2006 kona stinky

[GoingDHfast]

Looks like a tree fell on it :D

http://mbaction.com/detail.asp?id=1294

[928stu]

Well I know what bike I ain't buying next year.......Looks more like an XC bike than what a Stinky is/should be.

[sammydog]

I don't know, I reckon it looks pretty good actually.

If the review is anything to go by (and its all I've got) the bike sounds like it is going to be pretty sweet.

[villy]

nope i just dont like it this years looks way better

[stacka]

whats so much cooler looking about this years? i reckon that would look the biz with some 888s or any other dual crown fork.

[at the drive in]

I used to love the look of the stinkys till i saw that bike

[hardinge915]

the suspension setup is more of a stab or stinky supreme... but i like this years better

[aday]

I like the 05 one better. I would have it if someone gave it to me but i dont think i would buy it.

[AWOL]

You would think MBA could spell BrodIE correctly

The bike looks ok, but it doesnt have the tough vibe past Stinky's have maintained

[tim_69]

yea i reckon this years one looks better. Still wouldnt mind trying one out tho. wats goin on with the paintjob on it tho?

[No_dice]

ewwwwwwwwwwww! kill it!! why would they change it! ergh...

[Elbo]

looks like they took a step backwards, i thought stinky's were supposed to look strong, tough and scary. looks pretty stupid and soft to me. So far looks like 06 will be a mixture of crap and good. crap: no dorado's, 'touring bike' style stinky (without funky hawian graphics). good: manitou travis'.. hopefully there is more to come

[fred the emu]

if i was gonna one i would just go this years.this years has better colour and looks better as well :D

[freeride_ac]

I dont mind it. Looks like a cool freeride bike and i really dig large travel single clamp. (66rcs)

[Caine]

hahahah im sorry but thats so ugly!! 05 model so much better if you ask me lol :P

[GoingDHfast]

I think most manufacturers are leaning towards "Trail Bikes" in 2006, but to change what used to be a reasonably hardcore freeride bike into this? I think image wise they would have been better to bring in a whole new model, and for the stinky: ditch the fucking 4 bar already.

[RCOH]

I don't mind it, but, because MBA recommends it, it would buy it even if it was the best bike on earth.(stoopidoubleblackdiamondallmountaingodbothe ringcrapmagazinepublishingdeathtohardtailpredictin gbeardedholierthanthoueditorRCiwishhewouldridehiss pecializedendurowithshittybrainshockoffjawdroplets seeyouwritean'inspired'editorialaboutthatwhenyourh andsarms&legsareintractionhopefullyeveryonewouldgrabtheirol dcopiesofMBAandburntheminbigbonfiresinanazistyleli teraturebonfire)

[olly1oo6]

goddamit u beat me to it by about 3 hours...some quik fingers on here!
looks ugly...prolly rides real nice

chances are its just as strong...tubings proly thicker...and 66s are king so wow. new rear sus design looks the goods

[Dane]

Why don't you tell us what you really think RCOH. ;)

[GoingDHfast]

goddamit u beat me to it by about 3 hours...some quik fingers on here!
looks ugly...prolly rides real nice

chances are its just as strong...tubings proly thicker...and 66s are king so wow. new rear sus design looks the goods

Seriously, how can you call that design new?

When it comes to Konas drawing books, they dont just need to get the old eraser and pencil out - they need to get the blowtorch out.

[sam......]

thats so different compared to the old models. are you sure thats a stinky. it would ride f***ing awesome but it looks like an bloody XC bike

[Roly]

:confused: it looks ok...

i love the forks but the new dewsign of frame and the look of it looks nowhere near as good as previous Stinkys. having said that, i wouldn't mind one :cool:

[GoingDHfast]

And now a "rental specific" Stab Garbanzo...?!

