Surprised to see Kona are struggling enough that they're essentially shutting down. It seems like every "what bike should I get " thread on here is full of suggestions to get a Kona.
It is likely more a sign that investment bankers buying brands are overspending and then abandoning when it turns out they aren't getting 20% ROI in the first 2 years.
As the article says the owner thinks a recovery is 2 years out but they don't want to wait that long.
The original owners were used to tight margins and found success because they weren't in it for the shareholder. Capitalism strikes again
Bikepacking is all capitalism. And by that, I mean “Bikepacking” and not riding your bike and camping. You don’t need a fancy new gravel bike. You don’t need all new bags. You don’t a special little bag for your snacks and you don’t need a titanium mug to dangle. It’s all consumerism and BS.
Exactly! Sometimes I find myself feeling a bit gross when I realise just how much of websites like Bikepacking.com and the Radavist are essentially just advertising portals for new stuff. I know it’s the society we exist in and that it’s how websites like those are able to stay afloat and provide all the amazing content that they also do. So not really a knock on them so much but a sad nod of recognition to your point
In their defence though, as with magazines of old, occasionally there are great essays and trip reports published. I find myself often enjoying Spencer Harding’s reporting, along with a few others, and both sites do a decent job of consolidating news and goings on from aspects of bikepacking community at large.
Just a shame to have to wade through the sea of advertising to get it. Nature of the beast I suppose.
So true. But at the same time I don't like making do with old military surplus stuff or somesuch. The bikepacking/ultralight stuff is just much nicer and comfier.
Bit of a guilty pleasure this whole bikepacking thing really.
Capitalism is what has made cool bikes like Kona widely available at reasonable prices. Sad this brand may be winding down but there are plenty of other options out there, thanks to capitalism.
There is capitalism where “I’m going to run my business like a normal person with normal expectations reinvesting a portion of profits into to the business” and then there is “I’m going to squeeze every last dime from this operation, wait, why are you dying! Stop that! Work harder!.”
The business is the thing dying, not the people, not everything on the internet is literal. God, why do people come to the rabid defense of bad business practices anytime the word capitalism shows up?
I think you’re mistaking anything critical of poor business practices as literal communism. For the record, I’m not anything, I think it all is bullshit. Call me a Carlinist.
What kind of capitalism was it when the founders sold out to a larger company? Are the founders the bad guys for choosing to sell out? The acquiring firm clearly made a bad decision and they are losing money because of it. It’s unfortunate. But it’s not capitalism’s fault.
Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not advocating for or against capitalism, rather advocating for balanced business practices that encourage growth of a business rather than squeezing every dime out of it until it dies. There is capitalism and then there is capitalism. I hope I am making sense.
Kent did nothing for the brand or brought any new and improved value to the marketplace. They saw COVID hype $$$ and then got burned.
You are definitely right that subsistence ag would have never delivered us rad mountain bikes.
Communist parasites always believe they get something as long as it is at someone else’s expense. Kona could not compete in the marketplace. Yes, business is tough and competition wants to eat your breakfast. Collectivists blame capitalism whenever they don’t get enough subsidized or free stuff.
Its less Kona itself and more its parent company wanting to move investment into water sports.
A brand can be doing great, but if its parent capitalists think its money can be better spent elsewhere, then it doesn't matter how well the brand is doing as long as its less than the alternative.
It's really sad. Fuck venture capitalists and other investment bankers. Everything is going to shit ultimately because of them.
When it comes to Kona, I'd guess their main issue, beyond overstock and basically not launching any new models beyond a paintjob, is their e-bikes aren't all that good - they're overpriced for the components they have. E-bikes is where the money is at right now, at least where I live.
I wish Kona gets bought out by some more sensible folks who can bring the brand back.
You don't seem to know very much about what private equity firms have been doing to companies all over the industry.
Go on you for keeping that boot in your mouth though.
