Frame Material Kona Race Light 7005 Aluminum Butted
Sizes 14", 16", 17", 18", 19", 20", 22"
Fork Rockshox Recon TK Solo Air 100mm
Crankarms FSA Comet
Chainrings 44/32/22
B/B FSA MegaExo
Pedals Shimano M505 Clipless
Chain Shimano HG53
Freewheel Shimano HG50 11-34 9 spd
F/D Shimano Alivio
R/D Shimano XT Shadow SGS
Shifters Shimano Deore
Brake Calipers Avid Elixir 5
Front Brake Rotor Avid G3 Clean Sweep 185mm
Rear Brake Rotor Avid G3 Clean Sweep 160mm
Brake Levers Avid Elixir 5
Headset FSA
Handlebar Kona XC/BC Riser
Stem Kona XC/Road
Seatpost Kona Double Clamp w/offset
Seat Clamp Kona QR
Grips Kona Race Light
Saddle WTB Valcon Sport SE
Front Hub Shimano M475 Disc
Rear Hub Shimano M475 Disc
Spokes Sandvik Stainless 15g fr / 14g rr
Rims Mavic XM119
Front Tire Maxxis Aspen 26x2.1
Rear Tire Maxxis Aspen 26x2.1
Paint Color Black Beauty
Extras available as frame only
Aluminum is currently the most widely used tubing material in the bicycle industry. Aluminum is often mixed with a number of other elements to create aluminum alloys featuring a host of different ride characteristics, while increasing mechanical properties. Much of our tubing is butted and/or formed, meaning that the wall thickness of the tubing can be increased or decreased, as well as shaped, allowing us to fine tune a particular frame's ride characteristics depending on the application. Kona uses butted 7005 aluminum extensively throughout our entire range of mountain, asphalt and road bicycles. A tough, durable, affordable, light, and dependable alloy, 7005 delivers great performance that lasts for thousands of rides. It is, by far and away, the ultimate aluminum tubing on the market today.
Kona recognized the advantages of sloping top tube frame design right from the original models we made in 1988, designed by inaugural MTB Hall of Fame legend Joe Murray. As a company, we've stayed true to this philosophy, going so far as to pioneer the design in road bikes before the benefits were understood. Today, you'll find sloping top tubes in most high-end road race bicycles. We've since stayed true to all the many positives this design brings to overall bike performance and comfort.
First, this design allows the top tube to be lower, providing more room for correct positioning and free body movement, enabling more standover clearance, which is particularly useful on dual suspension bikes that have higher bottom brackets. Riders have a more secure riding position, which is especially beneficial when riding downhill sections.
Also, the top tube is longer and more compliant. As the top and down tube become more parallel, there's less triangulation, resulting in more compliancy. So not only is the frame stronger and more responsive, but it absorbs more shock than frames with horizontal top tubes.
Short chain stays and seat stays provide a perfect balance of stability and power transfer when out of the saddle and pedaling hard. Shorter seat stays also have less deflection during braking and accelerate quicker than longer stays. The shorter rear triangle also helps the bike to negotiate tight twisting sections of trail.
Superplastic Formed Tubing
Superplastic Forming (SPF) uses high temperatures to shape tubes, when the tube structure is in its most 'plastic' and formable state. SPF allows for better tube shapes that cannot be produced using traditional forming techniques. Whereas shape designs can be applied to 20% - 30% of the tube using hydroforming, SPF allows up to 90%. The result: more optimized shapes and lesser weight. SPF tubes are the perfect alternative to the infinitely more expensive carbon fiber - comparable in weight and performance, without the accompanying disadvantages. SPF tubes are also recyclable.
SPF Tubing is featured on the following Kona 2011 models: Blast, Cinder Cone, Caldera, Kula Lisa, Dew FS, Dr. Dew, Dew Deluxe, and Dr. Good.
By having the headset bearing located inside the headtube (what's sometimes called zero stack), rather than the top and bottom, we are able to achieve a wide array of advantages when it comes to front end stiffness and overall riding performance. With an internal headset, the head tube is able to take the stress directly, resulting in less play and less wear, with strong ride characteristics, and better bearing performance.
An internal headset also reduces stack height, enabling the height of the stem and bars to be more adjustable, the bike has more setup options, resulting in the best fit possible.
Sizing and fit have always been one of the main strengths of the Kona range, with more stock sizes available than any other bike company. With our range of bicycles expanding significantly over the last couple of years, we felt it was time to overhaul our size scale.
We started with the overwhelming request for longer top tubes on our XC mountain bikes. The average increase is ½-inch (15-20mm), which we coupled with shorter stems and slightly shorter headset stack heights. The steps between sizes were evened out to ½-inch or 1-inch increments, and there are still up to 7 sizes: from 14-inch to 22-inch on many models.
In the asphalt range, top tube lengths were marginally lengthened, with the size gaps revised to even 15 to 20mm steps. There are still up to 6 sizes" from 46cm to 61cm on most models.
When it's called for, seat posts are either offset or straight to maximize the reach and power output of the rider. More importantly, the overall sizing on mountain bikes and road bikes allow Kona dealers and riders to determine their fit more easily from model to model and category to category.
The net result is better fit on the entire range, with a simplified system that allows easy fine-tuning and a perfect marriage of bike and rider throughout our entire 2011 range.
Kona warrants to the original owner that the frame of this new Kona bicycle purchased from an authorized Kona dealer shall be free of defective materials or workmanship for the lifetime of ownership by the original owner. Carbon frames have a 5 year warranty. During this warranty period, Kona shall repair or replace, at its sole option, the bicycle frame if Kona determines the frame is defective and subject to this limited warranty. The original owner shall pay all labor and shipping charges connected with the repair or replacement of the bicycle frame. Please see the Kona Owners manual provided with your bicycle for additional information.
