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I've managed to crack my Kula frame and the forks are pretty badly worn so I'm toying with getting a new bike. Ran the Kula SS and I'm hooked, the Unit looks nice on paper.
Anyone got one? What do you think of it?
I'd probably swap my SLX crank over and get some Deore/SLX brakes.
Got one - love it. Really quality frame, just good fun to ride. Stock wheels aren't great though, replaced mine and it feels a lot lighter, easier to pop over stuff. Was bit dubious about the BB7s but actually find them really good, decent stopping power and I'm 15 stone!
TBH I don't want to be replacing the wheels straight away if possible. It seems a lot of ££ for a bike with no tech!
Most folk seem to rave about the Unit on MTBR , just making sure it wasn't a yank thing.
How are the stock tyres?
M8's got one, as above(ish) he's had to replace the rear wheel, wiggle/kona say the rear free hub should have been serviced more regularly 🙄 . Otherwise he loves it & rides all the stuff he did on his FS (and annoyingly quickly). A quick go in the sloop, late last year convinced me to reevaluate my wheel size allegiance (though I went with something with suss forks & gears).
I'm leaning towards getting one...
Anyone else got owt to say about them?
Any photos to persuade me?!
Double post
Yep, got one over here.
The only non-stock item on mine is the stem. I found the stock stem too long and struggled to get the front end up. The tyres are remarkably versatile, having ridden through a snowy winter without fuss or drama and, as my first 29er experience, it definitely rolls over stuff well. The raw finish on the frame looks ace and is the main reason I bought it 😳
Downsides? BB is creaky after relatively little use. I also find it a bit too much of a thug of a bike rather than delicate and easy to man-handle. To be fair that describes my riding quite well too, but coming from a light and flickable (rigid) alu hardtail it took some getting used to. Think rhino rather than gazelle.
I had a 2012 and it was awesome, stock parts are great and I've tried swopping out to lighter wheels, tyres, better brakes, gears, no gears etc....
My conclusion:
1. It's great as a stock bike. you might need to tweak the stem length, otherwise it's great. Handle bars, stem etc... are all really good and very light. Rear hub is great, gearing is great, cranks - yep, all awesome.
2. It's a superb single speed bike.
3. The top tube height (as on all kona 29ers) is high.
4. It's not great as a geared bike. Gets heavy fast and it's something you'll notice on roads and rolling hills. in the rough it's still great, but all in all if you want a single speed this is it. Otherwise get something lighter for gears and suspension.
It is what it is, and it is great as it is.
Interesting responses, ive had half an eye on one all year, and thought it might be a great intro for me into 29ers.
I was planning to run Alfine on it though (nice to see its set up to accept internal hub gearing), with tubeless set-up - but am worried about the additional weight so last response seems fitting.
Sure is a good looker though.
Sizing wise, I'm about 5'9" with a 31" inside leg. Does a 18" sound OK? Top tube seems about the same as my Pitch...
Very nice. I would.
Stand Over is the main issue with your height at 5.9. ETT is 23.5" so should be fine.
I'll pop into the shop and try another 29er kona for stand over.
I prefer this years raw look but the 2014 unit has Reynolds 520 tubing and tubeless ready wheels and Ardents which look like a better all rounder.
Anyone running the 2013 one tubeless?