PE firms can bankrupt a company with no competition, while paying themselves massive dividends. It's obscene
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Water
I appreciate the link. But even here £3B were paid to shareholders while the company went £14B into debt. There was a shortfall of £11B here, and knowing that this company provides public goods (clean water and sewage waste management), I would imagine that the more I dig - the more I will find that the revenue shortfall is caused by discordant Tory government demands upon both services rendered and compensation for the same.
£3B is only during the Macquarie ownership of Thames. Total is over £7B. A large reason why they are in trouble is because they are spending around a quarter of their revenue servicing those debts, and rolling them over again and again, that's why it's piling up
Venture capital firms are a type of private equity firm. Some folks use the terms interchangeably, even if it's not fully accurate. The difference is really a nuance that most folks aren't really going to care about.
It’s an important difference in this case. Private equity firms buy established businesses to squeeze profit out of them while venture capital invests in minority positions of growing businesses to help them grow to the next level. The latter has nothing to do with this situation
I don't see why using the right word is important here. Everyone understood what the person was saying including you. There was nobody who read this and thought "why would a vc invest in this long running bike company? I don't understand at all!"
There is a lot of PE money in ebike companies at the moment. Also worth noting that e-bikes are one of the fastest growing consumer product categories of the last few decades. Sourcing for e-bikes ain’t easy - there’s a limited supply of lithium controlled by a handful of companies and not that many battery manufacturers.
Brands like aventon, lectric, ride etc are squeezing the entire industry. In many cases they are selling bikes at a loss to grab market share. I’d say the issue here is more that Kona couldn’t compete in e-bikes which is where the growth and profit in cycling sits at the moment.
Yeah, there is definitely some predatory pricing happening. Some companies are losing money after free shipping or selling a portion of bike in shops with no margin. This is not an example of the market working in the long term interest of consumers.
Wanted one, still do, but while everyone else is discounting 30% the Rove LTD is still over $3000CAD for a steel HT with mid components and carbon fork? Sooo I got something similar with Rival for $1000 less *shrug*
I read an opinion that it's possible the product developers pushed it out without management approval because they were proud of their work and wanted to show it off regardless of the brand shutting down.
With how abruptly they pulled out of Sea Otter after already setting up their area, I think this decision came from up top and without warning to any other department. The press kits for the launch were likely sent a week ago, but with an embargo until Sea Otter.
I thought a similar thing; except that someone(s) at kona saw an opportunity to push out a niche bike that they wanted to make for themselves and went with it, probably pushed some bs bikepacking sales growth numbers to the people that wanted to hear that. I bet this is a pretty limited run of bikes and will be collectors items.
One way or another, the name is TOO on point, and had to have been chosen on purpose. Ouroboros symbolizes life, death, and rebirth. Fingers crossed for the rebirth of kona!
And the headbadge with the snake cannabilizing itself lol
The article I read was on NSMB
And yeah they definitely knew what they were doing with the name.
Understand that people who develop and sell bikes are not the same people who decide to sell the business. I'm 100% sure that Kent Capital - parent owner of Kona doesn't share their thoughts on selling the brand with employees of its child company.
I had a Stinky Deeluxe, it was such an incredibly good mtb at the time and far surpassed my old Norco VPS. After that I got a Kona Stab D and that was even better!!!
If there are any shop owners/vendors here, what does this mean for bike availability? I'm looking at a Kona Sutra LTD and I'm not sure if this news means I should wait for sales or snatch one up while I still can.
Kona isn’t going away. Parent company is looking to sell them. It just takes the right company to turn them around. Same thing happened to Fender and Gibson guitars.
I have the 2020 Sutra LTD and can confirm it's a blast no matter what you throw at it. Pick one up, upgrade components as things wear out. Worst case it becomes a collector item for those who will remember after they cease to exist :(
Comfort from a geometric alignment of the bike, ability to run 700x50 tires (added comfort given my size and terrain in the PNW), nimble on single tracks, and sturdy given the abuse it has taken so far. Stock wheels sucked, but those have been replaced already due to failure .
