Ever since Hagen Kluge first saw a Kona Lava Dome cruising Victoria, BC back in 1994, he’s been a fan. “When I was an 11-year-old kid, I never could have imagined that the Kona’s of 2019 could be any cooler than those of the early nineties. This Process 153 CRDL 29 is my dream bike. A bike that can climb like a goat, corner like a frightened rabbit and out-sprint a greyhound. It constantly impresses me.”

This punk rock-inspired build is something the boys at Straight Up Cycles helped me with. We started with the standard bike and swapped the wheels out to bring in some DT goodness. We stuck with alloy rims because accidents happen. The rear hub has the upgraded 54 tooth pawl and it sounds like a swarm of angry bees. The guys at Fluid Function in Squamish helped me locate some candy red lowers for the Lyric. I don’t want to tell you (or my wife) how much that cost but it brought some pizazz to the bike fo sho. The cockpit is a Renthal and ODI affair because I appreciate quiet quality and 35 mm bars are for gorillas. The Bontrager saddle has been on three bikes. I’ve been in hospital twice for prostatitis so a comfortable seat is not something I let go of. Most people comment on the decal kit, the DYED boys really knocked it out of the park with the ‘Merica F Yeah frame kit!