CONNETTITI

CHI SIAMO

Noi di Kona crediamo nella libertà e nella consapevolezza del proprio valore che offre la bicicletta. Ci crediamo dal 1988. I proprietari e fondatori della nostra azienda sono sempre gli stessi. Il nostro staff è sempre composto da ciclisti entusiasti, attivi e appassionati. Non siamo un team particolarmente grande, ma nemmeno piccolo. Siamo semplicemente un gruppo di ciclisti che costruisce biciclette per persone che amano andare in bicicletta, e non importa se questo amore è recente o di lunga data.

THE KONA TIMELINE

  • 1989

    • Project Two, the first straight leg MTB production fork is introduced. Throughout the Kona range today, there are more than 10 versions of this fork produced for 26", 29" and 700c wheel mountain and asphalt bikes.
    • Ex-roadie Bruce Spicer (now Brodie) races on the Kona Factory MTB team.

  • 1990

    • Doug Lafavor, "Dr. Dew" joins Kona in July 1990.
    • Kona line is expanded to 8 models at Interbike Anaheim 1990, first Hawaiian names are introduced.
    • Sandvik Special Metals begins production of the Kona Hei Hei in July. 4,000 Kona titanium frames are produced during the next 10 years.
    • Kona Hot, the 2nd US-made XC hardtail begins production in August 1990.
    • Max Jones of Carson City, Nevada joins the Kona Factory Team in March 1990. He is inducted into the MTB Hall of Fame in 1995.

  • 1991

    • World Champion DH rider Cindy Devine joins the Kona Factory Team. She takes the Bronze medal at the World Championships in September 1991 and a World Cup DH victory at Mount Snow, VT in June 1992. She is inducted into the MTB Hall of Fame in 2003.

  • 1992

    • The Future Shock fork is introduced, a leading-link design by Joe Murray. In a very amicable agreement with Specialized, the name is changed to Z-Link. The fork is a total flop, is never safe to ride, and all stock is dumped into the Straight of San Juan de Fuca.
    • Kona presents Max Jones race clinics at NORBA and World Cup events. More than 200 dealer and 2-day mini-clinics are held, with over 5,000 riders learning from Max's expertise as a racer and from his "Tricks of the Trade" booklet.
    • Haole, the first Kona road bike, features a titanium frame made by Sandvik.

  • 1993

    • Kona Hahanna and Fire Mountain are the first Kona Asphalt models, designated as, "Mountain Cross" hybrid bicycles with 26 x 1.50 slick tires.
    • Kona Kilauea wins 1993 "Bike of the Year" from Mountain Biking magazine.
    • AA and Kula are introduced in September, the first aluminum (Easton tubing) bicycles produced by Kona. A total of 20 models are presented at Interbike Anaheim.

  • 1994

    • Sex One and Sex Too are introduced in September, the first Kona dual-suspension bicycles.
    • Humuhumu-Nukunuku-Apu'A wins out as the name for the Kona single peed cruiser over Unit. It's the longest name used for a bicycle model and the first named after a state fish.
    • The great Steve Peat races DH in the UK on a Kona Hei Hei Ti frame. Future NORBA champion Kirk Molday races XC in Canada on the same bike.

  • 1995

    • Kona introduces the Buck-A-Bike program on February 14. A total of $80,000 is raised between 1995-1998 by the program which supported cycling advocacy organizations like IMBA, Rails to Trails and NORBA.
    • Made by Altitude Cycles, Ku is the first aluminum mountain bike frame produced by Kona in the USA. Altitude produced over 3,000 high-end steel and aluminum bicycle frames for Kona, their first US customer.
    • Kona Design Group creates first original dual suspension design-a unified, linear-rate design named Sex (for suspension experience) One, Too and Three.
    • A two acre parcel is purchased and a 15,000 square foot office/warehouse is built in Ferndale, Washington, expanded to 30,000 square feet in 1998.
    • Kona Europe is founded with headquarters in the Black Forest region of Germany by Jimbo Holmstrom. After moving to Monaco and finally Geneva, it's now the largest division of Kona.

  • 1996

    • Dave Wiens, 1993 US National champion, joins the Kona Factory Team. Inducted into the MTB Hall of Fame in 2000.
    • Kona Factory rider Tomi Misser wins two World Cup DH races, the European DH championship and finishes 3rd overall in the World Cup during 1996 on the Kona Misser DH bike with 5 inches of travel. Limited production Kona DH Misser replica bikes are produced. The Stab Production DH bike is introduced in July 1997.
    • Dario Cioni of the Italian Mapei-Kona MTB team takes 2nd in the St. Wendel, Germany World Cup and 2nd in the European championships.
    • Roland Green of Victoria, BC signs with the Factory Racing team and has an outstanding year: he wins the Canada Cup, Canadian MTB Championships, is 5th at the Norba Finals in Mammoth Lakes, and is 4th Espoir at the World Championships in Australia.

