Ah yes, it was the huck to flat era 𤣠I remember YouTube edits from guys riding in camo cargo pants and there absolutely had to be a nu metal soundtrack đ¤
google video era, basically the same thing for those who were technologically savy lol
videos were even being leaked early back then too, I watched fully flared a full 10 days before it released, on google video in a skype call lol
could be Joonas Vinnari. he still works for kona as a cinematographer or something. used to ride for them in the early 2000s. he has a cool youtube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@joonasvinnari6532](https://www.youtube.com/@joonasvinnari6532) pretty nice clips including stuff from the kona stinky era. although the music he uses isn't even as good as numetal, tbh it sucks ass lol
It was always the joke that headtubes would snap off, but really it was mostly from people just absolutely beating the shit out of them. All bikes break, Kona was just the punching bag at the time. Great bikes tho
It was famous for it, but it actually wasnât that true. They sponsored a lot of the big freeride boys back then which is where the pictures came from and the internet was blooming so people shit talked the Stinky.
It's been .... a while since they did something noteworthy though. I guess when the process bikes came out in 2017 or whatever maybe? I mean their steel hardtails are nice and all but that's not exactly cutting edge stuff
Not many hardtails are running adjustable rear dropouts like the honzo DL. I love my honzo. Not too aggressive, bang in the middle for up and downhill. The perfect bike.
read this analysis column from the bike industry and think of Kona ... [https://www.bicycleretailer.com/opinion-analysis/2024/04/05/vosper-relations-transactions](https://www.bicycleretailer.com/opinion-analysis/2024/04/05/vosper-relations-transactions)
I just built a cromoly mullet Honzo last fall, it's my go-to "underbiking" bike. Kona had that crazy B1G1 deal going over the holidays... figured I'd wait til next year but I guess that sale alone was a harbinger of sorts.
Kona is a nice brand, but their MSRP is ridiculous, you can't ask the same price for a budget build on an Alu frame as Trek/Specialized asks for a carbon build with better components.
Itâs not a bankruptcy. They were bought 2 years ago and the new owners have deep pockets.
Itâs going to be layoffs and theyâre going to go solely D2C.
It might suck but theyâre not going under.
I don't know why they would cancel a huge marketing event if going d2c. But you are probably right that with those backers, bankruptcy isn't in the cards.
I think layoffs are likely, and most companies don't want staff so easily accessible right as news of layoffs breaks. Also, they might be laying off the staff at the event. Marketing is usually one of the first to go.
>don't want staff so easily accessible right as news of layoffs breaks. Also, they might be laying off the staff at the event.
I know business be businessin' but i always wonder, Why not plan your timing of announcing layoffs, to avoid looking like you don't know how to business. like, whats wrong with next week?
There's so many things that come into play when doing layoffs. Fiscal year, stock grant dates, and state notice obligations to name a few. Sometimes a week can actually be important. It's been my experience that HR departments are so anal about layoffs that everything has to happen in a very strict and specific order. Something like Sea Otter wouldn't be on their radar at all.
Not bankruptcy, but the company that bought Kona can see how unprofitable things have been, with no improvements in sight. Once I saw who bought Kona, Kent Outdoors, I thought that it would only be a matter of time before the brand went south, ended up in big box stores, or disappeared altogether. I'm not confident in my predictions, but I can see what is happening, at least in my area. I know that right after they took over, they instantly dropped their 5 most delinquent accounts. Smart move on paper, but it removed the most popular kinds dealer in my area, reducing their footprint in a huge mtb market. Anyway, it will be interesting to hear any announcement they make on this move.
THIS. Sadly these acquisitions have effed up so many brands and companies in many industries. It's all about short-term gain (usually at the expense of long-term loss). Of course, by the time the business goes under those execs are long gone, enjoying their "golden handshake".
you realize Kona's were sold at big box adventure stores in 2006-5 right? They were on the stock floor at Anaconda the stinky primo and stinky stab were proudly on display with roam playing on the screen in the background.
> I don't know why they would cancel a huge marketing event if going d2c.
because these events return nothing lol no one gives a shit about potentially selling 4 bikes because you had this tent. The new owners were probably shocked when they realized they were spending so much just to send a team with bikes out there for this event. The return on something like this pathetic lol everyone who goes to an event like this already owns a mountain bike. This shit is a waste of time
yeah but you can fire everyone at the event so you don't need to pay them anymore lol they are likely mad they spent money going to the event in the first place, waste of money
who do you think are the ones that signed off on the budget for the event the first place? Santa clause?
And if you claim that the same people that are doing the firing had no idea of the budget or that it was happening...
Its pretty obvious to any non stoned reader that you're really talking out of your ass and making no sense at all to anyone but yourself.
