Inspired by an alcoholic chain-smoking chimpanzee, Kona’s product group has taken an irreverent approach to creating the Honzo–a wildly agile, trail abusive Kona Cromoly hardtail 29er. Gravity Product Manager Chris Mandell reports on the process:

“To be truthful, the Honzo came from our affinity to the Steely,” explains Chris Mandell, the Honzo’s product manager. “We loved that we could ride that bike on all day epics and still hit the gnarly option lines. We also love the 29 inch wheel, making the Honzo a natural progression for 2012. The key design and frame features of the bike are its simplicity and the snappy feel of a hardtail with all mountain capabilities. The intended use of which is reflected in the geometry, spec and frame attributes. Crafting ‘ideal’ geometry requires a series of compromises. We knew that in order for the Honzo to be true to its intended use it needed short chain stays: 415mm/16.3 inch. It would also need to be able to run a 2.4 tire on a wide rim and have chainstay clearance for mud and mangled wheels. This left no space for a front derailleur. For 2012 the bike is spec’d; 1×9, with a 12-36t 9-speed cassette. Another critical geometry number is the 68° head angle—climbable but not too steep as to hold you back when the trail points down.

Read More→

Born from the ethereal minds of Kona’s product group, the new 2012 Satori is a 130mm travel, aggressively oriented, all-mountain 29-inch wheel mountain bike designed to blaze through technical, rough terrain while still excelling at being light, nimble and quick of climb. We chose the name wisely. In the Zen Buddhist tradition, satori refers to a flash of sudden awareness, or individual enlightenment, and is considered a “first step” or embarkation toward nirvana. On a more specific (and somewhat weirder) tangent, satori has been described as being similar to awakening one day with an additional pair of arms. Bonus! In the case of Kona’s all-new 2012 Satori, we’ve substituted those new arms with a pair of 29-inch wheels. We think you’ll like them.

Inspired by a solid 8-year history manufacturing 29er bikes, Kona’s product group set out to create a nimble bike that provides plush suspension in a simple, light, stiff and aesthetically pleasing package. The bike features all the benefits of Kona’s long-standing commitment to 4-Bar suspension, the most notable of which being shock tune-ability. But instead of using a Walking Beam linkage configuration, the Satori uses a Swing Link design that allows increased standover for a more aggressively oriented 29er bike. Another key feature of the bike are its short chainstays, one of the main design elements contributing to its quickness and agility when it comes to more technical terrain.

[Show as slideshow]