Would be interesting to find out how much they are selling these puppies for. I think not much. Apart from the obvious advertising appeal there is no reason to market a bike for rental use only - except maybe that it has ultra tough parts that can get thrashed, but all the bikes in that market do anyway.... kona get the WTF award once again!

http://pinkbike.com/modules/news/?op=articleview&id=2559

[trust in gravity]

for a radical new shock design/setup, it's still only seven inches.
i'd be interested in seeing the hardcore version.but still wouldn't want one .
i already got an 04 stinky an would love to get rid of it for a 'real dh rig"

[gragra]

To read? I wonder if anyone even bothered to read the link?
So for those too lazy to read ALL the article....


MTBA: "The first Stinky was designed to be a long-travel trailbike that could double as a freerider"

Me: (OMG! How does this make the image concious Stinky riding freerider-in-you feel? You're actually riding the seed of a trail bike! LOL!! Reminds me of the scene in "True Romance" with Dennis Hopper's diatribe before he gets whacked.)

"The shock has yet to be finalized, but our bikes used the new Fox DH coil/over damper with an adjustable pedaling platform. The ’06 Stinky will be offered in three price levels. Forget the polished look of our protos’"

(So stop whinging about colour and 4bar. Do you realise that a bike with a "horst link" is still a 4 bar -as with many non-single pivot designs that don;t rely on chainstay flex? Pedal Platform valving has largely eliminated issues associated with a seatstay pivot anyway, and don't bother to comment til you've ridden both!)

"The latest Kona is a more versatile machine than its predecessor. It can take more punishment, it handles more technical terrain with ease, yet it climbs and pedals extremely well—especially for a bike that weighs nearly 40 pounds."

(How can this be a bad thing? Yes, it's probably the usual media release stuff, but if you're too lazy anyway to bother riding around everywhere, just get a gravity rig and go shuttling...)

I think it's a nice evolution.

[Rik]

Back in the day, a long travel trail bike was a freeride bike, and it still is in this case... Kona built their reputation on "zomg huckz2flat!" and I don't think that'll change for a while.
Sure, you have platform shocks to control pedalling... but what about braking? Look at where everyone is going now, virtual pivots or high-forward+chainroller are where it's at, I guess tried-and-true and all that BS, but c'mon, evolution? Hrm... All they've done is given it a bit more standover clearance and some fugly tubesets.
The marketing crap about climbing and pedalling well is laughable as well as the fact it can handle more abuse, it's a big heavy bike, let's not pretend it's anything else... they've been getting beefier each year and mountainbikefiction are just trying to put a new spin on an old bike.

[gragra]

not revolution. Surely you can't deny it is that?

[big_pete]

Bahh I'd hit it, without those forks.. maybe some world cups!
I really really like it pffft it kills the look of 02 03 04 05 models they all seemed to have the same boring pivot rear shock set up which was boring..
Good to see kona have changed the design of the stinky....
I'd give it 4.5 bunnoyhops out of 5!

[GoingDHfast]

not revolution. Surely you can't deny it is that?

By Darwin's standards of evolution, this bike should have died after the first production batch :D Kona's marketing power has kept this frame alive, which is something I dont think Darwin considered.

[Airbourne Unit]

I think if they beefed up the swingarm arm and linkage plates a bit, it would alot better. The front almost looks like a demo 9 (the whole seat post stay thing). I think a better paint job, slice that seat post, and ditch the fender, and it should look pretty cool

[Juls]

same old same old.. oh well

you can kick and scream and complain all you like,
you can claim the new VPP/high roller ect designs are better till the cows come home,
but konas plain old design simply works, it might not work good enough for Joe Fanatical that needs the bike to help him as much as possible and thinks it will slow him down, but it does work for Joe average which is pretty much most of us.. it's reliable and doesn't mind being abused.

For those of us who must have the most latest and greatest hyped up BS design then this bike is totally useless..

but for the weekend warrior Freerider/hucker/HD Trail rider, why change a good thing? At least kona finally changed the look of it without ruining a good formula that for the higher majority of people works. Unfortunatly most of those people don't visit this forum, because they are out riding there bikes enjoying them for what they are instead of sitting here fantasising why X is better than X.

