Yes, I wouldn't fancy their chances of getting up Newtimber Hill on one, but I think the point I need to learn is that cool people wouldn't try. I can get up it on my bikes no problem, especially with my spds, tights and other technical clothing, but I'm reliably informed by my son that I look anything but cool nothwithstanding. Whereas the attractive young ladies score many cool points for breezing around town without making any effort, for not looking like serious cyclists and for being attractive young ladies. The step-through bikes are just an accessory, basking in the reflected glory.
I don't think there was ever any bad feeling between Rocky Mountain and Kona, although there was probably a 'healthy rivalry' between Grayson Bain and Jake Heilbron. I have a lot of sympathy for Paul Brodie, but I sense that he wasn't the easiest person to work with either. e.g., his description of a Kona as a poor man's Brodie wasn't perhaps best calculated to make friends and influence people. But he worked for both companies and each company in turn adopted his designs and he ended up on his own with nothing much to show for it. I expect he and Joe Murray did alright for themselves after they left Kona, but although they were the ones who really established Kona and its design style, it was the marketing and finance people who always owned it and who reaped the rewards.