  • 1997

    • Jake the Snake cyclocross bike is introduced. Peter Wedge of the Kona Factory team wins Canadian CX championship, the first of seven.
    • Canadian Olympian Lesley Tomlinson joins the Kona Factory Team.

  • 1998

    • Mapei-Kona cross-country MTB team is formed. Team leaders are Dario Cioni and Roland Green. Dario finishes the season with an 8th place result in the World Championships. Roland is 3rd overall in the NORBA National series. Stefano Migliorini of Italy races the 7-inch travel Stab Dee-Lux on the World Cup DH circuit. After retirement, Stefano becomes "Mr Kona Italy".
    • The first production Freeride bike, Stinky Dee-Lux is introduced, a 5-inch front and rear wheel travel "Out-of-Bounds" machine, based on the Stab design, with triple chainring.
    • The first IMBA-Kona Funraiser is held at the Interbike show in Anaheim. In the ten year lifespan of this even, the annual bowling event has raised over $100,000 for IMBA as well as $10,000 for the purchase of the "Vietnam" trail network by NEMBA.
    • Former BMX World Champion Scott Beaumont (UK) races a Kona Mokomoko to 3rd place in Japan Dual Slalom World Cup and finishes 4th overall in the 1998 World Cup standings.
    • Kona website (www.konaworld.com) is launched.
    • John Gibson of Canmore, Alberta is appointed Kona Lensman. He breaks open the North Shore freeride story in Bike magazine (May 1998).

  • 1999

    • Kona-Mapei team back for a 3rd year with Dario Cioni. Geoff Kabush of Victoria, BC replaces Roland Green who heads south for GT's big bucks. Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria, BC is a 1st year Espoir for Kona. Andreas Hestler spends a year with Kona. Washington rider Dale Knapp wins Seattle Super-Cross national cyclocross event, finishing 3rd overall in the US National series.
    • Stab Dee-Lux is named "Downhill Bike of the Year" for 1999 by Mountain Bike Action.
    • Kona "Feel the Flow" demo tour is started. The new 29 foot RV with a 20-foot trailer full of Kona demo bikes tours 20 states and provinces around North America. During the next 10 years, over 40,000 riders have had an opportunity to take a free Kona test ride.
    • Chute "Out-of-Bounds" hardtail bike for dirt jumping/dual slalom is introduced. Mountain Biking magazine calls it "The Future of Mountain Biking".
    • Kona Europe moves its' headquarters from Germany to Monaco.
    • The Kona Clump Freeride team is formed, consisting of New World Disorder riders John Cowan, Wheely King Bobby Root and Graham Kuerbis.

  • 2000

    • Glow in the Dark. Need we say more?
    • John Cowan and Graham Kuerbis ride the Ford Focus promotion tour in California and Texas. They are doing 40 foot gaps over a Ford Focus but Ford asks for a Ring of Fire.
    • Kona Europe holds 1st Kona Festival in Elba, Italy for media, distributors and dealers. There is much riding, and grappa flows freely.
    • Two BMX models are produced: Kuku (means "jump" in Hawaiian) is a dirt jumper and Mama (means "race") is, um, a race bike. Being cute does not sell in BMX.
    • Stab Primo DH bike with 8-inches of rear wheel travel is produced. Tracy Moseley joins the Kona Factory Team and goes on to win 10 World Cup races during her career with Kona.
    • The first Kona Scandium-tubed bikes are introduced on the Explosif MTB and Kapu and Haole road bikes. Geoff Kabush races the Scandium Explosif to 9th in the Sydney Olympics-top North American.

  • 2001

    • The Rasta color Stinky Dee-Lux epitomizes the new Kona. It has a co-starring role in a Walt Disney movie: Max Keeble's Big Move.
    • Greg Minaar races DH in South Africa on a Kona Stab.
    • Kona Ring of Fire chainguide/double chainrings is the set-up for dirt jumpers.
    • We introduce the Hula, a 24-inch wheel aluminum kid's mountain bike with shock fork, our first Kona kid's production bike.

  • 2002

    • Bear and Bear Dee-Lux, 4-inches of front and rear wheel travel, 28 and 30 pounds, pioneering the All-Mountain MTB category. A trademark dispute changes the name to Dawg
    • Jake the Snake is inducted into the MTB Hall of Fame.
    • The Whistler MTB Park opens, featuring a fleet of 135 Kona Garbanzo special edition high-performance downhill machines. By the end of the season, each bike will have been ridden more than a million vertical feet without a single frame failure.
    • Kona's Queen of 'Cross Ann Knapp marries Dale and goes on to win 5 Supercross races before overcoming a back injury to take her and Kona's first ever US National Championship in Napa, California. Young Kona 'crosser Barry Wicks takes 2nd in the U-23 event.

