Quality Over Quantity - The 2008 Kona Hei Hei

By VO2Max
T'was the night before the Hillsborough Five, and team CSD senior was short one bike - mine. I'd been expecting to race the event on my old Kula Deluxe hardtail, but the prospect of 5 hours of pounding on my back wasn't sitting well in my psyche. hat was I to do? How 'bout check the calendar? That's right, the Kona Demo Tour was in town! For those who are not familiar, Kona sends out a truck and trailer each year (alternating coasts), bringing a collection of fine rides for your tasting pleasure. Not only did they bring an awesome fleet of Stinkys, Coil-Airs, and even a few Kula 29ers, but the truck rolls on 22s! Now that's the Kona I know and love!

Boom handed me the Scandium framed Hei Hei Saturday evening and I eyed it skeptically - it's only got 2.5" of travel! I needed no reminder it wasn't to be used for a victory drop off a cliff in the course's gypsum quarry as I picked it up - damn light. We threw some pedals on and then gave it it's first high speed experience (actually a course in east-coast entomology) on the team car's Yakima High Roller.

I set the bike up the next morning and checked it over: a nice set of FSA wheels, Rock Shox Reba Race fork, Fox RP2 shock, XT controls... the build got a gold star. It fit me perfectly as I'd been riding a 17" Kona for years. I topped up the suspension, lubed the chain, and hit the course.

I was happily already familiar with the Maxxis Cross-Mark tires, and can happily report them to be the best dry condition race tire I've ridden, offering great cornering tenacity and far better driving traction than the old Larsen TT. Inside these the FSA wheels kept on keeping on throughout the race, and as light and snappy as they were, remained faithfully true to the end. Another box checked. Kona consistently specs well made Shimano components on most of their bikes, and I was pleased to see a bunch of XT party members present on this one. The new XT Shadow derailleur and dual-release shifters shift better than all their forefathers, and their build quality is second only to XTR. I hadn't ridden a Reba before, and with years on Fox forks I expected to 'endure' the experience, but was pleasantly surprised. It's not quite as smooth as a Fox, but I’m happy to report that it does track just as well, and the adjustments are effective and easy to use. Like the rear suspension, I only locked out the 85 mm fork once per lap but was happy to see the option present. It was also my first time on the new Hayes Stroker brakes, and the carbon bladed models on the Hei Hei were decent. I prefer lighter and more easily modulated feel of Shimano and Avid brakes, but the new lever on the Strokers was comfortable and powerful. The Race Face stem / bar / post combo did its job silently and effectively. Actually the only parts that really demanded attention were the grips. They are too thin and hard for my tastes. Right, now onto the verdict...

After getting used to racing bikes with double the travel, the Hei Hei felt really snappy, almost hardtailish when standing on it. I reached for the pro-pedal adjustment on the long fire-road climb, but that was more for good measure rather than necessity. This is a bike that expects Power Gel drool to hit the top tube regularly. I also welcomed the agility offered by the lightweight, low center of gravity, and taught suspension feel - this can rip fast singletrack like no 'here for the beer' 5" travel bike can dream. For how limited the travel is, it's very active and I experienced no back pain over the course of the day and stayed confident while making time on descents and hooked up everywhere. I wouldn't want it to pick my way through Fight Trail, but for Race Bike of Outstanding Virtu - it gets my campaign donation.

Posted by O9man at August 4, 2008 11:59 PM

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