# Kona Hoss, Any Good?



## Mr Pig (20 Jun 2008)

Hi Chaps,

I'm thinking about buying a Kona Hoss. Has anyone tried/used them? Just how heavy are they? 

Cheers,


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## Chuffy (20 Jun 2008)

My mate has one. It's a very sturdy piece of kit, but then, so is she. Not that she rides it more than a mile or two once in a blue moon...
Unless you really need the strength, surely there are lighter bikes out there?


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## Flying_Monkey (20 Jun 2008)

What do you want it for? That is the question...


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## Kirstie (20 Jun 2008)

They are hardtails for the beefier person. Or the person who pathologically breaks frames. Not light, but v strong.


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## Mr Pig (20 Jun 2008)

I'm beefy! Around fifteen-stone. To be fair I've had a Hardrock for years and never broken anything so I guess I'm not 'that' hard on bikes. 

I saw one on sale at a great price and figured it would be a solid bike. Probably more solid than I need though and if it's quite heavy you're lugging that extra weight around for nothing.


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## Flying_Monkey (20 Jun 2008)

Again though - what kind of riding do you do?


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## Mr Pig (20 Jun 2008)

Flying_Monkey said:


> Again though - what kind of riding do you do?



Sorry. At the moment it's mostly commuting and blasting up and down the hilly roads around where I live with the occasional off-road jaunt. However we're getting bored of that so want to look for more cross country adventures.

I realise that the Hoss is a DH bike so more than I need.


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## Kirstie (20 Jun 2008)

It's not a DH bike - it's a heavy duty hardtail. it's actually v versatile and could be employed usefully as a more hardcore hardtail or an XC bike. Look on mtbr.com for reviews.


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## Mr Pig (20 Jun 2008)

Gets great revues eh?


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## Mr Pig (20 Jun 2008)

I've ordered one!

Going out on a limb but two things swung it. Firstly, the thing get epic revues and everyone who has one seems to love it. Secondly, although the Hardrock has been totally dependable I've never loved it, never liked the geometry, and I feel like trying something totally different. 

It's a big risk, normally I'd never buy something like this without trying it, but nothing ventured, as they say. If the worst comes to the worst and I don't like it I'll just have to sell it and take the loss, but at least I'll know that I'd tried it. Here's the bike:

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b7s2p156&z=165

Am I an idiot? ;0)


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## barq (20 Jun 2008)

Well you are going out on a limb, but that is a good price. Hopefully getting a tough new bike will inspire you to go on more XC adventures.


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## Mr Pig (20 Jun 2008)

barq said:


> Hopefully getting a tough new bike will inspire you to go on more XC adventures.



That's the idea. Usually, when we go out it's all about distance, going further, and frankly I'm bored. I'm surrounded by hills and countryside and I feel like playing on it, seeing where I can get to without using roads. 

I wouldn't have taken the chance if the bike hadn't been reduced so much. That shop was the only one selling them at anything like that price so I figure that if I don't like it I'll hopefully be able to sell it without loosing too much. It's brilliant spec for the money. If you look at what you get on 'normal' Cona bikes at five-hundred-pounds it's not even close. 

Not very keen on the hydraulic disk brakes though but I'll see how it goes. I'd rather have 'V's or good mechanical disks than the hassle of hydraulics. I don't think the fork is very good either.

I'm quite exited about trying something different to what I've been used to though, I'll keep you posted :0)


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## Flying_Monkey (20 Jun 2008)

Enjoy it!


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## punkypossum (21 Jun 2008)

Why would you want mechanical discs over hydraulics? The v's I can sort of understand as a weight saving measure as long as it's not wet (although on a hoss that would be a bit of an odd plan), but mechanical discs???


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## Mr Pig (21 Jun 2008)

I don't see the need for something as complex and attention-hungry as a hydraulic system on a bicycle. With 'V' brakes, you fit and forget practically. The odd glance over and taking up the slack as the pads wear down.

Mechanical disks are more complex obviously but you still have a simple physical link between the lever and the part that's grabbing your wheel. But on hydraulics you've got a nasty, corrosive liquid under pressure with seals, unions and reservoirs all over the place just waiting to leak, stick come loose or let air into the system.

On a physical system the two critical parts, the lever and pads, are held at a fixed distance. I'll bet you any money that the pads on a hydraulic system need adjusted a lot more? I'll also be that it's a lot easier to damage a hydraulic system, bend a rotor, nick a cable? 

I've stopped just fine with 'V' brakes for years. Hydraulic brakes just seems like a sledgehammer to crack a nut to me.


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## Mr Pig (21 Jun 2008)

Is the Hoss 'that' heavy??? :0.