  • 2003

    • Stinky fever continues to rage and the first production kid's Freeride bike, the Stinky JR with 24-inch wheels and 4-inches of front and rear wheel travel is introduced for Kona Kids.
    • Asphalt is re-introduced. Dr. Dew goes disc, Tiki and Tiki Deluxe complement our growing range.
    • A is the shortest model name in the bike biz, a dual suspension bike with more shocks than it's singlespeed gear.
    • New components include the JackShit freeride pedal and grips, Cromoly Bulge ISIS crank, and the Ring of Fire Rockguard.
    • John Cowan released Higher Learning, a 30-minute how-to Dirt Jump DVD produced by girlfriend and future wife, Stephanie Drinnan.
    • The Kona-Clarks Team of Champions is formed with Fabien Barel (French DH), Tracy Moseley (English DH), Geoff Kabush (Canadian MTB) and Peter Wedge (Canadian CX).
    • Dave Watson makes history in July by jumping over the Alp d'Huez stage in the 100th Tour de France. The event is immortalized by Scott Markewitz's award winning photograph and in New World Disorder IV. Dave goes on to be named the Guardian (England) newspaper Sports Personality of the year.
    • Kona is named Industry Advocate of the Year by BRAIN, awarded to National Advocacy Director Mark Peterson by Bikes Belong Director Mike Greeham in recognition of many advocacy activities including Buck a Bike, Freeride Grants, Bear Bell Program, IMBA Bro Deals, Collegiate Scholarship and IMBA "Above and Beyond" supporter for 7 years.

  • 2004

    • Fabien Barel wins the World Championships in Les Gets, France on a bike that was re-designed and re-developed by the quadrumvirate of Fabien, team mechanic Paul Walton, product manager Paddy White and technical director Dr. Dew.
    • Asphalt continues to expand with the Smoke, an urban workhorse and the BikeHotRod, an out-of-the-box chopper machine.
    • Introduce the 24-inch wheel Stuff JR, the first kid's production Dirt Jump bike.
    • A whole new category is introduced with the Hoss and Hoss Deluxe, inspired by Maurice Tierney of Dirt Rag magazine, the originator of the Clydesdale category. Bikes for the 200+ pound rider.
    • The Kona Factory Team adds Les Gets mountain bike resort as a title sponsor. Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks combine to build the Twin Timbers. Ryan takes 2nd overall in the NORBA series and 5th in the US National XC. Ryan and Ann Knapp both take the US CX series championship, then Ann travels to Belgium to the World's CX championship and finishes just out of the medals in 4th.
    • The first 5 winners of the Kona-IMBA Freeride grants are announced to clubs from Colorado, Florida, Oregon, Illinois, and British Columbia. The 7th annual Kona-IMBA Funraiser raises another $8,000 for the 2005 grants.
    • Kona Bike Park Leogang, Austria holds their first Out of Bounds/Kona Festival where John Cowan pulls off the world's first backflip on his own Cowan signature DJ frame. Fabien Barel and Tracy Moseley win the Top to Bottom Eliminator DH.

  • 2005

    • The Kona Global 24 Hour series is launched, with Kona sponsored days of pain in the UK, Australia and Colorado. It continues to expand to Finland and Switzerland, and moves to the Arizona desert in 2007.
    • Fabien Barel struggles through the race season, finishing in the top three in most World Cup qualifiers, but crashes out and suffers mechanicals for most of the season. He becomes the first Frenchman since Nicolas Vouilloz to win back to back World Championships with a perfect ride at the World Championships in Livigno, Italy. The Stab Supreme is the #1 bike on the World Cup circuit once again.
    • Dan Gerhard and Dr. Dew are inducted into the MTB Hall of Fame.

  • 2006

    • "Yesterday my old pal Leonardo and me we had some beer together. Then he started telling me a strange story. A few years ago when he was out on the trails, he said he met a beautiful Italian girl in black clothes riding a Kona. When she passed him, she gave him a mysterious smile. He fell in love immediately." Three women's specific models are introduced: the Lisa HT, DS and RD.
    • The Velo Bella Kona women's team rides the new bikes, including Wendy Simms from Parksville, BC who goes on to win 3 Canadian CX championships for Kona.
    • Ryan Trebon wins the US National MTB XC race, with Barry in 2nd place. Barry wins the Short Track Nationals, Ryan takes 3rd.
    • Czech rider Kamil Tartakovic joins the Factory Team, riding the 4X specific Howler, winning the Schladming World Cup and taking 3rd overall in the WC series.
    • The Kona Africabike and Bicycling's Biketown Africa heads to Gabarone and Bobonong, Botswana in November. The Africabike is specifically designed for the needs of the mostly female healthcare workers where HIV and AIDS patients are currently serviced by walking. Built around a sturdy steel step-through frame, featuring heavy-duty tires and tubes from Continental and singlespeed coaster brake hubs from Shimano, this pilot project is likely to become the most important bike we've ever made. 3,500 Africabikes have been sent since the beginning of the program.
    • Three new riders are added to the Clump by the end of the year: Grant "Chopper" Fielder from the UK, and the biggest new names from Spain, Andreu and Lluis Lacondeguy-who were already on Kona.

