heart breaking ride, sitting in the top 12 with 20 minutes left, a nail took him and his rear tire out of contention. Read More→

Posted in cyclocross, Downhill, Enduro, News, Racing, The Team, XC | Leave a comment

California Dreaming

Posted on 04/15/2013 by wicks

This past weekend, members of the Kona Factory Team started a 3 weekend race tour out in Northern California. The trip started off with a bang at the Kings Ridge Grasshopper series race. Spencer Paxson, Kris Sneddon, Cory Wallace and Barry Wicks where all in attendance. The race included a mix of gravel and dirt roads, pavement, big climbs, amazing views and tons of fun. Wicks tied for first in a photo finish with former Kona rider Geoff Kabush, with the rest of the gang not far behind.

The next day everyone swapped out their Red Zones for their Hei Hei Supremes, and ventured over to Napa Valley for the 20th edition of the Napa Valley Dirt Classic. Wicks rode a blistering pace to take the win, breaking his own course record from 2009 by 4 minutes. Sneddon came in with 2 other for a sprint finish for 2nd, only a few minutes later.

Now the team is finishing up the final details on their 2013 race bikes, having coconut water by the pool, and resting the legs for their assault on Sea Otter and the Whiskey 50 in the coming two weeks.

Good work guys, and good luck at Sea Otter!

Posted in Dan & Jake, News, Racing, Road, The Team, XC | Leave a comment

Team Issue Hei Hei Supreme: 21.74 lbs in Size 21″!

Posted on 04/15/2013 by wicks

Team Rider Barry Wicks just sent in this shot of his race ready 2013 Hei Hei 29 Supreme Team Issue bike. With the team build it is clocking in at an amazing 21.74 lbs, and that is for his XL 21″ frame size! How light can you make yours? Send us your photos and we will post them here. Way to go Team Kona!

Posted in News, Racing, The Team, XC | 1 Comment

Spencer Paxson: Employee of the Month

Posted on 04/08/2013 by wicks

Spencer is a pretty big deal. He also works for a wind energy Company. They seem to like him almost as much as we do. Click the image at left to read the full write up Atlantic Power’s employee of the month.

Posted in cyclocross, Racing, The Team, XC | Leave a comment

l’enfer du sud – Rouge Roubaix 2013

Posted on 03/12/2013 by wicks

We Kona riders are a versatile crew. We may be known best for our antics on knobby tires and rooty, muddy trails from Washington to Mongolia to Belgium, but we’re also no strangers to the pavement and skinny(er) tires. Having rested up from the 2012/13 cyclocross season and some off-season adventures, it was time to get the band back together and get in shape for the 2013 season. Putting in winter road miles is typical practice to build fitness, as is doing so under the sun of the desert Southwest. In keeping with the practice, but adjusting the geography, Barry, Kris, Cory and myself traveled to St. Francisville, Louisiana for a team training camp off the beaten path, and to test our new Red Zone road bikes (and legs) on the pave of the Bayou State. We would cap off the week by racing in the fifteenth edition of the Rouge Roubaix, a wicked 104 mile road race through the gravel roads, hacked pavement, and surprisingly brutal terrain of the Tunica Hills in West Feliciana Parish. Read more here.

Posted in News, Racing, Road, The Team | Leave a comment