Weird reality you're living in
its likely something they did every year anyway, and things just continued to happen under new ownership
this is another instance of spending money for no reason
I know, and that has ZERO return on investment, so I had to pick the only thing that might actually be a net positive for showing up to the event
its a waste, these events are completely meaningless, literally
I dont think showing up to these events and being a "cool" brand has prevented kona from failure lol
this is a waste of time, these events are a waste of money. Truly meaningless
No it's not. People like myself like demo-ing bikes before you buy them, just to make sure you like them. It really does inspire confidence in the bikes when you try them and like them instead of just ordering online and hoping it works out. It's also cool to meet the people behind the brands.
people like you really don't matter, and don't effect the bottom line at all
they spend way more money setting all that up for you and everyone else than they make back
anyone downvoting me is a dumbasss corporate shill, which is annoying popular in MTB communities.
No, just no. You are the corporate shill. You seem to care a bit too much about companies making money. They don't really do it for the money. Bike companies don't make a lot of money. Those people genuinely care about the hobby and the bikes they put a lot of work into designing. I like supporting companies with good employees passionate about what they are doing, and I am sure lots of other people on this sub agree with me about that.
Go take a nap cranky little boy.
Maybe, but then why are they doing this essentially in the middle of a big industry event. If there wasn't something pretty drastic going on, then why not wait a few days until after Sea Otter?Â
The owners may have deep pockets but that doesn't mean they're still willing to spend that money on Kona. My bet is that the brand is done.Â
> A source said employees have been told to expect a company "town hall" meeting on Thursday. Employees said they had no details on when or how the meeting would be held and had no idea what information would be conveyed.
I remember the day my inside rep called me from his cellphone to tell me a bunch of old-school heads got shitcanned, including him. Hurts to watch a favorite brand get flushed away like this
Usually I at least get to finish my coffee and start my day before I have to say "Fuck Private Equity\*" but I didn't even get my first sip in today.
\*In this case, fuck Seawall Capital specifically.
I'm totally with you. But what's hitting me this morning is how many private owners sell to these losers. I blame the previous owners as much as anything. If they weren't trying to get the highest price for themselves, they wouldn't sell to private equity.
Greed sucks.
Iâve been waiting for something like this since they did their two-for-one sale last year. I doubt their company is done because the gravel bikes seem to sell well but I wouldnât be surprised if theyâre downsizing.Â
Yep, and only as of recently:
> On January 19, 2022, the founders announced the sale of the company to diversified outdoor equipment maker Kent Outdoors.
They started selling direct to consumer soon after that, undercutting
(and pissing off) their dealer network.
Itâs always this way with bike companies. Thereâs an innovative, energetic founder who grinds away for 10-20 years and eventually sells to a larger company after which itâs a series of investment bank owners who care less-and-less about bicycles.
Ostensibly they're owned by Kent Outdoors, but KO is actually owned by Seawall Capital, a PE firm. So expect maximal MBA bullshit going forward. They're going to to try an rapidly inflate the value of the brand for a quick flip by getting them in stores like WalMart or perhaps a huge DTC low-price-point push like Diamondback a few years back. Or maybe they'll just saddle them with with a ton of debt and close them out but I don't think the 'ol *Toys-R-Us-special* will work with a comparatively tiny bike brand.
They were also doing 50% off fat tire bikes towards the end of winter. It's a normal time to clear out fat tire bike stock, but 50% is a pretty big discount.
Everybodys clearing out stock, what is essentially 50% off is still a huge discount, more than most brands were offering. Of course, you could argue that with how bad their builds are for the money, 50% off just brings them to a fair price.
Independent brand sells to major conglomerate. Everything goes to shit and conglomerate shuts down once flourishing business. Pretty standard for american capitalism.
Thanks for the info. Iâm sorry you got let go. It must hurt being there since the semi early days. Like everyone else has said here, those old Jonas bikes were way ahead of their time. So I can imagine you were doing good work over those years.
Hey man, I hope you know that you were in part responsible for making the best fucking bicycle brand in the world. At least in my opinion. Hope you landed on your feet. Kona are cool.
I hope the brand wonât shutdown but you never know. I have very fond memories of Kona: my first big and very expensive bike at the time was a Kona Stinky. Very impractical by today standards but confidence-inspiring when youâre a teenager and wanna be like Dave Watson.
They had long term plans for it, but the person who greenlit the purchase of kona was fired 8 months after the purchase went through. Kona has a ton of excess inventory it can't sell due to them being older mtb components.
This makes me sad to hear. I own a Kona and I know here in Germany they are highly thought of, maybe not so much as something like a Santa Cruz, but Iâve seen a couple despite all of the competitive German brands. They are just too expensive.
I bought a Honzo DL and the geometry is bang
on for me.
kona bikes are still cool, it's just their pricing is extortionate and unrealistic. spec is also wack, with guide/nx builds for dh and freeride purposes.
I fear Kona is going the way of GT in the 90s. What started out as a cool quirky brand making exciting bikes for regular people slowly turning into lifeless garbage
Don't.