  • 2007

    • The Kona Groove Approved Bike Park program adds Verbier (Switzerland), Livigno (Italy), Levi (Finland) and Killington (Vermont). There are now 20 parks on 4 continents featuring custom-built Kona Garbanzo park bikes in their rental fleets.
    • A total of 79 models for 2007 are introduced, including a complete Cowan signature dirt jumper, high-end women's specific Queen Kikapu MTB and Lisa RD Supreme road machines, as well as Kula 2-9 and Unit 2-9 MTB 29ers.
    • On the Asphalt side, the Dews are joined by the full suspension Dew FS, the Paddy Wagon-a singlespeed drop bar track bike, and the Major Jake, a CX race machine.
    • Brian Berthold of Brake Therapy and Kona conspire to bring D.O.P.E. to Kona fans everywhere with an anti-brake jack system for the Stinkys and Coilers.
    • Fabien Barel caps an up and down year with a surprising silver medal at the DH Worlds in Fort William. Despite breaking his foot twice during the year, Fabien also wins the Canadian Open during Crankworx, films a strong segment for New World Disorder Nine, and celebrates 5 years with Kona with a signature edition Stab Supreme.
    • Ryan Trebon wins the US Short Track MTB Nats and nabs silver at the MTB Marathon, as well as the overall USGP series of CX.
    • The annual All Star Revue is introduced, with features on Kona Factory and Clump riders, Groove Approved bike parks and World Cup racing.

  • 2008

    • Magic Link, a patented auxiliary shock dual suspension system designed by Brian Berthold is introduced on the 6+1-inch travel CoilAir.
    • Paul Basagoitia's SE bike is one of the hottest new Kona's for 2008. This 4x4 dual suspension slopestyle competition bike has a surf/snow inspired paint job. Paul breaks his collarbone in June, but Andreu Lacondeguy goes on to win Crankworx on the Bass. That makes 3 out of 4 Crankworx wins for Kona. New Kamloops, BC-based Clump rider Graham "Aggy" Aggasiz wins Sick Trick at the Bearclaw Comp.
    • Ute is the first Kona longtail, a big load bike with an Acacia wood deck and PVC panniers.
    • Kona Switzerland opens in Geneva and also launches Kona Basic Needs, a humanitarian organization to bring more AfricaBikes to Africa, starting with the WWF water project in Nigeria.
    • Kona Bike One Million, a 17-inch CinderCone is produced and sold at Bow Cycles in Calgary, Alberta.
    • The Dew Files comes to KonaWorld TV, episodes on Kona tech and lifestyle featuring the one and only Dr. Dew.
    • Kona signs young gun UK downhiller, Joe Smith, to the Kona Factory Team.

  • 2009

    • Lisa TR is the first Kona triathlon bike and Minxy is the first women's specific Freeride model.
    • Asphalt drop bar models the Honky Tonk, Dew Drop, Haole and Kapu are introduced.
    • Paul Bass is a double winner at the Teva games, also Best Trick at Vienna Air King. Andreu Lacondeguy wins White Style and Sick-O trick at 26Trix.
    • Kona Factory Team riders Barry Wicks and Kris Sneddon place second at the 7 stage BC Bike Race. Ryan Trebon and his partner Georgia Gould win the mixed division. Trebon ride the entire race on a hardtail Kula 29er with 80mm forks.
    • Kona celebrates 10 years of the Clump, and ten years sponsoring the most influential film series in mountain biking, Freeride Entertainment's New World Disorder Series.
    • Kona design engineers put the final touches on the all new 2010 Kona Cadabra, the ultimate trail bike with new Generation 2 Magic Link technology.

  • 2010

    • Major One brings single speeding to cyclo-cross, the Honky Inc. retro-road machine adds a modern touch with Avid road discs, the Band Wagon and Grand Wagon bring high-style for fixie riders.
    • The first electric-assist Kona bikes are finally a reality with the Electric Ute, Token & Ticket arriving in May
    • Andreu Lacondeguy wins Sick Trick at Crankworx and gets a signature steel dirt jump frame, Lacondeguy Inc.
    • The Kona COG goes live on KonaWorld.com, bringing news and blogs from all around the Kona world every day
    • New Kona Factory riders continue the national championship tradition with Helen Wyman winning the U.K cyclo-cross nationals, Gilles Bertrand winning the Belgian DH champs, and Joe Smith winning the Wales DH. Luana Olivera took the Brazilian DH, and also 3rd in the Pan-Am games.
    • 650 Africabikes are sent to South Africa & Tanzania from the 2 for 1 program, more than 2500 sent since 2006.