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## Kirstie (21 Jun 2008)

There's no problem with hydraulics. The braking performance is far far far better than mechanical discs and is beyond comparison to Vs. I have disc brakes on all of my mtbs, and the only maintenance I've had to do is change the pads. Once every couple of years the bike goes in for a service where the brake system is bled, and then it works fine again. I have 2 pairs of hope minis (the old sort, not the mono) and some hope mono M4s on my DH bike. Avid juicys are also good.


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## Mr Pig (21 Jun 2008)

I've cancelled the order!

I want to try and find a Kona shop and try one before I commit £500, it's just too big a risk. If I can't find a 'good' shop that can back up the bikes I'm not going to buy a Kona, Halfords stock them but my local branch only has one Kona bike in and I don't have much faith in them. 

So I might well order one but I'll need to put a bit more thought into it. I don't want to end up with a bike I don't like.


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## Flying_Monkey (21 Jun 2008)

Since you want to try things first, which is a good idea, why not start the right way around which is to consider:

1. You (weight, height, competence etc.);
2. What kind of riding you want to do;
3. Your budget.

Then we might be able to advise on drawing up a shortlist of possibilities, and you can go try a few things out... it may well be that you'll end up where you started and buy a Hoss, but at least you'll know it was the right choice!


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## Mr Pig (21 Jun 2008)

Flying_Monkey said:


> it may well be that you'll end up where you started and buy a Hoss, but at least you'll know it was the right choice!



Indeed. I'm about five-foot ten and about fifteen stone, thanks to a big fat belly! ;0) Fat, but I don't think I need the Hoss as my Hardrock has taken my bulk for seven years without complaint, and that includes the odd blast down rocky slopes and a few crashes. I used to be quite nimble on a bike but being over weight and over forty takes it's toll. I've even noticed that my balance isn't as good as it was say five years ago. Having said that I like off road trails and want to do more of that but nothing too hairy, I'd just crash horribly.

I've kind of settled on a budget of around £500 as I wanted to improve on my top-of-the-range Hardrock. The entry Rockhopper appeals as the frame and spec are great for the money, I also like the company and the shop that sells the bikes. On the negative side I've never loved the Hardrock geometry and figure the Rockhopper might be similar.

I'd like a bike that was fun to chuck around with a relaxed riding position. Maybe just a shorter bike than I've got now will do it.


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## ratty2k (22 Jun 2008)

DO NOT WORRY about the seals on hydro brake systems! Its rare to have problems with them, and the extra power and reliability over mech discs FAR outweighs any issues you may have. As for the bike, well you've done the right thing- try before you buy whenever you can. Mongoose and GT make some good budget bikes as do Gary Fisher. I'd have a look at the Genesis Core 1.0 http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/index.php?bikeID=12&show_bike=TRUE

and the Focus Fatboy which is terrific value for money! http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360032163&N=Focus Fat Boy 2008


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## Mr Pig (22 Jun 2008)

The Focus is out because there is no way I can try it, mail order only. I might try and check out the Genesis, there are a few stockists in Scotland.

The real problem is knowing which components to value the highest. The Rockhopper has a better fork and gears than some others, arguably a very sophisticated frame too, but only Vee brakes. On the Genesis for instance you get disks but lesser gears and a Suntour fork. It's hard to decide what matters the most.

Also the geometry is critical, but unless you've had a good thrash on them how are you supposed to know what bike will hit the spot for you? How could you risk buying the Focus when you might not like the way it rides?


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## Mr Pig (22 Jun 2008)

I spoke to a guy in Edinburgh Bike Coop, they stock the Specialized, Genesis and Comencal as well. 

He said that he'd buy the Rockhopper without hesitation. Says it's got by far the best frame on a bike at that price, it was a high-end frame not long ago, and the rest of the spec is very good too. Although it doesn't have disk brakes it's got disk-ready hubs etc so upgrading later is simple. He's got the Tora fork on his bike and likes it, thinks it a good bit better than the Dart.

He didn't rate the Genesis well at all, said it was off the pace compared to other bikes at the price. The Comencal he thought was ok but there were parts on it you'd want to change and Rockhopper felt more planted and stable to ride, in his opinion. 

He's had a couple of Kona bikes and liked them, very relaxed and lazy handling, but they don't stock them so he doesn't know what the current bikes are like.


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## ratty2k (23 Jun 2008)

http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/dl/core2.pdf


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## Mr Pig (23 Jun 2008)

Great revue, thanks Ratty. I'll need to track down one of these steeds for a try before I part with my cash.


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## punkypossum (24 Jun 2008)

Would definitely look at the GT and Trek range as well, Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op don't stock them, but there are definitely some contenders in there...


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## Mr Pig (24 Jun 2008)

It's a nightmare trying to find stockists of all the bikes. Then they need to have demo bikes in stock and set-up, and in your size! No hurry though. I'll have the thing for a decade probably so I want to get it right.

The bikes I want to try are the Rockhopper, Genesis Core and a Kona if I can. That's based on revues, opinions I've heard and my own experience with Specialized and Dales.


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