Kona Honzo ESD (Extra Slack Dude) first look and first ride

Read more about the Kona ESD here: singletrackwor...
Kona gets back to its roots with a new slender steel hardtail with a twist. The Kona Honzo has always been a rowdy, play machine, but now with a sprinkling of Process X DNA, the Hona ESD is a thoroughbred hardcore hardtail.

[@AeroPrixma]

Get Hardtail party on this bike! Bike looks beautiful in that red

[@AydinProductionsLtd]

He already wrote on the specs he's waiting for one

[@jeffloucks2120]

He put up his initial video today !

[@dev_IL666]

It wouldn't benefit him, he is 5"6 I believe and doesn't do so great on bikes like this. He is more of a salsa timberjack kinda guy

[@AeroPrixma]

@@dev_IL666 He liked the bike? What do you mean?

[@jeffloucks2120]

@@dev_IL666 Maybe you should watch his review.

[@cphun2]

I bought an On One Hello Dave XL frame 2 months ago thinking all these bigger brands will have similar geometry only in ~5 years and than Kona comes with this nice frame with very new-school geometry. Congrat! :)

[@gsrossco]

I bought a 2020 Norco Torrent 4 months ago. A similar design in many ways, it actually replaced my old hardtail which was a Kona. I'm loving this modern take on the hardtails, best fun I've had for a while on a bike. Pity the Kona wasn't around when I was buying, I'm happy with the Norco, but the Kona looks like a sweet unit. Great review by the way.

[@ralph_barbasa6909]

Just bought this frame can’t wait to build it up

[@Glider917]

Agree need to get Hardtail Party on this bike for review. Im looking for a new bike and he is the same size i am, would love to see what he thinks about it.

[@mheberling5939]

I just bought a Honzo Steel in March and I am really considering listing it to upgrade to this.

[@RobbiePfunder]

do it

[@dtheopha]

I wasn't sure if that bike is really cool or really, really cool, but now I am

[@singletrack]

😂

[@stevevazquez751]

Nice review!!! Get hardtail party on this bike !!would love to see more reviews

[@gardnercalibuso]

Awesome bike, awesome ride!

[@goregangsta]

Did you happen to get any climbing in on it? If so how was it? Would like to use it as my main bike so ill be climbing as much as descending.

[@alacarteprojectv2]

Hi mate, yes I did you can read more about it over in Singletrackworld.com. But basically it does climb just rather slowly due to the heavy wheels and tyres

[@ryanerwin2224]

Just got this as my first bike. We live in bend Oregon. My housemate has a carbon hardtail and is excellent at climbing, and If I really grind I can keep up with him. Also the geometry feels great on the body when climbing and the gears are really slow. And it’s all worth it for the downhill, this thing shreds!

[@goregangsta]

Right on, I ended up with a canfeild nimble 9. This bike definitely looks fun tho.

[@davidpinnington213]

Greets from the levo dude on top of Hobson yesterdAY - thought the bike looked a bit rad - comes home and it’s on my YT feed

[@alacarteprojectv2]

Good to meet you too mate. Hope to see you up there again 😃

[@davidpinnington213]

Cheers Andi - let me know when /if you get a Yeti Arc to test

[@alacarteprojectv2]

David Pinnington oh, that’s not really might type of bike but I bet someone at Singletrack will be testing one 👍

[@Charlie_Prinz]

Very Cool.

[@jacknuttall1257]

Nice vid 👍

[@jacknuttall1257]

At least I’m gonna be first commenting on pre-premier videos

[@singletrack]

@@jacknuttall1257 haha

[@benhildred2847]

ESD stands for ‘ear shit and die’ you probably knew that though, fair play for conjuring up a PC acronym.

[@dantribby199]

Waiting.