  • 2011

    • The first carbon Konas are introduced with the carbon-framed Kula Watt 26” hardtail and the all carbon Major Jake cyclo-cross racer. Ryan Trebon pilots his new 63cm, 15.5 lb. MJ to 4th place in a star-filled Cross Vegas during the Interbike show and goes on to win the Portland Cross Crusade, Cincinnati Cross (with Barry Wicks in 2nd), Jingle Cross (Barry 2nd again), and finishes the season with a silver medal at the US National Champs. Helen Wyman also has a great season in Europe, with 3 top 5 World Cup results, 3rd place at the European championships in Frankfurt and victories at the “gevaarlik” Koppenberg Cross, Del Ponte CX, Heuts GP and finally, the British Championships.
    • After 14 years of Stabs and Stinkys, the all-new Kona Operator downhill machine with 200mm of front and rear wheel travel is introduced by newcomer Joe Smith’s excellent 6th place finish at the Kona Canadian downhill during Crankworx. The subsequent video with a British Operator guiding Joe and his Shimano Saint equipped Supreme Operator down the slopes of Whistler remains the most popular Kona screening with over 100,000 views.
    • Australian DH riders Mitch Delfs and Connor Fearon join the Kona Factory team, along with US Enduro rider Matt Slaven, French Freerider Antoine Bizet and Spencer Paxson on XC and CX from Portland, Oregon.
    • After 14 years, there was one last Stinky. Stinky TL for “The Last” or “The Legend”, still designed to huck and climb with 170mm of front and rear wheel travel, Avid brakes and a a 2 x 10 SRAM drivetrain, all adding up to 40 tasty pounds of freeriding fun.
    • A new Kona XC dual suspension 120mm travel All-Mountain MTB is unveiled; The Tanuki. Our Japanese friends from Shimano help to explain this mythical raccoon dogs’ special powers; 1. Big hat (Japanese “Umbrella” in early years made of rice straw) represents; to avoid misfortune.2. Big eyes represents; to foresee the future 3. Funny face represents; to remind you to smile 4. Sake bottle represents; to eat well and live well 5. Notebook represents; to be trusted 6. Big tummy represents; to be calm 7. Big testicles represents; to have lots of descendents and to be rich 8. Tail represents; to have good end.
    • Antoine takes 2nd at Whitestyle Leogang (designed by Kona rider Grant Fielder) on his 100mm travel Bass.
    • Mitch Delfs takes his first Canada Cup DH on his Supreme Operator in Bromont Quebec, Kris Sneddon wins the Test of Metal in Squamish BC on his 29er Hei Hei Supreme. Toni Berg wins Finland DH championship and Kaz Shimizu is the Japanese DH champion both on Operators. Barry Wicks and Kris Sneddon repeat as BC Bike Race team champions and Trans-Rockies on their Hei Hei 29ers. Helen Wyman wins the first 9 CX races in the USA and goes on to win the Ruddervorte Superprestige, on her carbon Major Jake. Barry Wicks wins Gloucester and Sean Babcock wins Cross Crusade Portland. Matt Slaven wins the US Enduro series on his Magic Link Abra Cadabra. Robson Ferreira wins his 3rd consecutive Brazilian Marathon Championship on his carbon Kula Watt.
    • Kona Facebook hits 40,000 fans, 400 Kona dealers receive a Kona Fart Machine as Christmas presents and Lake Baikul (Russia) is circumnavigated by 4 Kona Units in December. There is nothing to be noted with regards to 4,000 or 40 of anything Kona.

