Kona Ambassador Kate Meyer is no stranger to ripping DH laps. The Bend, Oregon racer has been turning the heads of photographers with her effortless style and aggressive riding for years. We are thrilled to have Kate riding an Operator CR this year because we know she’ll do it justice. Kate recently paired up with Bend photographer Trevor Lyden to show off her gorgeous Dream Build.

I’ve had my eyes on the Operator for some time now, but at 5’4” I was worried the medium frame would be too big for me. I decided to just go for it and create my dream build.

The 2019 Operator CR comes specced with 29″ wheels but can be converted to 27.5” thanks to chainstay adjustment and a flip-chip on the rocker link. So I had some Spank 350 Vibrocore hoops built up with Hope Tech Pro 4 DH hubs and switched over to a Fox Factory 40 27.5” fork.

I set the eccentric headset cups to the backward position to minimize the reach and swapped the stem out for a 40mm Hope Tech stem.

 I added the sexy PNW Components Range handlebar and the tried and true Hope Tech 3 V4 brakes with 200mm floating rotors (in all black, of course)

I’m trying out some Panaracer tires and always have my CushCore tire inserts. And the cherry on top… a Wu-Tang sticker to remind me to always keep it gangster.