It’s a hive of activity over here in Friedricschafen (?), Germany, where over 30,000 people are cruising the largest bicycle show on planet earth, Eurobike. And amongst all the glitz and the glamour of the European bike scene, with all it’s bright light postmodern mega modernism, there’s Kona, with a sweet tepee, a giant coho salmon logo, and green fields of goodness. Things are going smashingly well, a breath of fresh air really, with the bikes to back it up. We just need to get people to stop crowding the lawn and getting all spirit circle on our ass.
BY NICOLE FORMOSA
MATT FRITZINGER USED TO laugh off suggestions that he grow his NorCal High School Cycling League to a national level. After all, he had enough on his plate as it was running the first-ever high school mountain bike league, an idea he conceived more than a decade ago while teaching math at Berkeley High School.
But, slowly things progressed. The NorCal League, established in 2001, ballooned from fewer than 100 riders in its first year to 500 kids on more than 40 teams by 2008. That year, the SoCal High School Cycling League formed with 14 teams and 100 riders thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Easton Foundations. Word started spreading and requests for leagues flooded in from nearly every state.
It became apparent to Fritzinger that some sort of national governing body would be necessary to facilitate new league development and promote and establish mountain biking as a legitimate interscholastic sport.
Read the full story at Bicycle Retailer
Ryan Trebon and Barry Wick have a new weapon in their race kits. While shooting the latest and greatest at the Crankworx festival in Whistler, Cyclocross Magazine contributor Joe Sales was able to catch a glimpse of the new all-carbon Kona Major Jake. The new photos provide a closer look at the updated ride that we profiled earlier this summer.
by Jamie Mack
In the world of ’cross bikes, 17 pounds is a respectable weight that many manufacturers claim for their average size frames. With a new ’cross frame revealed during the Sea Otter festival earlier this year, Kona has met that benchmark with the bikes built for two of the tallest riders in ’cross, Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks. Typically found on custom 62+cm frames, the Twin Towers of Kona ride some of the biggest, and perhaps heaviest, frames in the Elite field. But their new 2011 Kona Jakes are taking things to a lower level, in weight anyway, and giving the Kona duo a leg up on the competition. Cyclocross Magazine was able to check in with Barry Wicks and get the inside story on the new rides.
Kona was given a simple mission by their star riders – make a bike that was lighter, stiffer and faster than one of the most respected frames on the circuit. And don’t dare sacrifice the ride quality and durability that the scandium Major Jakes have shown over the past few years. And do it all in a 63cm frame. Nothing like a little pressure from the daunting pair of Elite ’cross riders to bring sweat to the brow of a few engineers and builders.
Read the rest of the review and see the photos HERE
Find out all about the bike HERE
We’ve all had those favorite dogs that truly fulfill the meaning of “Man’s Best Friend”.
Here’s a great story/tribute from Singletrack magazine’s July 2010 issue on Bert the Dog.
Click the below image to read the review
Bellingham – Kona dealers came from all over the US to see the 2011 range of bikes and ride with the Kona staff, product managers and team riders on August 18 & 19 this past week. They were able to ride the new 2+2, the shortest travel Magic Link bike yet with 50-100mm of variable travel as well as the 2011 Cadabra & CoilAir. They rode old school, North Shore and bike park trails on Bellingham’s Galbraith mountain for 3 hours each day and this is what they had to say about their rides:
2+2/2+2 Deluxe:
“Felt super light. Suspension seemed bottomless, it saved my ass descending.”
“Bike was in perfect operating condition. Fun to ride!
“Crushed & rolled over everything!”
“New Magic Link was fantastic. Loved the 10 speed drivetrain. Keep making Scandium bikes!”
“Climbed great. Felt like a hardtail until I hit something.”
Cadabra/Abra Cadabra
“ Really nice balanced feel, Cornered really well. Accelerated and climbed really well. When travel engaged it feel deep & uninhibited throughout. Easton wheels felt responsive and solid.”