  • 2012

    • An all-new range of Kona bikes get off to a great start when the new Operator is named to the Dirt 100. New for 2012; a new short-travel DH Entourage which adds a 170mm travel machine to the Kona freeride quiver. Our marketing dept. calls the new steel Honzo 29er “balls out”, the Satori All-Mountain MTB with 130mm is our longest travel 29er, King Kahuna is our first hardtail carbon 29er, carbon comes back to Kona road with the re-introduction of the Zing Supreme and the lightest-ever Kona King Zing. Our commuters add internal hub machines with the 9 speed Dr. Fine and 7 speed Dr. Good as well as the beautiful Roundabout steel mixte and “shorttail cargo” MinUte. Plus the Kona kids get a couple of race machines with the XC Kula 24 and the CX Jake 24. Mid-season, US-made Titanium comes back to the Kona fold with the Raijin 29er hardtail, built by Lynskey Designs out of 3-2.5 Seamless.
    • Whitestyle Leogang starts the 2012 freeride season, course designed by Kona rider Grant Fielder, bronze medal won by Antoine Bizet on a Shonky hardtail who goes on to take 2nd at the Costa Rica slopestyle, 3rd at the Rocket Air Slopestyle in Thun (Switzerland), wins Best Trick at Vienna Air King, breaks his collarbone in training, takes an incredible 2nd place ride at the Red Bull Rampage in Virgin, Utah on his Operator, and finishes with a win at the Happy Ride in Barcelona Spain.
    • Helen Wyman repeats as British National Cyclo-Cross champion on her Major Jake, wins the Johnson Health Tech GP (Road) series on her Zing Supreme, wins 10 straight US CX races in October, November and December, takes 2 top 3 places in the first World Cup races before winning the SuperPrestige Gieten, the famous Koppenberg Cross, and caps the year with a European Cyclo-Cross Championships in Ipswich (UK). Wendy Simms wins the Test of Metal in Squamish on an incredibly muddy day. Wendy and her husband Normon Thibault go on to win the Mixed Couple category at Trans-Rockies.
    • Karim Amour wins the MaxiAvalanche Are and the European Enduro championships on his Abra Cadabra, as well as the Auron (France) MaxiAvalance. Connor Fearon wins the Australian Junior National DH championship on his Operator and goes on to take the Bronze medal at the World Championships in Switzerland, and then is named Australia's Junior cyclist of the year. Cory Wallace wins the 24 hours of Pueblo on his carbon King Kahuna, as well as the 7 day epic, Tour of Mongolia, with teammates Barry Wicks and Kris Sneddon taking the entire podium for Kona with 2nd and 3rd place overall results. Wicks and Sneddon go on to take their 3rd BC Bike Race team championship on their Hei Hei Supremes. Kona riders are dominant in 100 miles races; Barry wins the Lumberjack 100 in Michigan and the High Cascade100. Kona Staff rider Ian Schmitt wins the Creampuff 100 single speed category on a Big Unit. Spencer Paxson is named the "most bangable dude in cycling" by bangabledudesinprocycling.com.
    • The Entourage captures considerable acclaim from bike testers – Bike Magazine (USA) is the overall favorite of their annual "Bible of Bike Reviews", 26in Mag (France) calls it "un bike vraiment exceptionnel", Pinkbike says "For Gravity fueled fun, the Entourage takes the cake", Bike Radar says "...ridiculously fun to ride.", Mag41 (Germany) says "..in short, the handling is superb..", Mountain Bike Action gushes "...perfect partner for the park rider, the serious slopestyler looking to boost it, or the downhiller that wants more fun on the trail...". Mountain Bike Action (Italy) says "....simply perfect!.." Dirt Magazine (UK) calls it "an absolutely fantastic bike" and later makes it one of the Dirt 100 top MTB products of the year.
    • The Kona Video team is super busy, releasing "Kona Loves Cross", "Aggy rides the Entourage", "The Neverending Road", "House of the Big Wheel III", and how "How Bikes Make Cities Cool (Portland)". Paul Bas pulls off an incredible All-Mountain double backflip on his signature Bass bike, and takes 2nd at the Teva Games. Graham Aggasiz stars in the "Strength in Numbers" movie. Grassroots rider Leo Barsaq takes 2nd at Crankworx Les Deux Alpes to qualify for Crankworx Whistler.
    • Kona and Safariland partner to create the Safariland Patrol Bike, designed for use by police officers, emergency services and security forces. It's an aluminum hardtail with either 26" or 29" wheels with a built-in rear rack and custom top tube. The Tampa Bay police are among the first to commit with 200 bikes for the Republican National Convention. Quote: Wow. The only bikes I’ve seen cops on have been junk. This obviously isn’t. I have owned a few Kona’s in my lifetime (Kula Supreme, Hei Hei). They are the bomb. Makes me want another one. The bad guys are going to be easier to catch if the police are riding these!!"
    • A Kona legend passes away... Jimbo's beloved blond labrador Balou joined Kona Europe when the company first moved to Bloomberg Germany and he “worked” in the office almost daily until the end. He is remembered as one of the only hound dogs in the Black Forest that was never caught roaming and was never shot by hunters. When Kona Europe moved to Monaco, he took ice cream from the hands of children and got away with it. He was also the only dog that would dare walk through traffic by himself to go to the beach when he was supposed to be at work.
    • The first 27.5 Kona MTB is introduced with a classic Kona model. The Explosif goes back to the roots with butted cromoly frame topped with modern features like a sliding dropout system that can accommodate singlespeeds, a 135mm standard geared system, a 142×12 thru axle , ISCG tabs, dropper post cable routing, and a 44mm internal headtube.

