The Kona Honzo sets the mold when it comes modern production hardtails. Being based in the PNW, the Honzo is the steed of choice for many when the weather turns and the wet season is upon us. I’ve had my eye on one for sometime now as well, split between the Honzo and the newest edition, the Big Honzo. The Big Honzo offers the choice of a larger 27.5 tire, though the geometry would work very well with a 29″ wheel option as well.
Having spend just a few short rides on the carbon Honzo, I had thoughts on a few things I’d ideally change to make it the ideal PDX all round winter rig: the head angle felt a little steep and it needed a second water bottle cage. A press in headset would be nice too, for the option to fine tune the reach and head angle. (I’d also prefer a threaded BB)
Clearly I was not alone here as the newest iteration of the Big Honzo dropped this week and with it, a number of changes. The newest edition starts at $1699 for a complete in the alloy iteration, and the carbon edition starts at $1599 for the frame kit. More importantly, every other item on my box – other than a threaded BB, it still utilized the PF92 standard — has been checked.
The head angle has been relaxed to 67.5º and press in cups are now spec’d on all models including the carbon edition. Plus the carbon version finally provides provisions for a second water bottle cage!
The hardest part is determining what size to run. Learn more and check it out at Konaworld.com