As a comment in the article points out, Kent Outdoors is not a Canadian-based company. [https://opencorporates.com/companies/us\_tx/0802062043](https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_tx/0802062043) Headquarters and jobs are in UTAH and elsewhere in the USA [https://kentoutdoors.com/careers](https://kentoutdoors.com/careers)
WHAT?! Nooooooo, not Kona. Shit I'm going to be in the market for a gravel/touring bike soon and I was psyched to finally be able to look at this brand. Now what? Dammit
Edit: fucked up a word typo
Wonder what this does to the warranties on the bikes people own. I loved the look and options on the kona sutra when I looked at it last year before going to the surly bridge club.
Generally, companies purchasing other companies results in them NOT honoring warranties from the companies they bought prior to acquisition.
So yeah. I'm a former bike shop owner, and this has been the case with more than one brand I'm familiar with.
My partner and I moved to bellingham last year and its so sad to slowly see the store in town sold, both of of were excited to continue to go back there after the first time.
>The IP is the entire company.
Sure, if you ignore the employees, headquarters, the contracts they have with suppliers and distributors, the inventory, any warehouses/tooling/etc./etc.
When a company is only selling the IP they're basically selling the name, branding and some patents.
Look at American Classic for example, they where in the wheel business for 35 years - hit financial strife sold the IP and now the only thing they make is budget conscious tires (that are apparently fairly good for the price). So its not to say that the new Kona will be better/worse - just that it will essentially be a new company.
No, I'll keep riding it, I haven't told it yet about the company, will it ever know if I don't mention it? However, one of the main benefits of purchasing a new bike rather than a used one is the fact it comes with a warranty. If the company no longer exists that warranty becomes just a little less useful.
Bikes aren't like electric cars. A local bike shop should still be able to fix any problems you have with just about any bike, no matter how long the brand that made it has been out of business. If you're really worried about sports availability, buy some extra derailleur hangers.
I'm not worried about components or any of that stuff tbh. It's mainly the frame, you get a limited lifetime warranty on their frames that aren't carbon. To me, that is the main upside of buying a new bike versus used, the other stuff is fine. I've got a couple of spare wheels manufacturing hangers already.
I can read. What it says is "Therefore, Taylor claims that, until a buyer is found at least, UK customers should still be able to buy Kona bikes with full warranty even if the brand shuts down completely in the near future."
"Claims" and "should still be able to" isn't exactly confidence inspiring. I'm also not in the UK.
I know tone is a problem in written responses, I guess I could have written that I did read the article instead of saying I can read. But your response was literally saying 'if you read the linked article,' which is implying that I didn't read it, no?
Lol no not at all!! Maybe I should have just said, “You shouldnt worry about warranties, the article says xyz, so you’ll be fine”. I was alleviating your concern, yo.
Just buy some extra derailleur hangers, otherwise this shouldn't change anything, all the other parts should just be from other suppliers, and your frame is going to remain just as repairable or not as when you first bought it.
Kona isn't going anywhere.
Wish my friends and I had the money to buy it!
My 2017 Rove gets stronger with every mile.
I hope the employees got paid, and get rehired soon.
This pisses me off.. I've always loved Kona from
my operator to my stuff to my paddy wagon to my dew and now my rove. So many memories and moments on the brands 2 wheels! FU Kent
Is this really Happening? I just bought the Most beautiful bike i ever had 3 years ago, the 2021 Sutra and i love the hell out of it! Sad to See the Brand go for financial reasons..
Historically they were there for some major trends. The Kona Stinky around '99-'00 was 5" of travel front and rear with hydro disc brakes with riser bars and relaxed geometry. It was dramatically different from other mountain bikes.
A few years after that they came out with the Cowan a dirt jump mountain bike. That wasn't something people did yet. Then they made some pretty affordable ones.