“Pillowy – bottomless feel.”
“Plush feel of suspension. Great front end geometry.”
“Climbed really well”
“Fast & predictable on technical sections.”
“Awesome improvements to geometry. Super stiff laterally. Great spec & colors.”
“Great improvements in geometry & spec. “
“Pleasantly surprised. Climbed really well, descended like a champ.”
“Loved the Magic Link. Scandium is the best! Your local trails are great.”
“Bike felt great all around. Climbed well. I was confident descending anything.”
CoilAir:
“This bike really blew me away. The overall feel and ride was amazing. Very impressed.”
“Pedals great! Jumps great! Handles DH trails very nicely.”
“Pedalled awesome. Great spec & looks.”
“Felt laterally stiff. As good as anything else out there. Bring back Matt paint!”
The best way to cruise through the little city of Akron, OH is by bicycle. Just ask the 400+ deserving kids who got to experience two-wheeled bliss on their brand new bikes this past weekend in Akron. These kids got to pedal their city’s streets – some for the very first time in their lives – thanks to a generous donation by locally-grown basketball star, LeBron James and the many sponsors who support the annual King for Kids Bike-a-thon. One outstanding donor was Kona’s own Blimp City Bike and Hike, Akron’s premier dealer for outdoor adventure gear in Akron, OH. This local, family-owned shop took on the cumbersome task of getting all of those kids bikes and helmets ready for the big event. On top of the hundreds of kids’ bikes they also supplied a mean fleet of Kona Lanais for the many James family members and friends who chose to ride alongside LeBron and the joyful kids during the bikeathon.
All of us here at Kona hope you feel inspired by the spirit of the event and by the generosity of so many hard working people. We hope that the next time you set out to ride your bike you bring along a kid (or a few) and show them the road to two-wheeled fun.
The 2011 Abra Cadabra will be the first 2011 Kona bike model seen in print this year, stay tuned for it in the October issue of Decline Magazine. Click the below image to see the ad in full size and resolution. Find out more about the bike HERE
Stage 1 (August 8th) Fernie Time Trial, 31km, 1300m climbing. Barry and Kris take the first stage. Looks a little muddy to me. Cory Wallace takes third place behind Max Plaxton and Adam Craig. In the mix category, Wendy and Norm are sitting in third as well.
Day two today. Check back here on the Cog to see how the Kona factory riders fair.
Russian DH Champion reports on the weekend of racingRussian 2010 DH and 4X Nationals took place from 22th to 25th of July near the town of Magnitigorsk, Ural Mountains. The Ski resort near the Bannoye lake is very popular among mountain bikers and it’s here where Russian championships usually take place. Comfortable cable cars, multiple choice of tracks and friendly staff and locals make this place very attractive.
The main event of the season gathered more than a hundred riders from all over Russia and nearby countries. A new track abounded with badass rock gardens and steep corners was built specifically for this race. Race time average was about four minutes.
The weather was a little bit too hot and it made the track very dry and dusty, which caused loose wheel traction. On the other hand It made the race more competitive. Not to mention at least eight fastest rivals to compete with.
Read More→
The all new 2011 Magic Link 2+2
That’s right, our earth shattering collection of 2011 bikes goes live next week. All of us here at Kona are extremely excited to share the fruits of our labors. 2011 represents our most dialed line-up of bikes yet. Lighter, faster, better spec, and throughout the entire collection, more bang for the buck.
For 2011 we’ve added new and fresh ideas by investing more in great people and cutting edge technology. It’s part of the process of completely re-inventing what Kona stands for. The results are our first “ground-up” carbon bikes, a completely new downhill/freeride platform, more Magic Link models, and a newly minted range of state-of-the-art electric pedal assist bikes to complete our rapidly growing and multicultural fleet of commuters.
As committed cyclists, we know that you’re only as good as your latest ride. We’re going to keep making sure the next one is even better.
-The Kona Crew