I'm sure some good color scheme will sort out the horrid looks a bit.

Juls

[zids]

omg, taht looks sweet!
the old stinky frame aws getting dull and boring, and this looks like a great new change, i cannot wait till osmeone is selling one of these @nd ahnd !!!! i might buy!!!! i personally think the new frame looks great, and the forks look sweet as well!

juls i only just saw your post, and i completely agree, why would kona change a design thats been working for them for ages, and reeping in the profirs. For the avergae - good rider, who deosnt have alot of money to spend on bikes, this is a great deal, VPP isn't in everyones price range yet..

[Ozza]

Thats sick as ,They needed to change there frames a bit more different because they have been quite the same for a couple of years!

[stinkytodamax]

I like the design it's good to see a change. Personally the two konas I have had are the best and hopefully the next evolutioinary step will be just as fun as the last.

I'm never going to win a national just as long as I have a reiable bike I'm happy

long live the stinky.

[andy73]

And now a "rental specific" Stab Garbanzo...?!

Would be interesting to find out how much they are selling these puppies for. I think not much. Apart from the obvious advertising appeal there is no reason to market a bike for rental use only - except maybe that it has ultra tough parts that can get thrashed, but all the bikes in that market do anyway.... kona get the WTF award once again!

http://pinkbike.com/modules/news/?op=articleview&id=2559

What happened dude? A kona snap under you? Did you catch Dr Dew in bed with your chick? The Stab Garbanzo and Freight train aren't for sale. They're the rental bikes at Whistler. personally when I go to Whistler, I'd be pretty happy to jump on a proven frame specced with DeeMax and Diabolus and hit the trails.

There's plenty of Kona bashing happens on this site. Are they the fastest bike getting down a hill? No way - but they're forgiving, tough as nails and easy to ride.

As for my thoughts on the new frame - hmmm, not sure, but then it looks like MBA have set it up for cross country riding anyway. would like to read a review from somebody who's opinion I really respect.

[crazydownhiller]

Yeh what a bugger aye! normally i would look forward to Kona's new line up each year! lets hope their Dee-lux and supreme do the trick. the Stink looks like it has potential, dunno whats going on near that seat tube tho, could do with sum fatter frame and Matte paint but. hopefully kona will reconsider the fugmo.

[Bodin]

There's plenty of Kona bashing happens on this site. Are they the fastest bike getting down a hill? No way - but they're forgiving, tough as nails and easy to ride.

If agreeing with you in regards to Kona not producing the fastest DH bikes means I'm "Kona bashing", then that explains why I get jumped on every time I point it out. It's amazing the strong responses I've got from people on this issue and it's probably testament to the very loyal band of Stinky riders out there.

My only real point that I've ever made about Konas is the lack of speed and, when there are other bikes out there that have faster designs and are forgiving, tough and easy to ride (like my Iron Horse), then I'm all outta reasons to ever ride a Stinky again...

[andy73]

If agreeing with you in regards to Kona not producing the fastest DH bikes means I'm "Kona bashing", then that explains why I get jumped on every time I point it out. It's amazing the strong responses I've got from people on this issue and it's probably testament to the very loyal band of Stinky riders out there.

My only real point that I've ever made about Konas is the lack of speed and, when there are other bikes out there that have faster designs and are forgiving, tough and easy to ride (like my Iron Horse), then I'm all outta reasons to ever ride a Stinky again...

Yep, fair call dude. Not everyone is gonna like the same brand of bike - and that's totally cool. It seems amazing how passionate people are in their negative opinions is all.

[miko]

I like the look of it, I'd be sold if they did something with the linkage setup.

[kona_ona]

well people have been complaining about how the stinkey hardley changes each year i guess now its changed! for better or worse..... personly i think it looks pretty cool

[ashley grundy]

i'd rather vomit than
ride that thing

[GoingDHfast]

Yep, fair call dude. Not everyone is gonna like the same brand of bike - and that's totally cool. It seems amazing how passionate people are in their negative opinions is all.