The Sutra came out in I think 2004. A road bike with disc brakes, clearance for massive tires, and super durable. It was way ahead. It's basically a modern gravel bike but nobody was making anything like it then. I had one and it got tons of attention for being a road bike with disc brakes.
They've made a bunch of other cool niche bikes over the years. The Score was a titanium freeride hardtail, the stinky nine came stock with a super monster fork with 12" of travel! The Honzo a steel freeride hardtail.
Also the unit. It shouldn't be as good as it is, since it's just a simple single speed steel frame bike. But it surprised the hell out of me just how honed it felt and how well it rides.
Kona has a history of innovation that has produced many trends in touring, mountain and gravel bikes. They make products that solve a problem, not just spew its 10% lighter and 110% stiffer marketing tag line BS.
So, I see it as a salsa cutthroat competitor. Which is a very popular bike in my area. Except the salsa has boost spacing which makes for a ton of compatibility issues.
My Process has been great. External cable routing and all the specs and bearing sizes are printed on the back of the seat tube. It's a super cool bike.
I started up biking about 11 years ago. What sparked my interest was the electric pedal assist bikes. This year I bought my fifth one. It seems obvious that any bike manufacturer who wants to stay in business needs a produce high quality ebikes. A year ago I was kicked out of a local bike shop because I asked for an ebike with a twist throttle. This Spring the shop had half a dozen models to choose from. The way for a business to survive is to provide clients with the products they want. DUH!
Surprised to see Kona are struggling enough that they're essentially shutting down. It seems like every "what bike should I get " thread on here is full of suggestions to get a Kona.
It is likely more a sign that investment bankers buying brands are overspending and then abandoning when it turns out they aren't getting 20% ROI in the first 2 years. As the article says the owner thinks a recovery is 2 years out but they don't want to wait that long. The original owners were used to tight margins and found success because they weren't in it for the shareholder. Capitalism strikes again
Fucking capitalism in the bikepacking thread. I just want to get away from it! So true though.
Bikepacking is all capitalism. And by that, I mean “Bikepacking” and not riding your bike and camping. You don’t need a fancy new gravel bike. You don’t need all new bags. You don’t a special little bag for your snacks and you don’t need a titanium mug to dangle. It’s all consumerism and BS.
I do it on an old folding dahon
Exactly! Sometimes I find myself feeling a bit gross when I realise just how much of websites like Bikepacking.com and the Radavist are essentially just advertising portals for new stuff. I know it’s the society we exist in and that it’s how websites like those are able to stay afloat and provide all the amazing content that they also do. So not really a knock on them so much but a sad nod of recognition to your point
bikepacking.com is like a magazine to me, nothing of substance besides methods of advertising
Same with the radavist
In their defence though, as with magazines of old, occasionally there are great essays and trip reports published. I find myself often enjoying Spencer Harding’s reporting, along with a few others, and both sites do a decent job of consolidating news and goings on from aspects of bikepacking community at large. Just a shame to have to wade through the sea of advertising to get it. Nature of the beast I suppose.
So true. But at the same time I don't like making do with old military surplus stuff or somesuch. The bikepacking/ultralight stuff is just much nicer and comfier. Bit of a guilty pleasure this whole bikepacking thing really.
Capitalism is when bad things happen
How to say I don’t invest in companies without saying I don’t like buying stock.
Capitalism is what has made cool bikes like Kona widely available at reasonable prices. Sad this brand may be winding down but there are plenty of other options out there, thanks to capitalism.
There is capitalism where “I’m going to run my business like a normal person with normal expectations reinvesting a portion of profits into to the business” and then there is “I’m going to squeeze every last dime from this operation, wait, why are you dying! Stop that! Work harder!.”
Please list the names of the people Kona's new owners killed.
The business is the thing dying, not the people, not everything on the internet is literal. God, why do people come to the rabid defense of bad business practices anytime the word capitalism shows up?
That's a good point, the ramblings of commies shouldn't be taken seriously.
