Mountain bikes come in a variety of categories. Cross-Country bikes perform best with few obstacles. Hardtail models give you less suspension and are lighter weight than other mountain bike styles. Free-ride styles are similar to downhill models but are easier to pedal. Other types include full suspension, trail and dirt jump. Kona has been producing mountain bikes and other styles since 1988.
Early Projects
Mountain bike Hall of Famers Jake Heilbron and Daniel Gerhard founded Kona. The products originally were called Cascade, but the partners changed the name to Kona. Early innovations included front and rear mountain bike tire sets. In 1989, Kona introduced the first straight-leg mountain bike fork.
Making a Name
Kona has a knack for spicy names like the Kona Hot, which was the second hardtail to be produced in the United States. Later monikers included the Sex line and the Stinky. In 1990, Kona increased their models to eight, and within three years, that would expand to 20. Ku became the company's first aluminum mountain bike. The design team ran into a problem with the 1992 Future Shock fork, later renamed the Z-link, because it was deemed unsafe. But in 1993, the Kilauea won Bike of the Year from "Mountain Biking" magazine."
Evolution
Kona bikes were made of steel until the mid-1990s, when, according to Slow Twitch, the company began using titanium and aluminum. In 2000, Kona introduced its first mountain bikes with scandium tubes. The Jefferson Lab says, "Alloys of scandium and aluminum are used in some kinds of athletic equipment, such as aluminum baseball bats, bicycle frames and lacrosse sticks."
Special Initiatives
If you decided to buy a Ford Focus in 2000, you could have purchased the Kona edition, which came with the Kona Blast mountain bike. Kona helped Ford customize the vehicle for mountain bike enthusiasts, building in a roof rack, so customers would not have to purchase it after-market. Kona designed the Africabike for female health care workers commuting across the rough terrain of Botswana. According to Kona, through the Basic Needs program, it has donated thousands of these bikes since 2006.
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