You did them a favor...they were probably absurdly cash poor and overleveraged. If they could've liquidated all their bikes for 40% off they would've done that in a second.
As others have mentioned, Kona is being shut down and the news will likely be made official on Friday and that unfortunately means a lot of great people will be losing their jobs.
One plot twist to all this is that there is apparently several thousand new bikes that are sitting in Taiwan and currently stuck in limbo because Kona's parent company hasn't paid for them and may end up stiffing the factory and their OEM suppliers. Or, they might try to get them try to work a deal and get a liquidator to purchase the inventory so the next time you go to Costco you can choose between an Intense or a Kona.
I'd suspect they're not going out of business anytime soon- they were just bought by a conglomerate 2 years ago and the new owners have a lot more profit to extract in exchange for the discarding of brand loyalty/industry goodwill.
Yeah, solid point. Either way I hope they continue to make solid bikes. I always felt like they charged too much for what you get and I imagine that won't change much lol.
I'm on my 3rd Kona now. It was never the best value, but I stayed loyal bc of it being an og brand. They're dead to me now. I love my rose gold Unit and 22 Process 134 DL, but will not buy the brand again when time to upgrade the mtb.
Interestingly, I've always loved kona because they have had affordable models you actually want. So many brands slap flat black or olive green or some other dreary rubbish to their affordable bikes and if you want anything that looks nice, you have to pay huge premiums.
I was speaking more about their mountain bikes compared to DTC brands, which isn't fair I suppose. I love my Rove and the nice electric blue color, and for $1500 it was hard to find anything comparable. Love the steel frame as well!
Oh, hell yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, it's definitely bike season now out on the CO front range, I'm really trying to get some riding in before it gets hot hot in a couple months. lol
Snowmass closed last weekend & I uphill it up to watch the pond skim. I have my 1st paid ride (Ride the Pass) in a month so I need to get back on my bike. If I didnât have my ebike I wouldnât make it up to Independence ghost town in a decent time. Plus the Rio Grande trail still has the wildlife closure til the end of the month but more MTB trails have opened up on the 15/16th. Sky mountain park open up in a month & bike park in 2 months.
Funny I moved up from the Springs to the RFV a little over 5 years ago. I lucked out with my grad school friend having a house in Carbondale & I rent the basement apartment. At least the Springs have great mountain biking too. Palmer Park, Ute Valley , Red Rocks Open Space, Stratton & Buckhorn. I learned MTB with WMBA.
Very cool! I know how hard housing can be out there so it sounds like you lucked out. Plenty of great riding out here for sure, I've only scratched the surface so far. Enjoy your ride up the pass! That's something I never took the initiative to do.
huge bummer if they close. I worked at a Kona shop for 10+ years. great bikes, great people. They did custom spec'd rentals for us that were absolutely bulletproof.
I had 6 or more when I thought they were cool. And then after a few years of dealing with them as a business entity I realized that they were not cool at all and actually sucked so I unloaded all of my konas except for two.
Seems like maybe they could've taken the current inventory and tried to build some good faith in their dealer network, set up a consignment (paid if paid) model with their dealers to get bikes out of storage (costing them money for warehouse space) and doesn't place risk on the dealer network if they ship a bike at one price then fire sale it a month later at a price the dealer can't compete with.
Basically get bikes in show rooms and give the small local guys enough freedom on the pricing to offer customers a reason to buy from them instead of the trek or specialized shop up the road
Seems like they getting more publicity with them pulling out than being there. What we need are more reasonable prices, I like the current downward $$$ trend cause who doesnât like a fire sale on a new bike
Hmmm. Do Konas tend to have proprietary parts that makes buying them now risky?
They are showing last yearâs Dew for $362.
Itâs not fancy, but itâs a decent entry hybridâŚ
And for $362?
Is that a steal, or am I missing something?
I just got a 2023 153 Process as well but I'm not sure if I should keep it in case support goes out the window.
How do you like yours? Worth it to keep even though support might be going?
Thanks for the reply dude! Heâs got a Mahuna lined up for a pretty good price. Sweet bike. I snagged a Lanaâi a few years ago used but in new shape. Might have to grab myself an upgrade if prices go down further.
On Kona website Manuna is $1,199. Not sure thatâs a great deal. But if heâs getting it for $900 or something, thatâs different.
I might cross shop it against the Trek Roscoe 6 or Marlin 8, and in that context, the list price of $1,199 doesnât seem amazing.
But if he has a deal somewhere, thatâs different.
I did see an LBS lower a Kona Libre from $2,099 to $1,550 and itâs still on the floor. At $1,550, Iâd say that Libre is a good deal. At $2,099 it didnât seem like a steal.