[@singletrack]

Hope you enjoyed it 👍

[@l00tur]

If this was a 27.5 I would’ve went with this over the Marin San Quentin 3. Nice bike regardless

[@sdqsdq6274]

@waquzy nah i love it , kona always has weird names , chill vibes

[@sdqsdq6274]

there are 27.5 option honzo

[@l00tur]

@@sdqsdq6274 Not even the same bike. Look at the geo charts

[@Iggy52]

What’s so fantastic about that red paint job??? The bike looks totally normal.

[@aluminumhorserider6197]

It looks British.. In 2021 all bike companies discovered hardcore hardtails. Give it to hardtailparty, if it makes it on arizona limestone it is riot.... Great looking machine otherwise, great spec. Only afraid for my natural narrow trails with sharp corners could be a truck for cornering....

[@mattfinch3895]

Load it up with bikepacking gear. Let me know how it goes.

[@cawoodsob]

So pretty much what Cotic bikes www.cotic.co.uk/ have been creating for a good few years now?? (Chainstays might be shorter though) Good to see the 'big boys' keeping an eye on the 'pointy edge small boys' 😏

[@mattfinch3895]

My thoughts exactly.

[@cawoodsob]

@@mattfinch3895 yeah... basically the Solarismax but Cotic has the stretched chainstay too. Good review from Singletrack www.cotic.co.uk/product/solarisMAX

[@FMeyer-zg5mg]

Same goes for NS Bikes, love my 2012-"Surge" frame.

[@tyronehetherington8606]

Really like the bike but pricey for the spec? Can get a bird 29r or Whyte 909 v3 for much less money with almost double the spec/parts..

[@AydinProductionsLtd]

Imagine if you had a list of the bikes in this slack Hardtail division lined up and compared. your website and video would blow up. Compare this to the Specialized Fuse 29er 2020

[@martinodima589]

great video,thanks for the great review.what is the maximum tire size that can fit?can you fit a 2.6 in the back?

[@1UpKroeker]

My LBS said I might be able to get the 2022 year of this bike (purple frame). I am really excited as I was not able to get the 2021. I am 6'1" with close to 36" inseam. Do you think XL is the right size?

[@jeffloucks2120]

Couldn't really hear it but how was the hub? Hardtail parties hub was kind of intermittent in sound. Just curious if it might have been a one off thing.

[@remodulator2827]

I'm just 1cm taller with ~85 cm inseam, yet Kona rep recommended L-size based on their size fitting service online (with additional trunk and arm size measurements). Wonder if M-size would still fit better for me, stem is already pretty short...

[@alacarteprojectv2]

I've ridden and currently am riding longer bikes but it was quite refreshing to get on the medium bike. It's very easy to maneuver and throw around and reminded me of why I loved hardtails so much in the past. The great thing about Kona working with IDBs though is that you should be as to demo one. Try and get on both and see which suits you and your terrain best 👍👍

[@remodulator2827]

@@alacarteprojectv2 Right on, I'm trying to order a demo bike in either M or L-size during the upcoming weeks - however, I can only test one size at once so harder to compare which one feels better. Currently been riding Unit X (2019) in L-size and it feels just right, but Honzo is obviously quite a different beast when it comes to geometry :D

[@benjaG86]

I have upgrade kahuna 2019 I thinking about swap to this honzo ESD How this bike climb against my kahuna ? ;)

[@petertobey603]

Looks like fun. But what about the climbing. That's all part of the ride too.

[@neckybliss1]

Where were you riding, looks mint? Would you say this bike is an enduro race ht or a playful poppy but not super quick kind of bike?

[@SymaticStar]

It's extremely close to my 2020 "Big Honzo ST" which Kona describes more like an Explosif with plus size tyres,. Biggest difference is 63 HT angle on this vs 67.5, I've already been planning to use a -2 angleset and add 20 mm to the 130 travel forks. Not sure if this ESD would take two plus tyres at 27.5, by 2.8?

[@jeffloucks2120]

See Hardtail partit's vid out today. He fit a 3.0 on the rear which looked tight but 2.8 should be a go.

[@MrBig617]

Wtf is with the 69/420 logo?

