Monthly Archives: June 2010

Kona’s Young Gun UK Dirt Jumper

Posted on 06/22/2010 by mitchell

This comes from our genius UK Marketing Manager, Ben Gaby: Hi Chaps – Just thought I’d update you on Peran Clemence our young Dirt Jumper, he’s getting a bike deal from us and he’s giving back in spades. Attaboy Peran, hopefully Rooney and the boys find some inspiration from your obvious cajones.

Posted in DirtJump | 1 Comment

Fast Pat and The Isle of Mann TT

Posted on 06/21/2010 by mitchell

Kona’s Product Manager is a huge moto fan. He recently travelled to Ireland’s Isle of Mann for the world’s craziest motorcycle race. Here’s his report. To see Pat shred all things bike himself, watch the second video.

Our man Jimmy Moore, owner of 6 Konas, finished top American again, 2nd best privateer (non-factory team) for the week, and an 11th place in the final event Friday, the Senior TT. Jimmy rode for the East Coast Construction Yamaha team this year. His crew chief Colin used to be the crew chief for the late Joey Dunlop and then for the Kenny Roberts MotoGP team before it disbanded. Colin brought some of the old bikes he wrenched on for the parade lap including one of Rutter’s and one of Dunlop’s.

Here’s a link to a video from 2009 that I think reminds me of my experience there the most. Paddy

Posted in Random Weirdness | Leave a comment

Sneddon Takes 2nd at the Test of Metal

Posted on 06/21/2010 by wicks

Test of Metal Report from Kris Sneddon at this weekends Test of Metal race in Squamish BC.

I got second in the Test of Metal this weekend. I took the first preem, the pack was watching Max P and Geoff K so I was able to get away. Right after that Geoff launched a counter attack and got a gap. I don’t think anyone was expecting him to attack when he did and he was able to ride away, we didn’t see him for the rest of the race.

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Posted in Racing, The Team, XC | 1 Comment

Kona Freeride Series Nederland 2010

Posted on 06/18/2010 by eddy

Op 11 juni 2010 organiseert KONA voor het derde jaar met Stichting Freeride Achterhoek de KONA FREERIDE SERIES in het bikepark van SFA in Doetinchem (Nederland).

Op 11 juli wordt er een jam georganiseerd met als doel de beste biker te kronen tot “the 2010KonaFreerider”. Wat kun je verwachten als rijder? Dirts, nortshores, unieke obstakels en een dag met een hoge fun factor! Inschrijven is mogelijk op de site www.freerideseries.com. Overnachten is mogelijk in overleg met de crew van SFA (www.freerideachterhoek.nl). Voorinschrijven kost 10 euro en op de dag zelf kost het 12,50 euro. De betaling is op de dag zelf.

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Posted in DirtJump, Freeride, News | 1 Comment

Farm Ute

Posted on 06/16/2010 by mitchell

Gettin ‘er done down on the farm. Kona Ute style. Check out more interesting Ute stories at www.konaute.com

Posted in Advocacy, Asphalt | Leave a comment

“Deluxe! That’s the Cadillac of bikes, young man!”

Posted on 06/16/2010 by eddy

Click the below image to read this, and other great quotes in the Bike Monkey review of the Kona Band Wagon


Posted in Asphalt, News, Review | Leave a comment

Joe Schwartz Sets Burns Lake Ablaze

Posted on 06/15/2010 by mitchell

Good trail flow is hard to find. It is the result of the magic combination of terrain, dirt, and the vision of the trailbuilders. This necessary mix of ingredients comes together for the trails of the Burns Lake Bike Park. Good dirt is plentiful, the flanks of Boer Mountain playfully roll down towards the valley, and the masterminds from Whistler’s Gravity Logic outdid themselves yet again with the stellar trail design.

Charlotte’s Web, a singletrack that winds its way down Boer, is a great example of everything coming together to create the perfect trail flow. Doubling up rock gardens and pumping through groves of poplar, this trail maintains a high level of exuberance for the entirety of its epic six kilometers of good times. Everywhere you need it there are perfectly placed rollers to pump, or sinuous berms to blast out of, making for an effortless, yet demanding rip down the mountain.