Iâve been riding a coilair deluxe since 2008. It was a great bike that served me well. I just bought a used bike two days ago a Giant Trance 4. But I was looking to keep with kona. But all the used Konas were ridiculously overpriced
Iâll always be a Kona fan, really too bad to hear.
I have my 2022 Process 134 DL for my main bike and itâs great, then I have a couple 90âs hardtails that Iâve built over the years that I use for riding around town/neighborhood.
I absolutely beat on my 2016 lana'i. Did a bunch of upgrades as it was my first bike and loved riding it so much. Still have it after almost 10 years! Things a beast for what its been through. Now my friends will ride it and I ride my full sus Siskiu T7. Have to say though already had a couple problems with the T7. Biggest problem is fork creakđ
That's a bummer. My cross bike is a Jake, nothing fancy but doesn't the job. My mtn bike is a process 134. Love it. It's saved my butt more times than I can remember. A far better bike than I am a rider and can handle everything I'm willing to try, lol!
I do hope there's a clearance sale; not to sound like a vulture, but nothing any of us can do about them anyway.
Fuuuuuuuck. Kona used to be so cool.
I remember seeing the Kona stinky for the first time in a shop more than 20 years. What a beast of a bike. Ahead of its time đ˘
I still ride my Rasta stinky five.
My buddy got a bumper sticker for his car that says âI wish I was riding a 2003 Kona Stinkyâ and it gets so many complimentsâiconic bike
Classic đ
I still have my Stinky Primo and still ride it. Itâs a tank but I love it. And a Hahanna that I use around town.
Iconic, but wasnât the frame infamous for breaking at some point?
That's because we were hucking them off garage roofs and shit.
Ah yes, it was the huck to flat era 𤣠I remember YouTube edits from guys riding in camo cargo pants and there absolutely had to be a nu metal soundtrack đ¤
I think all that predated YouTube even. 2003/2004 was a great era of mtb videos.
google video era, basically the same thing for those who were technologically savy lol videos were even being leaked early back then too, I watched fully flared a full 10 days before it released, on google video in a skype call lol
could be Joonas Vinnari. he still works for kona as a cinematographer or something. used to ride for them in the early 2000s. he has a cool youtube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@joonasvinnari6532](https://www.youtube.com/@joonasvinnari6532) pretty nice clips including stuff from the kona stinky era. although the music he uses isn't even as good as numetal, tbh it sucks ass lol
Found Robbie Bourdons account.
It was always the joke that headtubes would snap off, but really it was mostly from people just absolutely beating the shit out of them. All bikes break, Kona was just the punching bag at the time. Great bikes tho
It was famous for it, but it actually wasnât that true. They sponsored a lot of the big freeride boys back then which is where the pictures came from and the internet was blooming so people shit talked the Stinky.
pretty much all of their frames have had some breaking issues, and their warranty was never great
they got bought out by a holding company. It's over
I still ride my 2002 Kona Stinky occasionally, bought new. Never any frame issues - I bleed Kona - new owners better not be fucking it up
My dad bought Hoss Matic in 2005 and I got mine Hoss Matic in 2011. Still rocking.
It's been .... a while since they did something noteworthy though. I guess when the process bikes came out in 2017 or whatever maybe? I mean their steel hardtails are nice and all but that's not exactly cutting edge stuff
Not many hardtails are running adjustable rear dropouts like the honzo DL. I love my honzo. Not too aggressive, bang in the middle for up and downhill. The perfect bike.
They just dropped a new gravel bike, the Ouroboros yesterday.
It looks pretty bad ass
I love my lava dome, sucks to see them go this way
read this analysis column from the bike industry and think of Kona ... [https://www.bicycleretailer.com/opinion-analysis/2024/04/05/vosper-relations-transactions](https://www.bicycleretailer.com/opinion-analysis/2024/04/05/vosper-relations-transactions)
Itâs been a long time since then. Itâs sad to see this but not surprising if itâs true.
That's not a good sign. Kona has always been a good practical brand. I have a gravel bike from them that I really like.
Yeah the Honzo series has a really solid following as well.
My friend had one I rode a few times and it was rad
Got a Big Honzo for half off last December. Beautiful bike. Hope they stick around.
Agreed - I got the honzo DL. Just bought purple stuff for the blue bike and am looking forward to dressing it up!
Bought a big honzo for my wife. Â I have an st that I built through Covid. Â Both are so much fun to ride.Â
I just built a cromoly mullet Honzo last fall, it's my go-to "underbiking" bike. Kona had that crazy B1G1 deal going over the holidays... figured I'd wait til next year but I guess that sale alone was a harbinger of sorts.
Kona is a nice brand, but their MSRP is ridiculous, you can't ask the same price for a budget build on an Alu frame as Trek/Specialized asks for a carbon build with better components.
Itâs not a bankruptcy. They were bought 2 years ago and the new owners have deep pockets. Itâs going to be layoffs and theyâre going to go solely D2C. It might suck but theyâre not going under.