[@elfino77]

i am 191cm tall..would u recommend xl or maybe l for better handling?! btw riding a scott scale in xl atm and need a more sturdy bike for trails too...not sure to get this one or the marin el roy,thx in advance

[@martinhayes5087]

Bloody pricey that for the spec.

[@koolkeith8908]

Did you forget to say how tall you were?

[@elcamel1216]

How's it climb with such a slack head angle? I'm looking at this Kona Honzo ESD, the Banshee Paradox V3, the Rocky Mountain Growler 50, and Ragley Big Wig Race. All pretty similar geo. Looking for the perfect all arounder aggressive hardtail on 29s, with 140mm or 150 mm travel.

[@singletrack]

Hi mate, more details on how it rides including how it climbs here singletrackworld.com/2020/08/kona-honzo-esd-review-first-impressions/

[@elcamel1216]

Yeah I read it before posting the commebt! Doesn't go into much detail on the climbing I felt.

[@s14tat]

I wonder if you can put 27.5 plus tires on the back and mullet this thing out or just go straight 27.5 front and back

[@s14tat]

I just read the measurements. The bb height would be the same as my nukeproof scout 275 at 308mm if I run 27.5 x 2.6 tires in the back vs the stock 312mm height on 29 x 2.5. so yeah it would work.

[@harryreed2789]

27:5 plus on a 3” tire should have the same outer rolling circumference as a 29er. Should also fit into the fork but the issue would be the chainstay area, maybe 2:8 tire would solve that. (I ride a Pinemountain with 3” plus)

[@s14tat]

@@harryreed2789 a 27.5 x2.8 is around the same as a 29 x 2.3 so a 27.5 x 3 is around 29 x 2.5

[@brotherkentv6343]

Can I buy the frame?

[@mrexon]

Who is this guy in my feed....

[@mrexon]

That hard tail has $1200 worth of components on it... prolly costs more then most are willing to dump on a hard tail party

[@hc7185]

2700$ I think it was

[@chrismakin1482]

That's too far away on that frame only! December!?! BAH.

[@TheLelol]

Yes external cable routing is better to service, but it looks like shit. If done correctly internal routing is not much work at all.

[@lukerisser9163]

I chose the commencal meta ht over this

[@guipol112]

Do U like it??

[@singletrack]

Yup, it's a really good fun bike👍 we have a full first ride impressions article being written right now so there's more info and thoughts coming soon.

[@guipol112]

@@singletrack it must be perfecr for this trails.

[@DM-hw4cr]

Press fit bottom bracket?

[@o.zzzzzz]

No, threaded BSA 73mm

[@MrRumBacardi]

I dont know, that thing looks so slack it could snap

[@jeremyatkinson4976]

Route as in root....

[@wallyedmonds8199]

Kind like the RSD middlechild

[@1Sparrow1]

If you have the company rep there to bring you a bike and to have him speak about the bike that makes this the definition of a biased review. This video is useless to me if I actually want to make a buying decision on this bike.

[@glennoc8585]

More like a jump bike.

[@alacarteprojectv2]

The size M had enough stand over that I could have easily used it as a DJ bike one day then pop the seat way back up for a big day in the mountains. Pretty versatile 🤟👍

[@nikolaibohachevsky2301]

You lost me with the 29 wheels....aggressive and 29?....NOPE

[@nerfherderdavid]

Nikolai Bohachevsky you haven’t ridden one in the last 3 years aye ?

[@nikolaibohachevsky2301]

@@nerfherderdavid having three hard tails, one with 26, one with 27.5 and my latest a 2019 Chameleon; I experiment all the time. Back to back rides on my same local loop. And not just my local trails, I spend at least a month in the Alps every summer; Kitzstienhorn, Leogang. Even tried mullet; which is better than all 29 but still too dead for enjoyment. I really have tried...but I ain't drinking the kool aid...

[@MajorStaticX]

The more and more companies put slack in the headtube, the more and more turned off I get, its actually getting kinda ridiculous and counter intuitive.... To Me.... other people may like it