  • 2013

    • Three new road bikes lead the way as Kona introduces it's first carbon road bike designed from the ground up. The Red Zone and Zone Two have clearance for 28C tires and "invisible" fenders, designed to be low and solid while still performing like a pro peloton worthy machine. These bikes are designed the Kona Way - built to ride on any road surface at any time of the year in any weather. The all-steel, disc-equipped Rove is a FreeRange road machine built to handle the toughest Gravel Grinders as well as providing utilitarian service for round the world touring, commuting, training and even cyclo-cross racing.
    • Kona went Carbon in a big way at the Sea Otter Festival in this year, introducing the Carbon Operator, Carbon Hei Hei Supreme and the new Carbon Super Jake to over 50,000 attendees in Monterey. To mix things up, Spencer Paxson mounted Cyclo-Cross wheels on his Carbon Red Zone and grabbed a top 10 finish. Earlier that week, Barry and Kris Sneddon finished 1-2 with record times at the Napa Valley Dirt Classic on their brand new Hei Hei Supreme carbon rigs. Barry's 21" team issue bike was weighed in at an amazing 21.5 lbs.
    • On the mountain side of things, the Process Enduro machine has 160mm of front and 150mm rear wheel travel for efficient climbing and superior descending. Inspired by the Operator DH and Entourage, this Process is low-slung with a front derailleur mounted on the short 16.7" chainstays.
    • The year started with a couple of National Championship wins. Dean Lucas rode his Operator DH to win the U23 category at the Australian National DH Championship at Mt. Buller, then Fran Meehan rode her Major Jake to win the Irish National CX Championship at Muirhevanamor Park. Later on in the year, Djone Fornari won the Rio de Janiero DH event on his Supreme Operator.
    • The first-ever Kona SuperGrass roots team is named, for high-level regional riders in North America and Europe, an even dozen athletes will be competing for Kona in the UK, USA and Canada in Cyclo-Cross, Enduro, Downhill and Cross-Country. Could one of these riders become the next Graham Agassiz or Connor Fearon? Notable results included a US National DH Collegiate championship for Becky Gardner and a USAC overall title for Rae Gandolf on her Supreme Operator.
    • The Kona Team took on "L'Enfer du Sud" also known as the Rouge Roubaix along the Louisiana-Mississippi border, giving the new Kona Zone road endurance bike their maiden voyage in the world of road racing. Barry Wicks endured the mud, dirt and broken pavement to take 5th while Spencer Paxson and Kris Sneddon took 11th and 12th. A great start for the first ever Kona carbon road race bike. The team ventured on to the Napa Valley in California where Barry had a photo finish 1st place tie at the King's Ridge GrassHopper Road Race.
    • For the 3rd year in a row, the Kona Team and the Hei Hei Supreme dominated the 7 day BC Bike race, known as the toughest week of singletrack racing in the world. Kris Sneddon and Spencer Paxson took 1st and 2nd in the Men's Solo category while Wendy Simms stood atop the podium for the women. On top of that, Sneddon and Simms won the new Enduro category.
    • Helen Wyman repeated as British and European Cyclo-Cross champion on her new Super Jake after a solid summer on the road including a win at the Sheffield Grand Prix on the new carbon Red Zone, then began the new season with 10 straight victories in the US followed by 4 top 3 places in Europe, including a repeat victory at the legendary Koppenberg Cross, putting her 3rd place overall in the World Cup and leading the BPost series
    • Enduro rider Karim Amour grabbed 4 top 3 finishes including 2 wins and repeated as European Enduro Champion. Alex Stock won the UK Enduro series on the new Process 153.
    • Spencer Paxson followed up his 2nd place result at the BC Bike Race with his highest ever placing in the US Nationals, taking 4th place on his Hei Hei Supreme.
    • Ultra-marathon rider Cory Wallace rode his carbon King Kahuna to victory at the High Cascade 100, repeated his solo victory in the Mongolia Bike Challenge, won the Canadian Marathon Championship (just ahead of teammate Kris Sneddon), took 2nd in the week-long Trans-Rockies, followed by a win at the Otaki 120km champioship in Japan. Then he headed over to Australia for the 9 day cross-Australia Crocodile Trophy, finished 2nd, then finished his season with a 4th place result despite a dislocated shoulder in the World Solo 24 Hour Championship.
    • On the Gravity side, Antoine Bizet landed an amazing double backflip on his carbon Operator at Les Deux Alpes, won Best Trick at Nine Knights with another double backflip, nailed a back flip to front flip to win Best Trick at Taxco Mexico, finished 2nd at the Soderstrom Invitational and 5th overall at Crankworx Whistler. Antoine, Graham Aggasiz and Paul Bas all qualified in the top 10 at the Redbull Rampage with Aggy qualifying 1st. Connor Fearon capped his rookie year on his new carbon Supreme Operator in the Senior Men's category on the World Cup DH tour with his first top 10 result at Leogang Austria.
    • Kona Team rider Matthew Slaven had a very tough July, surviving a mugging in Santa Cruz, California but leaving the hospital with a bullet lodged in his clavicle, only two weeks after winning the first round of the Cascadia Enduro Cup on a 2014 proto Process 134.
    • Two years after Kona answered a call from Melissa Farahat and Kelly MacVicar at A Better World Canada, their dream was realized. In response to their request to build a rugged bike for Kenyan children to ride bikes to school, Kona designers came up with a version of our popular AfricaBike, the 24" wheel AfriKid. Kona donated 65 bikes out of the 205 bikes given out, while ABWC raised the remaining funds to cover the factory costs.
    • Kona's new 2014 Process range received numerous nominations and kudos for their ground-breaking design developments with all three bikes - 111, 134 and 153 listed in the Dirt 100 and the 111 DL nominated for Bike of the Year by Pinkbike.