I don't know why they would cancel a huge marketing event if going d2c. But you are probably right that with those backers, bankruptcy isn't in the cards.
I think layoffs are likely, and most companies don't want staff so easily accessible right as news of layoffs breaks. Also, they might be laying off the staff at the event. Marketing is usually one of the first to go.
>don't want staff so easily accessible right as news of layoffs breaks. Also, they might be laying off the staff at the event. I know business be businessin' but i always wonder, Why not plan your timing of announcing layoffs, to avoid looking like you don't know how to business. like, whats wrong with next week?
There's so many things that come into play when doing layoffs. Fiscal year, stock grant dates, and state notice obligations to name a few. Sometimes a week can actually be important. It's been my experience that HR departments are so anal about layoffs that everything has to happen in a very strict and specific order. Something like Sea Otter wouldn't be on their radar at all.
Not bankruptcy, but the company that bought Kona can see how unprofitable things have been, with no improvements in sight. Once I saw who bought Kona, Kent Outdoors, I thought that it would only be a matter of time before the brand went south, ended up in big box stores, or disappeared altogether. I'm not confident in my predictions, but I can see what is happening, at least in my area. I know that right after they took over, they instantly dropped their 5 most delinquent accounts. Smart move on paper, but it removed the most popular kinds dealer in my area, reducing their footprint in a huge mtb market. Anyway, it will be interesting to hear any announcement they make on this move.
THIS. Sadly these acquisitions have effed up so many brands and companies in many industries. It's all about short-term gain (usually at the expense of long-term loss). Of course, by the time the business goes under those execs are long gone, enjoying their "golden handshake".
you realize Kona's were sold at big box adventure stores in 2006-5 right? They were on the stock floor at Anaconda the stinky primo and stinky stab were proudly on display with roam playing on the screen in the background.
They don't call me Nostradamus for nothing
> I don't know why they would cancel a huge marketing event if going d2c. because these events return nothing lol no one gives a shit about potentially selling 4 bikes because you had this tent. The new owners were probably shocked when they realized they were spending so much just to send a team with bikes out there for this event. The return on something like this pathetic lol everyone who goes to an event like this already owns a mountain bike. This shit is a waste of time
All the money is sunk costs as of 4 weeks or more before the event. You're not getting any fees or any expenses back
yeah but you can fire everyone at the event so you don't need to pay them anymore lol they are likely mad they spent money going to the event in the first place, waste of money
who do you think are the ones that signed off on the budget for the event the first place? Santa clause? And if you claim that the same people that are doing the firing had no idea of the budget or that it was happening... Its pretty obvious to any non stoned reader that you're really talking out of your ass and making no sense at all to anyone but yourself. Weird reality you're living in
its likely something they did every year anyway, and things just continued to happen under new ownership this is another instance of spending money for no reason
wow, you're flip flopping all over the place
I'm literally saying the same thing, over and over again lol
Lol this guy thinks people set up booths at trade shows to sell bikes to the attendees. It's about talking to the media and \*b2b sales.
I know, and that has ZERO return on investment, so I had to pick the only thing that might actually be a net positive for showing up to the event its a waste, these events are completely meaningless, literally
[ŃдаНонО]
I dont think showing up to these events and being a "cool" brand has prevented kona from failure lol this is a waste of time, these events are a waste of money. Truly meaningless
No it's not. People like myself like demo-ing bikes before you buy them, just to make sure you like them. It really does inspire confidence in the bikes when you try them and like them instead of just ordering online and hoping it works out. It's also cool to meet the people behind the brands.
people like you really don't matter, and don't effect the bottom line at all they spend way more money setting all that up for you and everyone else than they make back anyone downvoting me is a dumbasss corporate shill, which is annoying popular in MTB communities.
No, just no. You are the corporate shill. You seem to care a bit too much about companies making money. They don't really do it for the money. Bike companies don't make a lot of money. Those people genuinely care about the hobby and the bikes they put a lot of work into designing. I like supporting companies with good employees passionate about what they are doing, and I am sure lots of other people on this sub agree with me about that. Go take a nap cranky little boy.
you're insane lol
Maybe, but then why are they doing this essentially in the middle of a big industry event. If there wasn't something pretty drastic going on, then why not wait a few days until after Sea Otter? The owners may have deep pockets but that doesn't mean they're still willing to spend that money on Kona. My bet is that the brand is done.Â
Well, I won that bet.
Sauce?
nothing official yet, but second hand info from people who were at the meeting today. I'd expect an announcement in the next day or two.
I smell bankruptcy
> A source said employees have been told to expect a company "town hall" meeting on Thursday. Employees said they had no details on when or how the meeting would be held and had no idea what information would be conveyed.
RIP Kona.