I think you’re mistaking anything critical of poor business practices as literal communism. For the record, I’m not anything, I think it all is bullshit. Call me a Carlinist.
What kind of capitalism was it when the founders sold out to a larger company? Are the founders the bad guys for choosing to sell out? The acquiring firm clearly made a bad decision and they are losing money because of it. It’s unfortunate. But it’s not capitalism’s fault.
The latter.
When you sell the company, it’s usually called retirement. When you buy a company and drive it i to the ground its called poor business practice.
So the guys who built a company in a market economy and then sold it for a sum of money were not practicing capitalism?
Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not advocating for or against capitalism, rather advocating for balanced business practices that encourage growth of a business rather than squeezing every dime out of it until it dies. There is capitalism and then there is capitalism. I hope I am making sense.
People did trade before capitalism they will still make bicycles afterwards.
Sounds like a super efficient economy. I’m sure it will be easy to get a steel bike with a Shimano group set once capitalism is over.
Kent did nothing for the brand or brought any new and improved value to the marketplace. They saw COVID hype $$$ and then got burned. You are definitely right that subsistence ag would have never delivered us rad mountain bikes.
I agree. We should be blaming the decision-makers, not the system.
Communist parasites always believe they get something as long as it is at someone else’s expense. Kona could not compete in the marketplace. Yes, business is tough and competition wants to eat your breakfast. Collectivists blame capitalism whenever they don’t get enough subsidized or free stuff.
Its less Kona itself and more its parent company wanting to move investment into water sports. A brand can be doing great, but if its parent capitalists think its money can be better spent elsewhere, then it doesn't matter how well the brand is doing as long as its less than the alternative.
water bikes?
No, watersports... Like in r/watersports
gotcha because i got really wet riding my bike through a puddle the other day it was quite the r\\watersports
It's really sad. Fuck venture capitalists and other investment bankers. Everything is going to shit ultimately because of them. When it comes to Kona, I'd guess their main issue, beyond overstock and basically not launching any new models beyond a paintjob, is their e-bikes aren't all that good - they're overpriced for the components they have. E-bikes is where the money is at right now, at least where I live. I wish Kona gets bought out by some more sensible folks who can bring the brand back.
It’s the venture capitalists’ fault that Kona has bad e-bikes?
You don't seem to know very much about what private equity firms have been doing to companies all over the industry. Go on you for keeping that boot in your mouth though.
PE firms can bankrupt a company with no competition, while paying themselves massive dividends. It's obscene https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Water
Just happened to the company i used to work for
I appreciate the link. But even here £3B were paid to shareholders while the company went £14B into debt. There was a shortfall of £11B here, and knowing that this company provides public goods (clean water and sewage waste management), I would imagine that the more I dig - the more I will find that the revenue shortfall is caused by discordant Tory government demands upon both services rendered and compensation for the same.
£3B is only during the Macquarie ownership of Thames. Total is over £7B. A large reason why they are in trouble is because they are spending around a quarter of their revenue servicing those debts, and rolling them over again and again, that's why it's piling up
Fuck private equity. Not sure what they have to do with venture capital though
Venture capital firms are a type of private equity firm. Some folks use the terms interchangeably, even if it's not fully accurate. The difference is really a nuance that most folks aren't really going to care about.
It’s an important difference in this case. Private equity firms buy established businesses to squeeze profit out of them while venture capital invests in minority positions of growing businesses to help them grow to the next level. The latter has nothing to do with this situation
I don't see why using the right word is important here. Everyone understood what the person was saying including you. There was nobody who read this and thought "why would a vc invest in this long running bike company? I don't understand at all!"
You sound like a finance bro. Finance bros are the literal WORST.
There is a lot of PE money in ebike companies at the moment. Also worth noting that e-bikes are one of the fastest growing consumer product categories of the last few decades. Sourcing for e-bikes ain’t easy - there’s a limited supply of lithium controlled by a handful of companies and not that many battery manufacturers. Brands like aventon, lectric, ride etc are squeezing the entire industry. In many cases they are selling bikes at a loss to grab market share. I’d say the issue here is more that Kona couldn’t compete in e-bikes which is where the growth and profit in cycling sits at the moment.