Gravity Logic also left their mark with a long and equally fun jump trail called “When Pigs Fly”. One can’t help but compare the big berms and floaty tabletops to Whistler Bike Park trails. The comparisons end when you realize you haven’t seen another person on the trails for the last two days, there is not a braking bump in sight, and there are cold beers waiting down below at the trucks parked next to a tranquil lake with loons calling and fish jumping.

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Posted in Downhill, Freeride, Regular Joe | Leave a comment

Regular Joe Gets Stinky in Burns Lake

Posted on 06/15/2010 by mitchell

Burns Lake Bike Park from Joe Schwartz on Vimeo.

Check out this brand new bike park in Northern BC! Join Regular Joe and friends as we travel into the wilds of British Columbia to battle with airplane sized mosquitos and even bigger grizzly bears while riding epic trails! No, just kidding about the bears….. really fun riding though!

Posted in Freeride, Regular Joe | 2 Comments

Cory Wallace Wins Another 5hr Epic

Posted on 06/14/2010 by wicks

Here’s a little report from our marathon man, Cory Wallace.

Hope the weather was as nice out on the coast as it was in the Rockies this weekend. We all got a little sun burnt. Now it is hailing down sideways…

I had a good weekend up in the Rockies. XC on Saturday on the potential Nationals course was fast. Stefan Widmer, Matt Hadley and myself gapped the other 24 elites pretty decently. I was fighting Hadley on the last lap for 2nd place when I flatted and had co2 troubles. Finished 9th eventually. The marathon race the next day was a different story.

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

The Kids Love Their Konas

Posted on 06/14/2010 by mitchell

It was a beautiful weekend in interior British Columbia, and the Kids were all about it on their Shreds and Makenas. Yes, Kona makes great kids bikes. Thank you parents, for making great kids.

Posted in Advocacy, My Kona | Leave a comment

Barry Meets Laverne and Shirley

Posted on 06/14/2010 by wicks

I raced the WORS race this weekend at the Sunburst “ski area” outside Milwaukee. This was said to be the most hated course on the whole WORS circuit, and although I found it lacking in technical singletrack, it was still quite difficult.

Imagine a European cyclocross race doubled in distance and placed atop a 400 ft hill, and that was esemtially this mtb race. We climbed to the top of the hill on a steep, goey, smooth single track trail, then proceeded to wind our way up down and around the various grassy knolls and berms strewn along the hillside. Traction was abundent in account if my prototype Maxxis 29 wet conditions tires, and by the end of lap one it was apparent the race would become a tactical battle of wits.

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Posted in Racing, XC | Leave a comment

Regular Joe Heads North

Posted on 06/11/2010 by mitchell

Backwoods Biking in Burns Lake

Sometimes instead of hopping on a plane and jetting off to some exotic locale it can be more of an adventure to explore my own backyard. When this backyard happens to be the grand province of British Columbia, there are limitless options for exploration.

Burns Lake is located a few hours northwest of Vanderhoof, the “Geographical Centre of BC” and an almost 1000km drive north of my home in Vancouver. The size of BC, and Canada for that matter, is not done justice until you drive the lonely roads that crisscross this amazing expanse of land. Central and Northern BC is characterized by rolling forested (and many used-to-be-forested) mountains, clean lakes, remote towns, and people that live in “the North” for a reason: to truly get away from it all.

There are bustling mountain bike scenes in many unlikely corners of the world, and Burns Lake is no exception. A few years ago, with great co-operation and support from the Ministry of Forests, the local bike club secured funding to establish a bike park on Boer Mountain, situated just outside town. Thanks to many individual’s efforts there is now a very established bike park to enjoy, complete with a skills park, 4-cross track, long singletrack descents from the Boer Summit, and a fresh Gravity Logic designed jump trail that snakes over five kilometers down the mountain.
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Posted in Regular Joe | 1 Comment