I fully admit to having a negative opinion of Kona's. I used to have a full XTR 98 Kula which was the nicest bike on the planet. It was specced smartly, very light, and great value for money. Shouldnt have sold it :(

Now it seems to me as if Kona are in the middle ground of brands. You can't argue that they are great value (eg: Norco, Iron Horse) and you cant argue that they're "bling bling" pay for the name brand (eg: Cannondale, Santa Cruz). So how exactly do they add enough percieved value (definitely not real value) to compete? Advertising and marketing I guess.

Obviously theres a place in the market for them because they sell heaps, I'm just not really sure why.

[Juls]

i'd rather vomit than
ride that thing

Why are you on this forum?

Who The heck wants to throw there guts up instead of riding a bike?

Oh man.. go visit the Drunks anonymous forums.. :D

[dylma]

it looks like kona have turned away from the more dh, or heavier rig style in 04 and 05 and tried to creat what they had in 03'. dosnt look too bad, dont really like the colour, and the top tube vearing off at the top. though, it will be interesting.

[tom_876]

Hey isn't that website from the UK anyway?

[Bodin]

Who The heck wants to throw there guts up instead of riding a bike?

Great call. :cool:

Riding makes me happy - no matter what brand/design I'm on. It's just that some make me happier than others.

[freeride_this]

dosent even look like a Stinky... its cool though.. i think they should make a new line out of it... name it something else :cool:

[L.P.]

dosent even look like a Stinky... its cool though.. i think they should make a new line out of it... name it something else :cool:

i agree... i recon it looks nice, but the old stinkys been going on long enough that it shouldnt be redesigned under the same name...
mmm but saying that, after riding granton and narbi today, im gunna get me a stinky (yeah, the good old 05 one) next week :D

[Kona.S.P]

I like it, looks good, would look even sicker if it had DC's on it a chainguide and 8" rear rotor and maybe i lower seat ;)
I'd hit it up.

[andy73]

Now it seems to me as if Kona are in the middle ground of brands. You can't argue that they are great value (eg: Norco, Iron Horse) and you cant argue that they're "bling bling" pay for the name brand (eg: Cannondale, Santa Cruz). So how exactly do they add enough percieved value (definitely not real value) to compete? Advertising and marketing I guess.

Obviously theres a place in the market for them because they sell heaps, I'm just not really sure why.

You're prolly right dude. They do sit somewhere in the middle and marketing may well have something to do with their popularity - their regular appearances in NWD I imagine is a key thing here, but also reliability. They're pretty well bomb-proof. Mine's serving me well until I get an M3 ;)

[Jordy]

that things heaps better then old stinky's, still ugly but its a hell of alot nicer looking.

[jayisbikes]

i think regurgitator had a song called " i like your old stuff better than your new stuff" it sucked too.

[floody]

I can't believe the absolute bullshit in that article. MBF indeed Rik...
Just when was a stinky ever a "Revolutionary" bike? 8 years ago when they ripped of Turner's design? I mean, the year before that, Kona's DH bike WAS a Turner with different paint, Tomas Misser edition anyone? Revolutionary - I think not.
Stood the test of time? More like been upgraded just enough to maintain image conscious buyers from the year before without achieving any great strides forward.

BTW, I've no problem with the design - my Scream is just a really big version of it and it works well...

[stinkytodamax]

Anyone remember who the current world champ is?

nudge nudge wink wink

[Rik]

You raise a point I plan on starting a thread about to discuss...

Does what the pros ride have any relevance to the average rider? (By average, I refer to us). It happens in motorsport alot (and is made more prominent when it does happen), a very average vehicle can be taken to wins by an exception athelete.

[Daver]

You raise a point I plan on starting a thread about to discuss...

Does what the pros ride have any relevance to the average rider? (By average, I refer to us). It happens in motorsport alot (and is made more prominent when it does happen), a very average vehicle can be taken to wins by an exception athelete.

And sadly, most racing cars (especially the V8 super cars) run identical internals, the only difference being the shell...

