Concern for Kona as staff take down stand at Sea Otter

Very sad, been around from almost day 1 in the mid 80s.

Doesn’t Utah have some very suspect business practices?

Sad.  Still remember my early nineties Cinder Cone and even rode around northern France on it.

I still have an early 90s Cinder Cone and ride it almost every day! It’s my favourite bike.

I expect the brand will continue as its got a lot of depth to it. might not be the same folks running it though

They’re one of the big brands that I’ve still got a lot of time for, they make a load of rock solid middle of the range bikes that are good value, and loads of interesting stuff too. Too many models, mind, and their ebike selection looks pretty dismal compared to others, that’s got to be a big deal in 2024. Hope they’re OK

As a huge Kona fanboy this saddens me

Might buy a Euromillions ticket and see if I can buy the brand

they make a load of rock solid middle of the range bikes that are good value

Maybe this is the problem. Kona, back in the day, wasn’t ‘rock solid middle of the range’, it was something special.

I’ve owned three Kona bikes and loved them all, the last one I bought was a single speed Paddy Wagon for my 40th Birthday, sold it a couple of years later as I hardly used it.

It’d be a shame if they disappear but they’ve always been a bit of an odd one for me. A Canadian company whose name (and many of their bike names) based on Hawaiian names and places but made in the far east.

Their frames were quality but their specs were often a bit crap IME.

Everyone saying how sad, but when was the last time you considered buying a Kona and how many of you own one?

ive got 7  and I bought a Honzo DL last year (tho that was s/h)  my last new new bike was a Kona process in 2019 😁

spec wise they’ve been over priced of late but usually their lower tier is much better vfm with a deore groupset.

Maybe this is the problem. Kona, back in the day, wasn’t ‘rock solid middle of the range’, it was something special.

i think the Honzo dl is something special, probably the most versatile bike ive owned

Loved my Cinder Cone – it was (I think) a’96 in a gorgeous bronze colour.

Had a Paddy Wagon for commuting and I’ve still got an A-Ha frame hanging on the wall.

I hope there is an ‘innocent’ explanation for the stand disassembly 😟

My first proper mtb was a Kona, a 95 Lava Dome. I’ve had 6 Konas over the years, currently own a 2019 Process. Will be a sad day if they go under, if I had to pick a favourite bicycle brand, it would be Kona.

Everyone saying how sad, but when was the last time you considered buying a Kona and how many of you own one?

Me.  Love mine.  But I think they’ve been on the slide since they were sold unfortunately.

Everyone saying how sad, but when was the last time you considered buying a Kona and how many of you own one?

Fancied a Unit or Big Roam ST, own a Dew which has done many miles and I’d recommend then to anyone (and often do).

Am I sad? Maybe. Am I surprised? Not in the slightest. Would be hilarious if it was sold and the original owners bought it back for less than they were paid for it though. Sadly I doubt that will be the case.

This doesn’t sound good, they announced a new and slightly burly gravel bike a couple days ago! It would be a real shame for them to go under, they’re a brand I’ve loved since the 90’s, they carved their own path for a long time and didn’t really stick to convention. Sadly they stagnated for a while and made a few poor decisions. They’re deemed a big brand but they never had the volume and buying power of Trek, Spesh etc. so they just couldn’t compete at the prices they charged – in latter years spec never justified the price.

Anyway, I’m 11 Kona’s in and currently on the Process 134 29 Carbon, it’s covered 7000 miles in 2 years on everything from sessions at FOD to the whole SDW in a day to XC races, it’s an awesome bike, for me the one to do it all. I’ve been looking forward to what they make next, I hope they get through the other side and don’t forget the essence of their brand.

The UK team and particularly their shop in Chertsey are brilliant, hope whatever happens next these guys aren’t impacted

I’m not sure whether I dodged a bullet or not, but a couple of months ago I was in the market for a Kona Unit X (it ticked all the boxes) but I never got to try one, as no one had my size and nobody at Kona could locate anything in XL or give me any sort of time-frame when they would have stock.

I hope they don’t go under but at least I don’t have to worry about any potential non-warranty

“They’re not all saints.”

Don’t worry about Kona – I just know that something good is gonna happen.

I’ve loved three Konas and the old crew has been part of the sport for decades. But bigger companies and private equity kill bike brands. In 8 months the Kona name will grace Chinese catalog e-bikes. Reference Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, etc. Selling two-for-one FS bikes is not a sign of financial health.

And I also think that thier MtB’s were not great value since they were sold.

I have an oldish Kula frame in the rafters and a 2014 Unit, that may get a set of drops whacked on it at some point.

I used to lust over them in the early nineties. Back when Marins were a bit more special too.