what is it with bl**dy Kona's ??

I'm not dissing Fat! They're fantastic bikes. I'm just saying they have a lot of exposure here given their relatively small output compared to Kona...

I'm bowing out now - don't want to get dragged into something where I actually don't care one way or the other!

There has been a similar discussion before

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... highlight=

Weps started it. Unfortunately haven't heard anything from Weps for a long time yet

my kona is not mad in tiwan,...only the modern ones are foreign. kona's are popular because they are nice bikes which are affordable, simple as, you can pick and old explosif etc for 100 quic and it'll last , ride well and iff need be re-sell well. i cnt stand people who slagg kona's off. whats the point?

<pulls up a chair>

I like Konas

The geometry is cool.

It was funny the first time , not anymore .

Trek anyone ?? :roll:

Ransetsu":vx64mu57 said:

but still people on this site have a fixation on a mass produced Taiwanese product ......why ???? Kona is the Toyota of the bike world ! Arrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhh perhaps you should include a section in the forum for sad Kona freaks ?

Click to expand...

So how many mass produced bikes are not made in Asia these days?

Even Colnago has all its lower mid range frames made in Asia now.

In some cases the quality control on a cheap Taiwanese frame is better than that of some specialist US builders too.

If you don't like them that's fine, but you shouldn't bag someone or their ride just because you have a difference of opinion.

andrewl":2kzavah9 said:

In some cases the quality control on a cheap Taiwanese frame is better than that of some specialist US builders too.

Click to expand...

Should probably read "In most cases the quality control on a Taiwanese frame is better than that of most specialist US builders too."

My eyes. Not another Kona thread.

I'll bite.

Ransetsu":1qvd365j said:

there's a wealth of steel gorgeousness out there people ! hand built by good men who love mountainbiking ..... people who gave the sport to the world ...... men and woman who cared about their products .......

Click to expand...

Are we to understand in 1988 Jacob Heilbron, Dan Gerhard and NORBA champion Joe Murray cared nothing about building quality bike frames for competition use, and wanted to saturate the market with profitable, albeit poorly built taiwainese cookie cutter frames? Was that even possible back then? The market in the mid nineties might have taken the company that direction, but thats just good business. You're either growing or you're dying.

I fear to tread on the experienced Fat aficionados here, but didn't Chris Chance try to take the company in a similar direction by moving to Saratoga?