But yeah, Barel won the world's on a Stab, yet they're still pretty average DH bikes. His frame was so different to the production one it wasn't funny. Same with Cedric's Gemini, Peat's 223, and Grave's Yeti (apparently).

[cocaine]

The front almost looks like a demo 9 (the whole seat post stay thing).


hell yes - top tube, bottom tube and head tube are all very demo-esque. i just cant stand the look of those single crowns. the dorky dudes in the pics are a bit of a larf with their silly little helmets and beards and also a totally dumb idea taking the pic with the seat right up like a XC bike. a bit more of a tuff twist on the marketing and id be loving it. oh and some Jnr t's or 888s

the simple suspension design of the stinky is great for sucking up huge hucks and is still really smooth. this has taken the good parts of the 05 stinky supreme, and stab primo being the rear sus design. and the sweet lines of the demo. i would have one with dual crowns fo sure. i wonder if this new one will have ISCG mounts. one thing i hate about mine is the chain guide spinning around the bb.

[DH_DEVIL]

I prefer the look of the triples on konas, jus my 5 cents

[davey]

yeah, i dont like the dint thingey ma bob. and yes i agree trpilets look better on the stinkys

[Kona.S.P]

i'd rather vomit than
ride that thing
I'm Sure it would say the EXACT same thing about you

[sam......]

its got the stinkys specs but it looks like more of an XC bike. what happen to the triple clamps like they had on the 05 models. it would more downhilly with triple clamps on it. im not a big fan on it ill tell them now.

[Gripper]

its got the stinkys specs but it looks like more of an XC bike. what happen to the triple clamps like they had on the 05 models.

Blame MBA, the mag they gave the 1st test ride to.

MBA only recognizes cross country & all mountain as being viable mtbikes.

Black diamond or to us freeride bikes are just a fad to them.

[Juls]

Pfft.. everyones crying tripple clamps.

Have you seen a 66RC? those things weight 3.3KG wet, with steerer.

7 inches of HSCV pleasure.. they are a DH or hardcore freeride fork..

if your dum enough to X/C a bike with 66RC's.. you better rock up to your next DH with some Rock shox SID WC's.

Ever watched NWD 5? albeit it's a marzocchi sponsored vid, but every third scene is a bike with 66's on it being thrashed.. and loving it.

I like them on the stinky, I think it's a good thing, all the benefits of the 888, with all the benefits of a single crown for tight trail riding.. keeps the all purpose point of the stinky.

just my thoughts

[STP112]

i dont mind the look of it. 05 looks better but with a nice set of tripple clamp forks it'l look real mean

[donthucktoflat]

Yeh what a bugger aye! normally i would look forward to Kona's new line up each year! lets hope their Dee-lux and supreme do the trick. the Stink looks like it has potential, dunno whats going on near that seat tube tho, could do with sum fatter frame and Matte paint but. hopefully kona will reconsider the fugmo.
welcome to banshee engineering 101.

guys, what you fail to realise is that this is a PRE-PRODUCTION BIKE! it is not neccesarily what it will look like. maybe it'll have a different spec, maybe it'll have different paint. you can't bag out a bike really until you have ridden it or at least heard some worthwhile feedback (which MBA is not) so shut the fuck up and marvel at the shiny things.

[floody]

welcome to banshee engineering 101.



I think this comment is a bit stupid, people have been bandwagoning this particular cause for a while now. Funny thing is Banshee build a reasonably nice riding rig, even if it is heavy and overbuilt. No weird geometry, no suspension strangeness and few failures. Sounds good to me.
Its silly when people who really wouldn't know what they're banging on about bag them for that.

[shane bolger]

i think the new stinky is rad. bikes dont have to be massively overbuilt to be tough, id love to take that bike for a spin. and leave the 66s on it!

a chainguide would be cool, but i guess it is marketed as an all mountain bike.

PS that wasnt a banshee dig.

[gt jock]

I reckon it looks really good. Its shaken the big burly look of the 05 model but 04 is still the best model so far.