Outside Magazine has posted up a shortlist of five mountain bikes they consider worthy of the title “The Best Mountain Bikes of 2021”. The Honzo ESD took out the Best Hardtail category, check out what they had to say below.
“Launched in 2012, Kona’s Honzo was one of the first 29-inch hardtails with modern long-and-slack geometry. The new Honzo ESD (Extra Slack, Dude) pushes the envelope with a 150-millimeter suspension fork and a very relaxed 63-degree head angle. The raked-out front end gives this steel hardtail a point-and-shoot demeanor when it comes to riding fast. As a result, unlike most hardtails, the ESD performs best on the same trails you’d ride on a full-suspension bike. Our testers had many different reasons for loving it. Some appreciated the combination of a hardtail’s pedaling efficiency with the fit and ride feel of an enduro rig. Others saw it as the ideal bad-weather bike that won’t start creaking in the suspension pivots. We all enjoyed how it made well-worn trails feel new again. The lack of rear suspension kept us more engaged, alert to upcoming obstacles and attentive to line choice.“