  • 2014

    • Reigning European and UK CX champion Helen Wyman started 2014 the way that she ended 2013, a win at the World Cup in Otegem (BE), and an outstanding bronze medal ride at the World Championships in Holland. When the CX season started up again in September, she rattled off 9 straight victories in the US before heading back to Europe where she won the UK championships for the 7th time and moved up to 2nd in the UCI World rankings after a 2nd place result in Valkenburg Holland.
    • Also on a Major Jake, RAD Racing's Calder Wood (Tacoma, WA) won the boys' 13/14 US National Championship in Boulder, Colorado.
    • Introduced in the Fall of 2013, the completely new Process 134 with long top tubes, short chainstays, massive standover clearance and integrated dropper post design, continued to receive rave reviews. Bike magazine (US) said "...Kona really got this right..." and MBR (UK) gushed that the Process was "...arguably the most cutting edge trail bike on the market."
    • In April, Kona opened the World's first Fat Bike wind test laboratory in Ferndale, Washington, making the Kona Wo the most aerodynamic Fat Bike on the market. The Kona Fat Bike DFL team held a celebratory beer fest to help prepare for the upcoming World Cup FB season.
    • The DH/Gravity team consisting of Australian riders Connor Fearon, Andrew Crimmins and Tegan Molloy began the season with a multiple victories and podiums in the Australian National series including the Australian Junior Championship for both Tegan and Andrew. As the season went on, Tegan took the World Championship crown in Halfjell, Norway. Andrew was the overall World Cup leader for most of the season with 3 victories before suffering a big crash at the World's. Connor Fearon piloted his Supreme Operator to several Top 20 results and by the season's end had moved up into the top 20 of UCI rankings. Nationally, Ali Osgood rode her Operator DL to the US Amateur Women's DH Championships, and Roman Poulhain won the French Men's DH Championship on a Supreme Operator.
    • In the Bike Month of May, Kona USA's home state of Washington was named the most bike friendly state in the US by the League of American Wheelmen, and Kona USA was ranked as a Gold level bike friendly company for our advocacy and participation in local, regional and national cycling advocacy and promotion.
    • French Kona Gravity rider Antoine Bizet began the year with a win on his Operator on the snowy slopes of Leogang's Whitestyle, and followed that up with Best Trick at the Taxco Urban Downhill, and then took 2nd on his Shonky hardtail at Stuttgarts' Hall of Dirt.
    • July and August brought the Kona Endurance team of Spencer Paxson, Barry Wicks, Cory Wallace and Kris Sneddon back to the mountains of British Columbia to defend their multiple championships in the BC Bike Race and Singletrack 6. Kris Sneddon won 3 stages and the overall victory followed closely by Cory, and followed it up with the individual title at Singletrack 6.
    • Cory Wallace continued to travel and race in the World's toughest MTB stage and endurance events. Cory rode his King Kahuna and Hei Hei Supreme to wins at the Wombat 100 in Australia, the 100km Canadian Marathon championship, as well as the Tour de Timor and Hero Himalaya Cup in India. The World's toughest lumberjack returned to Canada in October to his work in the snowy Northern wilds of Alberta.
    • August brought 169 Kona dealers from all around the US and Canada to Bellingham, Washington for a brutal week of propaganda training and forced-march rides on the new Process 134 SE Enduro bike for women, the revamped Humuhumu cruiser, Titanium Esatto and Rove road bikes, the new Big Rove and Rove AL gravel grinder machines as well as the Kapu, a retro lugged steel road bike built with air-hardened Reynolds 853 cromoly. Anecdotal reports stated that the sole source of nourishment for the underpriviledged participants was a little more than 4,000 servings of PBR.
    • Gravity riders continued to make news as Ireland's Kona Super Grassroots rider Leah Maunsell won the Irish Women's Enduro championship at the age of 16. Former Super Grassroots rider and current Freeride sensation Graham Agassiz won the Qualifier at the Redbull Rampage but unfortunately had a massive crash during a potential winning ride, breaking multiple bones and requiring surgery and hospitilization before heading home to recover fully.
    • As cooler weather began to set in most of the US, the Kona Demo Tour headed south from Washington to Utah, Oregon, California and Arizona with a fleet of Process, Honzo, Hei Hei and Kahuna bikes for free test rides during October, November and December.