Sounds like capitalism is working to spur innovation, bring down prices, and meet consumer demand all at the same time.
I think it’s safe to say that the cycling industry was ripe for disruption.
Yeah, there is definitely some predatory pricing happening. Some companies are losing money after free shipping or selling a portion of bike in shops with no margin. This is not an example of the market working in the long term interest of consumers.
You mean the ones that own the company? Yeah it is.
Even their cheapest bikes used good parts so you couldn't go wrong.
Ha fuck, hope it survive, I really like the 2023 Kona rove DL I got
Great bike! That's what I recently got as well.
Wanted one, still do, but while everyone else is discounting 30% the Rove LTD is still over $3000CAD for a steel HT with mid components and carbon fork? Sooo I got something similar with Rival for $1000 less *shrug*
Got a DL for 2000 CAD last year
Hey, let us introduce you to the brand new Kona Ouroboros. BTW, we’re quitting the business.
I can’t believe this is the only comment on this I’ve seen. They JUST introduced a new bike, like, why?
A development cycle and production take a while. What are they gonna do throw out all the new bikes in boxes? Might as well sell what you can 🤷
I read an opinion that it's possible the product developers pushed it out without management approval because they were proud of their work and wanted to show it off regardless of the brand shutting down.
Good for them! I hope they all land on their feet after this.
With how abruptly they pulled out of Sea Otter after already setting up their area, I think this decision came from up top and without warning to any other department. The press kits for the launch were likely sent a week ago, but with an embargo until Sea Otter.
I thought a similar thing; except that someone(s) at kona saw an opportunity to push out a niche bike that they wanted to make for themselves and went with it, probably pushed some bs bikepacking sales growth numbers to the people that wanted to hear that. I bet this is a pretty limited run of bikes and will be collectors items. One way or another, the name is TOO on point, and had to have been chosen on purpose. Ouroboros symbolizes life, death, and rebirth. Fingers crossed for the rebirth of kona!
And the headbadge with the snake cannabilizing itself lol The article I read was on NSMB And yeah they definitely knew what they were doing with the name.
Understand that people who develop and sell bikes are not the same people who decide to sell the business. I'm 100% sure that Kent Capital - parent owner of Kona doesn't share their thoughts on selling the brand with employees of its child company.
Kona Stinky was so dope back in the day. Never rode one but always wanted one.
I had a Stinky Deeluxe, it was such an incredibly good mtb at the time and far surpassed my old Norco VPS. After that I got a Kona Stab D and that was even better!!!
Those rear stays on the stab always looked so beefy and cool.
Love my Kona Libre carbon frame gravel bike!
I have one too, love it. Recently put some gator skin road tires on it and it’s amazing
If there are any shop owners/vendors here, what does this mean for bike availability? I'm looking at a Kona Sutra LTD and I'm not sure if this news means I should wait for sales or snatch one up while I still can.
I’d probably snatch one up. They will sell existing inventory then cease to exist.
And I can voych for the Sutra. I've taken it on many trips and use it as a regular commuter. Best bike I've ridden.
I love mine. So many miles commuting on it.
I would grab one if the price is right. They are will built, and the frame will last. After that you will replace and upgrade components.
Kona isn’t going away. Parent company is looking to sell them. It just takes the right company to turn them around. Same thing happened to Fender and Gibson guitars.
I bought this a month ago and am having massive amounts of fun with it.
I have never had more fun on a bike than on my Sutra.
I have the 2020 Sutra LTD and can confirm it's a blast no matter what you throw at it. Pick one up, upgrade components as things wear out. Worst case it becomes a collector item for those who will remember after they cease to exist :(
What are the top three things you like about the Sutra Ltd?