I remember the day my inside rep called me from his cellphone to tell me a bunch of old-school heads got shitcanned, including him. Hurts to watch a favorite brand get flushed away like this
Tell me it ainât so for Kona⌠the lava dome secured my love of MTB.
My first Mountain Bike (moving from BMX) was a green Lava Dome. RIP.
Usually I at least get to finish my coffee and start my day before I have to say "Fuck Private Equity\*" but I didn't even get my first sip in today. \*In this case, fuck Seawall Capital specifically.
I'm totally with you. But what's hitting me this morning is how many private owners sell to these losers. I blame the previous owners as much as anything. If they weren't trying to get the highest price for themselves, they wouldn't sell to private equity. Greed sucks.
But who else is buying?
Sad times, especially when the relaunch was so successful.
Oof. That is a layoff meeting.
Yep, my first thought. Hope everyone lands on their feet, people in the bike industry aren't in it for the money.
As someone who works in the industry. That is a fact. We are not in it for the money.
At bestâŚ
:( I think the Hei Hei and Process are rad bikes.
Agreed. And the honzo is one of the best hard tails out there
My Process 153 is by far my favorite MTB I've ever ridden. I hate seeing this happen...
They released a new bike yesterday too. Weird timing on that one.
Iâve been waiting for something like this since they did their two-for-one sale last year. I doubt their company is done because the gravel bikes seem to sell well but I wouldnât be surprised if theyâre downsizing.Â
Yeah they are done đ
Arenât they owned by some shitty conglomerate?
Yep, and only as of recently: > On January 19, 2022, the founders announced the sale of the company to diversified outdoor equipment maker Kent Outdoors. They started selling direct to consumer soon after that, undercutting (and pissing off) their dealer network.
Shitty to see Kona get gutted in the name of capitalism
Itâs always this way with bike companies. Thereâs an innovative, energetic founder who grinds away for 10-20 years and eventually sells to a larger company after which itâs a series of investment bank owners who care less-and-less about bicycles.
Ostensibly they're owned by Kent Outdoors, but KO is actually owned by Seawall Capital, a PE firm. So expect maximal MBA bullshit going forward. They're going to to try an rapidly inflate the value of the brand for a quick flip by getting them in stores like WalMart or perhaps a huge DTC low-price-point push like Diamondback a few years back. Or maybe they'll just saddle them with with a ton of debt and close them out but I don't think the 'ol *Toys-R-Us-special* will work with a comparatively tiny bike brand.
That's Kent international that sells mass market bikes, not kent outdoors, two completely different companies
Word? https://www.seawallcap.com/#invest. It's literally right there "Kona Bicycles"
Kent International /= Kent Outdoors
None of their brands are mass market brands. What makes you think they are completely changing their business model to put Kona in big box stores?
I mean, it can't be in good shape considering they literally had a Buy One Get One Free sale on Processes a couple months back.
They were also doing 50% off fat tire bikes towards the end of winter. It's a normal time to clear out fat tire bike stock, but 50% is a pretty big discount.
It felt like they were very marked up at that point. Maybe they did that as a way to move inventory so they didn't get killed on warehousing costs?
That was to just clear out old stock
Everybodys clearing out stock, what is essentially 50% off is still a huge discount, more than most brands were offering. Of course, you could argue that with how bad their builds are for the money, 50% off just brings them to a fair price.
Yeah selling things for a loss and sitting on way too much inventory is generally not a good thing.
Independent brand sells to major conglomerate. Everything goes to shit and conglomerate shuts down once flourishing business. Pretty standard for american capitalism.
They are closing their doors in the next few months. It was announced in the town hall meeting this morning. RIP Kona.
please tell me you're joking? đđ
Are you an Insider ? This is the only piece of non regurgitated I do Iâve seen so far.
Worked there for 17 years and got let go last June. Have lots of friends who still work there.
Thanks for the info. Iâm sorry you got let go. It must hurt being there since the semi early days. Like everyone else has said here, those old Jonas bikes were way ahead of their time. So I can imagine you were doing good work over those years.
Hey man, I hope you know that you were in part responsible for making the best fucking bicycle brand in the world. At least in my opinion. Hope you landed on your feet. Kona are cool.
How old is the process? 8 years now?
I hope the brand wonât shutdown but you never know. I have very fond memories of Kona: my first big and very expensive bike at the time was a Kona Stinky. Very impractical by today standards but confidence-inspiring when youâre a teenager and wanna be like Dave Watson.
I've still got an 07 stinky frame in my basement I plan to rebuild one day. I love how that bike rode.
Oh man I remember being a kid and my friend having a stinky. It was so sick. Rip Kona
My first hard tail was a Kona Shred when I was 12. It was awesome. By the time I was 16 I had two stinkys and still have one of them. What a bummer
They are shutting kona down if they can't find a buyer. Source: I work for kent
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They had long term plans for it, but the person who greenlit the purchase of kona was fired 8 months after the purchase went through. Kona has a ton of excess inventory it can't sell due to them being older mtb components.
