After my Sunday morning ride and still picking the crap from the eyes here is my report on the Kona!
7.15am start, very very wet, snowy and muddy as hell. Three of us start off down a rough, rocky, muddy descent. The first thing I noticed straight away was the silky smooth riding the bike gave. “I forgot how nice it was to have the rear suspension” The 29er wheels as usual made the deep mud seem invisible. The extra speed that this bike allowed you to do was noticeable. “Looking over my shoulder and seeing my mates disappearing and surprising several deer made this clear”!
The climbing on this bike in the conditions of yesterday was brilliant. The steep, rocky and muddy climbs were made easier on this bike with its back end digging in and with its high off the ground clearance, this made riding over the big stuff a dream! The thick mud just disappeared from the bike leaving the working parts nice and clear while my mates bikes were covered from the hubs down.
The riding position was very similar to my green Scandal, not at all feeling that you were riding too high like some F/Sussers make you feel, but was actually perfect for me! I suppose it would be as I used everything from the green Scandal in this build and the cockpit sizes are similar!
Well! Obviously new bike experiences can sometimes cloud your judgement and make you feel good, but this is a great bike and definitely lives up to its reputation! A great bike to have available for the perfect day for it, but I certainly won’t be forgetting the rigid Scandal just picking the right bike for the right ride.
Cheers All.