![]() Componentry highlights include the new for 2016 Fox Float 34 dialed in with 120mm of travel and the new Fit4 damper. I was able to get my hands on the Honzo DL. A value focused build comes in at $1599 and a deluxe (DL) model is offered at $2199. Kona offers the new aluminum Honzo frame or as they call it the Honzo AL in two build options. ![]() Bike Rumor has a good article here on the new boost 148 hub standard if you feel like reading further into it. The claimed benefits include stiffer wheels (especially for 29ers) and frames as well as better chain lines for shorter chain stays and wider tires. The Honzo does see the new boost 148 X 12 frame spacing which is the newest emerging standard for mountain bike rear ends. The new frame retains the slack 68 degree head tube angle, low bottom bracket, and super short 16.3" chainstays of the original. Kona also used the redesign to update the geometry to mirror the fit characteristics of Kona's incredibly popular Process line of bikes by slightly lengthening an already long top tube. Kona knew the Honzo's weight was really holding the bike back and found that by using an aluminum alloy they could cut the frame's weight nearly 40% from over 7 lbs to 4 lbs. The biggest change, some might even argue shocking given the bike's cult status, would be the change from a chromoly frame to an aluminum frame (don't fret too much hardcore steel lovers Kona is still offering the steel bike but now as a frame only option). Kona listened and for 2016 delivered a completely redesigned bike. And as much as I loved the handling of the original and the ride quality of the steel frame the weight of the bike made if feel slow when climbing and accelerating, harder to change direction, and harder to slow from speed. The frame itself weighed over 7lbs due to its oversized steel tubing and sliding dropouts. ![]() Its weight. The original steel Honzo was heavy, especially for a hard tail with my size large weighing in over 31lbs. And although I very much enjoyed the original Honzo I like many of the early reviewers and riders of the original steel Honzo found it to have the same inherent flaw. Adam Newman formerly of Dirt Rag now editor of sister publication Bicycle Times wrote a nice review of the original steel beast you can find here. And like many other riders to swing a leg over the Honzo I was enamored with it's confidence inspiring stability and general excellent trail manners. I too was convinced and last year decided to give the 2015 Kona Honzo a shot. The long, low, and slack chromoly 29er also spurred a host of copycat bikes (i.e Transition Transam, Canfield Nimble Nine, Trek Stache to name a few) looking to cash in on a good thing. The bike was an immediate success and gathered a cult following of hard tail loving trail rippers. I wanted to jump on a couple of their bikes for a ride and first up I got on the Nimble Nine.Kona first introduced the Honzo in 2012 as an aggressive all mountain 29er hardtail designed to tackle terrain generally reserved for bigger dual suspension bikes. “We can ride all year around here,” Vin explains, “plus the access to Whistler and the exposure that having your bikes and components ridden there gets you internationally is super valuable”. For Canfield being part of the riding community in the Pacific Northwest is part of the growth plan. After a trip to Whistler in 2007 he discovered his “own personal Disneyland” and began plotting his migration.īellingham seems to be a good fit for the company with Whistler about 3 hours away and an awesome network of trails just a short ride away. Vin has been a long time Canfield rider, buying his first frame back in 2006 and the friendship grew from there. It was Vin that was the big catalyst for the move to Bellingham. For that to happen Chris and Lance needed to bring on some passionate colleagues to help run the company and those guys are Sean and Vin. ![]() The move to Bellingham came together due to a couple of factors, the first was that Canfield Brothers is a company looking to grow but not too much just enough. It’s not just bikes, Canfield has a selection of components too including this rainbow of Crampon pedals. ![]()
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