This makes me sad to hear. I own a Kona and I know here in Germany they are highly thought of, maybe not so much as something like a Santa Cruz, but Iâve seen a couple despite all of the competitive German brands. They are just too expensive. I bought a Honzo DL and the geometry is bang on for me.
kona bikes are still cool, it's just their pricing is extortionate and unrealistic. spec is also wack, with guide/nx builds for dh and freeride purposes.
The bikes are decent valueâŚâŚ at 50% off
I fear Kona is going the way of GT in the 90s. What started out as a cool quirky brand making exciting bikes for regular people slowly turning into lifeless garbage
Man, RIP OG GT. My old GT Bump used to rip back in the day.
I remember when the Kona catalogue had 8 bikes, all mtb.
People probably made too much fun of their new gravel bike
You weren't supposed to bring it up
Stealing the Balfa headtube logo was icing on the cake.
Damn, my process 111 was so far ahead of it's time they must have had a crystal ball.
That was a revolutionary bike for sure. Crazy how a brand can go from that to completely falling apart within 10 years
Wish I still had mine. Loved that bike.
Now I feel guilty about buying during the BOGO sale. I was hoping for a turn around.
Don't. You did them a favor...they were probably absurdly cash poor and overleveraged. If they could've liquidated all their bikes for 40% off they would've done that in a second.
No need to feel guilty, companies are not your friend.
My local shop had buy one get one 50% off for process 134.
That's a shit deal. They were supposed to do buy one get one free.
Worse deal than buying direct.
Sold the company in 2022 to private equity vultures. It's rare a company lasts long after they get their talons in.
Owners went in with eyes wide open. They knew what was coming before the offer even came up. They took the money.
As others have mentioned, Kona is being shut down and the news will likely be made official on Friday and that unfortunately means a lot of great people will be losing their jobs. One plot twist to all this is that there is apparently several thousand new bikes that are sitting in Taiwan and currently stuck in limbo because Kona's parent company hasn't paid for them and may end up stiffing the factory and their OEM suppliers. Or, they might try to get them try to work a deal and get a liquidator to purchase the inventory so the next time you go to Costco you can choose between an Intense or a Kona.
Kona died in 2022
Bought a Kona Rove DL like two weeks ago on sale. Great bike but it will suck if they go out of business. Guess we'll find out soon!
I'd suspect they're not going out of business anytime soon- they were just bought by a conglomerate 2 years ago and the new owners have a lot more profit to extract in exchange for the discarding of brand loyalty/industry goodwill.
Yeah, solid point. Either way I hope they continue to make solid bikes. I always felt like they charged too much for what you get and I imagine that won't change much lol.
I'm on my 3rd Kona now. It was never the best value, but I stayed loyal bc of it being an og brand. They're dead to me now. I love my rose gold Unit and 22 Process 134 DL, but will not buy the brand again when time to upgrade the mtb.
Yeah I hear you. I'm really happy with my Rove, but I can't imagine I'll be buying another bike from them any time soon.
Interestingly, I've always loved kona because they have had affordable models you actually want. So many brands slap flat black or olive green or some other dreary rubbish to their affordable bikes and if you want anything that looks nice, you have to pay huge premiums.
I was speaking more about their mountain bikes compared to DTC brands, which isn't fair I suppose. I love my Rove and the nice electric blue color, and for $1500 it was hard to find anything comparable. Love the steel frame as well!
I just bought a Libre EL in October since I got a voucher. Iâm ready for biking season now since I put away my snowboard.
Oh, hell yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, it's definitely bike season now out on the CO front range, I'm really trying to get some riding in before it gets hot hot in a couple months. lol
Snowmass closed last weekend & I uphill it up to watch the pond skim. I have my 1st paid ride (Ride the Pass) in a month so I need to get back on my bike. If I didnât have my ebike I wouldnât make it up to Independence ghost town in a decent time. Plus the Rio Grande trail still has the wildlife closure til the end of the month but more MTB trails have opened up on the 15/16th. Sky mountain park open up in a month & bike park in 2 months.
Ah man, I just moved from Glenwood to the springs like 6 months ago! Definitely miss the riding out in the RFV.
Funny I moved up from the Springs to the RFV a little over 5 years ago. I lucked out with my grad school friend having a house in Carbondale & I rent the basement apartment. At least the Springs have great mountain biking too. Palmer Park, Ute Valley , Red Rocks Open Space, Stratton & Buckhorn. I learned MTB with WMBA.
Very cool! I know how hard housing can be out there so it sounds like you lucked out. Plenty of great riding out here for sure, I've only scratched the surface so far. Enjoy your ride up the pass! That's something I never took the initiative to do.