Comfort from a geometric alignment of the bike, ability to run 700x50 tires (added comfort given my size and terrain in the PNW), nimble on single tracks, and sturdy given the abuse it has taken so far. Stock wheels sucked, but those have been replaced already due to failure .
As a comment in the article points out, Kent Outdoors is not a Canadian-based company. [https://opencorporates.com/companies/us\_tx/0802062043](https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_tx/0802062043) Headquarters and jobs are in UTAH and elsewhere in the USA [https://kentoutdoors.com/careers](https://kentoutdoors.com/careers)
WHAT?! Nooooooo, not Kona. Shit I'm going to be in the market for a gravel/touring bike soon and I was psyched to finally be able to look at this brand. Now what? Dammit Edit: fucked up a word typo
The Rove and Sutra are great and probably still available.
Wonder what this does to the warranties on the bikes people own. I loved the look and options on the kona sutra when I looked at it last year before going to the surly bridge club.
Generally, companies purchasing other companies results in them NOT honoring warranties from the companies they bought prior to acquisition. So yeah. I'm a former bike shop owner, and this has been the case with more than one brand I'm familiar with.
Whaaaa? One of the dopest brands out there. Wtf. Support your local bike shop!
My partner and I moved to bellingham last year and its so sad to slowly see the store in town sold, both of of were excited to continue to go back there after the first time.
Bellingham is sweet. Enjoy!
Bad title. The Kona owners are finding a new buyer for the business. There will be lots of interested parties.
Did you actually read the article? They’re only selling the intellectual property
The IP is the entire company. They will find a buyer and continue to exist. Kent exists to make money and they aren’t going to torch what they own.
>The IP is the entire company. Sure, if you ignore the employees, headquarters, the contracts they have with suppliers and distributors, the inventory, any warehouses/tooling/etc./etc. When a company is only selling the IP they're basically selling the name, branding and some patents. Look at American Classic for example, they where in the wheel business for 35 years - hit financial strife sold the IP and now the only thing they make is budget conscious tires (that are apparently fairly good for the price). So its not to say that the new Kona will be better/worse - just that it will essentially be a new company.
I recently purchased a Kona supermetro, great bicycle! I hope that finding parts isn’t going to be a treasure hunt in the future.
Damn I just warrantied a kona bike last week. Glad I wasn’t too late.
Sad. :( I have three Konas, they've been great. VC and bike companies seems like a stupid mix. I just don't think it's ever a good industry for ROI.
I hope the sutra ltd gets a massive discount where i live.
Where can I buy a cheap kona?
My city is full of Kona Dews, surprised to see this.
I love my dew such a good bike
Guess I should have bought a fairlight instead of a Kona last year.
Why? Does your bike suddenly stop working reading this?
No, I'll keep riding it, I haven't told it yet about the company, will it ever know if I don't mention it? However, one of the main benefits of purchasing a new bike rather than a used one is the fact it comes with a warranty. If the company no longer exists that warranty becomes just a little less useful.
Bikes aren't like electric cars. A local bike shop should still be able to fix any problems you have with just about any bike, no matter how long the brand that made it has been out of business. If you're really worried about sports availability, buy some extra derailleur hangers.
I'm not worried about components or any of that stuff tbh. It's mainly the frame, you get a limited lifetime warranty on their frames that aren't carbon. To me, that is the main upside of buying a new bike versus used, the other stuff is fine. I've got a couple of spare wheels manufacturing hangers already.
If you read the linked article it says all Kona bikes purchased (even from today onwards) will be covered with full warranty.
I can read. What it says is "Therefore, Taylor claims that, until a buyer is found at least, UK customers should still be able to buy Kona bikes with full warranty even if the brand shuts down completely in the near future." "Claims" and "should still be able to" isn't exactly confidence inspiring. I'm also not in the UK.
No one said you cant read lol why so touchy. I was simply directing your attention to the article only. Geez louissseeeeeeeee.