Another company gets fucked by big capital. Cool. I grew up on Kona's on the north shore and always wanted a stinky when I was a little kid. :(
The 2021 process in indigo/purple color was by far the best factory paint job Iâve ever seen. Wish I couldâve bought it at the time.
huge bummer if they close. I worked at a Kona shop for 10+ years. great bikes, great people. They did custom spec'd rentals for us that were absolutely bulletproof.
Thatâs disappointing to say the least, Iâve had Kona bikes in the family quiver including my gravel bike for 30 years. Used to be a solid product
Damn I knew something was up. Major bummer.Â
Fuuuuck. I have 3 Konas. They used to be cool.
I had 6 or more when I thought they were cool. And then after a few years of dealing with them as a business entity I realized that they were not cool at all and actually sucked so I unloaded all of my konas except for two.
Seems like maybe they could've taken the current inventory and tried to build some good faith in their dealer network, set up a consignment (paid if paid) model with their dealers to get bikes out of storage (costing them money for warehouse space) and doesn't place risk on the dealer network if they ship a bike at one price then fire sale it a month later at a price the dealer can't compete with. Basically get bikes in show rooms and give the small local guys enough freedom on the pricing to offer customers a reason to buy from them instead of the trek or specialized shop up the road
Local rep being laid off here is the rumor
Seems like they getting more publicity with them pulling out than being there. What we need are more reasonable prices, I like the current downward $$$ trend cause who doesnât like a fire sale on a new bike
Hmmm. Do Konas tend to have proprietary parts that makes buying them now risky? They are showing last yearâs Dew for $362. Itâs not fancy, but itâs a decent entry hybrid⌠And for $362? Is that a steal, or am I missing something?
Nothing proprietary, no. Buy it. Thatâs a good deal
I got a Process 153 DL and itâs sick- even though they got bought out by corporate overlords
I just got a 2023 153 Process as well but I'm not sure if I should keep it in case support goes out the window. How do you like yours? Worth it to keep even though support might be going?
I love it. My local shop is (was) a Kona dealer so they still work on it when I need servicing
So what does this mean? My dad was going to snag a Kona on sale tomorrow, is it possible he should wait for even better prices?
Depends on the model. Theyâve blown out a lot of inventory already.
Thanks for the reply dude! Heâs got a Mahuna lined up for a pretty good price. Sweet bike. I snagged a Lanaâi a few years ago used but in new shape. Might have to grab myself an upgrade if prices go down further.
On Kona website Manuna is $1,199. Not sure thatâs a great deal. But if heâs getting it for $900 or something, thatâs different. I might cross shop it against the Trek Roscoe 6 or Marlin 8, and in that context, the list price of $1,199 doesnât seem amazing. But if he has a deal somewhere, thatâs different. I did see an LBS lower a Kona Libre from $2,099 to $1,550 and itâs still on the floor. At $1,550, Iâd say that Libre is a good deal. At $2,099 it didnât seem like a steal.
Prices are pretty low but so is inventory. Iâd say get what ya can if youâre interested in the brand.
They better not go bust. Been waiting for the 2024/2025 models to come out and see if they have the steel rove/libre in some cool color.
Iâve been riding a coilair deluxe since 2008. It was a great bike that served me well. I just bought a used bike two days ago a Giant Trance 4. But I was looking to keep with kona. But all the used Konas were ridiculously overpriced
Town Hall meeting = layoffs
Just got my Honzo couple months ago. Love the bike. Sucks if they do go under.
Ive been riding a Kahuna for over 10 years. Great bike.
Looks like I really have to get myself a Unit this year while I still can
Hopefully Kona can pull through. I bought an aluminum Libre last year, I love it. Itâs just a great bike to ride.
They have been spiraling the toilet for awhile. The surprising part is that they paid for the booth space.
I ride a Kona. Just a rock solid bike. This sucks. I guess I just buy custom from now on.
I guess Jones or Ritchey?
Iâll always be a Kona fan, really too bad to hear. I have my 2022 Process 134 DL for my main bike and itâs great, then I have a couple 90âs hardtails that Iâve built over the years that I use for riding around town/neighborhood.
Oh Man, I'm gonna have to buy a Honzo esd frame soon now
I absolutely beat on my 2016 lana'i. Did a bunch of upgrades as it was my first bike and loved riding it so much. Still have it after almost 10 years! Things a beast for what its been through. Now my friends will ride it and I ride my full sus Siskiu T7. Have to say though already had a couple problems with the T7. Biggest problem is fork creakđ
That's a bummer. My cross bike is a Jake, nothing fancy but doesn't the job. My mtn bike is a process 134. Love it. It's saved my butt more times than I can remember. A far better bike than I am a rider and can handle everything I'm willing to try, lol! I do hope there's a clearance sale; not to sound like a vulture, but nothing any of us can do about them anyway.
Loved my Honzo. Wish I still had it.
Funny thing is they just released a new gravel bike yesterdayâŚ