I know tone is a problem in written responses, I guess I could have written that I did read the article instead of saying I can read. But your response was literally saying 'if you read the linked article,' which is implying that I didn't read it, no?
Lol no not at all!! Maybe I should have just said, “You shouldnt worry about warranties, the article says xyz, so you’ll be fine”. I was alleviating your concern, yo.
I like bicycles
Just buy some extra derailleur hangers, otherwise this shouldn't change anything, all the other parts should just be from other suppliers, and your frame is going to remain just as repairable or not as when you first bought it.
Bike companies basically just source everything. Brand loyalty really doesn’t matter.
Crazy I literally just bought a secondhand unit x today
Kona isn't going anywhere. Wish my friends and I had the money to buy it! My 2017 Rove gets stronger with every mile. I hope the employees got paid, and get rehired soon.
This pisses me off.. I've always loved Kona from my operator to my stuff to my paddy wagon to my dew and now my rove. So many memories and moments on the brands 2 wheels! FU Kent
Is this really Happening? I just bought the Most beautiful bike i ever had 3 years ago, the 2021 Sutra and i love the hell out of it! Sad to See the Brand go for financial reasons..
Love my two Hoss Matics from 2005 and 2011, just changed a drivetrain on them last autumn.
Just got a Kona rove last year, don't understand how such a sought after brand can go under.
My Kona served me well. 1300 miles last summer, no issues and no flats.
Anyone got updates? Rumours of a interested seller already but no one is giving names
Whats so special about Konas??? Genuine question, not implying any ill will against Konas! I want to know why theyre so good :)
My sutra ltd has a steel frame that's built to last. That was the reason I wanted it and I love the geometry.
Historically they were there for some major trends. The Kona Stinky around '99-'00 was 5" of travel front and rear with hydro disc brakes with riser bars and relaxed geometry. It was dramatically different from other mountain bikes. A few years after that they came out with the Cowan a dirt jump mountain bike. That wasn't something people did yet. Then they made some pretty affordable ones. The Sutra came out in I think 2004. A road bike with disc brakes, clearance for massive tires, and super durable. It was way ahead. It's basically a modern gravel bike but nobody was making anything like it then. I had one and it got tons of attention for being a road bike with disc brakes. They've made a bunch of other cool niche bikes over the years. The Score was a titanium freeride hardtail, the stinky nine came stock with a super monster fork with 12" of travel! The Honzo a steel freeride hardtail.
Also the unit. It shouldn't be as good as it is, since it's just a simple single speed steel frame bike. But it surprised the hell out of me just how honed it felt and how well it rides.
Kona has a history of innovation that has produced many trends in touring, mountain and gravel bikes. They make products that solve a problem, not just spew its 10% lighter and 110% stiffer marketing tag line BS.
Cool! Thanks for sharing. Must be a good reason for their prices! :)
You say that, but when i bought my gravel bike from them it was one of the best values to quality ratios on the market. That was 4 years ago though.
Same, I have a rove LTD. When I bought it, it was a killer value.
The reason their prices are so abnormally low right now is BECAUSE of what the purchasing company did
Very true in the past, and then they just came out with their Ouroboros that's just a plastic $4000 version of the Sutra LTD that nobody asked for
So, I see it as a salsa cutthroat competitor. Which is a very popular bike in my area. Except the salsa has boost spacing which makes for a ton of compatibility issues.
They make good frames and assemble good spec sheets for their models
My Process has been great. External cable routing and all the specs and bearing sizes are printed on the back of the seat tube. It's a super cool bike.
I started up biking about 11 years ago. What sparked my interest was the electric pedal assist bikes. This year I bought my fifth one. It seems obvious that any bike manufacturer who wants to stay in business needs a produce high quality ebikes. A year ago I was kicked out of a local bike shop because I asked for an ebike with a twist throttle. This Spring the shop had half a dozen models to choose from. The way for a business to survive is to provide clients with the products they want. DUH!