Kona Mahuna Live Ride Review: Best in class?

[@abstraddic0442]

I love this trail. and you get to ride it in the rain !!! fun !!!

[@ondrejmanych5688]

I have Lava dome, which is one model down from this and you are absolutely right. I put 120,, fork and the bike is feeling much more confident like this. It is not very easy to bunnyhop it, because of the long "tail", but it is still pretty nimble. I am really happy that I got it. Cheap and capable bike

[@BDubb720]

Hi, what kind of fork did you put on there?

[@ondrejmanych5688]

@@BDubb720rockshox recon. I would go for Rockshox 35 instead, it is thicker. But still good.

[@richardkenyon5817]

great review , i have a 140mm fork on my kona mahuna and it works great .

[@GuyKesTV]

That's great to know. Certainly a frame well worth upgrading.

[@MW-ud8zp]

Cool that you reviewed such an entry level bike!

[@GuyKesTV]

Bikes like these are the ones that really matter because the good ones mean people get hooked on the sport but the bad ones put them off forever. The trouble recently has been supply as every bike coming in was pre sold. I'm testing bikes at this price from Trek, Specialized, Vitus and Whyte though, so keep checking back 👍

[@dicefall9]

Really good review of this bike🌲🌲🌲☕

[@colinthompson5881]

QR’s and square taper bottom bracket, not glamorous but it’s fine for purpose, solid and cheap. Possibly just showing my age😂

[@ScowlerJase]

Exactly. Taper BB is bomb-proof, as for QR’s - they are perfectly fine - they were good enough for decades for Pros so they should be good for us!!!

[@PhilBaker13]

A very useful review, thanks. I bought a Lava Dome too, which I thought was better value than the Mahuna (I got a killer deal, perhaps the Purple colour on the Lava Dome wasn't popular). It has the same frame as the Mahuna, along with QR wheels and square taper BB too, but I have more money for upgrading. It's quite a light bike for the price and rides well. I don't think it's as good a ride as my previous Polygon Xtrada (long story) which came with 120mm forks and external BB too. In preference I would buy the Xtrada

[@lukastrubac806]

who?

[@mihneastan982]

Nice review ! is this a good bike for road cycling? Thank you!

[@barfo281]

@mihneastan This is not a dual-sport/hybrid bike, it's a mountain bike.

[@jhickman4735]

yes

[@nodasz9096]

how tall are u?? because i m having problems to choose between L or XL. I am 187cm with 87cm inseam. i tried the XL it feels nice but the seatpost was very low when i set it up for my height. Is it better sollution to go for Large?? Whats your opinion? Thanks.

[@GuyKesTV]

I’m 180cm with 83cm inseam. I would suggest you go large and then you can use a longer dropper post if you want to upgrade 👍🏻

[@nodasz9096]

@@GuyKesTV thank you very much!

[@bartdenbok7622]

@@GuyKesTV Was the bike a M or L? I'm the same size as you.

[@GuyKesTV]

@@bartdenbok7622 it was a large mate 👍🏻

[@deadenear]

upgrade? spend the money now and have a completly better bike.

[@akz12]

Thanks for the review. I've just recently got myself into biking and bought the Kahuna which is the next model up from this one. The bike definitely inspires a lot of confidence. The Kahuna fork also has 100mm travel but i've noted that the Honzo has the 120mm. From your review it seems it would be a good idea to upgrade the fork for when the time comes, i presume this would be a straight swap?

[@GuyKesTV]

Make the most of the swap by getting a fork with a tapered steerer. That will get you a lot more options but you'll need to get a larger lower bearing for the headset too.

[@jancillee6945]

Just got my kahuna and. Wow😊😊😊

[@GuyKesTV]

Awesome, enjoy it 🤘🏻

[@ememm-f5h]

What is the size of the bike and how tall are you? I'm 178 cm and I don't know whether to buy size M or L?

[@GuyKesTV]

I’d go large. I’m 180 and it fitted me great

[@ememm-f5h]

@@GuyKesTV thanks

[@jdotdabs]

Seen this bike online at £550 (in sale) worth buying today? I'm after a bike I can get back into MTB with, so would like something decent and "upgradable" if needed.

[@GuyKesTV]

@@jdotdabs definitely worth that money

[@jdotdabs]

@@GuyKesTV thank you so much - your opinion means a lot. ✌️

[@gee6940]

Hi where is this in the sale for £550? Thanks

[@AlpineTrails]

Thanks for the review.. ive been looking at this. tbh that QR is a bit of a let down same as the BB and tektro brakes. grips are not a big issue since is not too expensive to swap. still a good bike

[@GuyKesTV]

TBH all bikes at this price are a let down on kit compared to a couple of years ago. The frame is really good and worth upgrading though which isn't the case with all it's competitors,

[@toddbrackett4277]

Is the Mahuna worth the price differential over the Lava Dome?

[@barfo281]

That depends on your needs. The Mahuna has a better fork and 11 speeds vs the Lava Dome's 9 speeds.

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

A Token JIS bottom bracket would help .

[@beathermit3876]

Dunno if the taper on the headtube is normal 1.25 or 1.5 inch? - either way it looks super ugly paired with those forks in that way. Good review as always though Guy !

[@GuyKesTV]

Thanks BH the head tube is tapered but the fork is just straight steerer which is why it looks so weird.

[@markdawson9944]

Hi, what model of Julbo glasses are these please? Thanks

[@GuyKesTV]

Ey up Mark. They're Fury's www.bikeperfect.com/reviews/julbo-fury-sunglasses-review still my favourite glasses by far and I've still not ruined them either which is unheard of for me!

[@markdawson9944]

@@GuyKesTV Cool, thanks for the link

[@kevincross9206]

I’m really surprised even entry bikes (from major brands at least) are coming with qr’s these days, the saving over a thru axle must be so minimal, but would make the world of difference 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@GuyKesTV]

Unfortunately once you include hubs, simpler/older frame and forks there's enough difference to mean that most cost crunched bikes under £1000 are coming with QR both ends. I've got 5 bikes here at this price point and the only ones with a bolt through are a Vitus and a Trek. Unfortunately the Trek fork is a horrible coil and elastomer Suntour that barely gets 60% of the claimed travel. Bikes at this price are pretty depressing ATMO considering how good they were getting a few years back.

[@kevincross9206]

@@GuyKesTV That’s a huge shame, as you say, there used to be some great entry level bikes to encourage people on their MTB journey. I have to be grateful that I can afford bikes that are more than up to the job - more so than their rider 🤣

[@Paulklampeeps]

I think if they sell frames only but they almost always don't do that

[@icantgivecredit871]

@@kevincross9206 Are you implying that there used to be entry level bikes with thru-axle front and rear, or are you implying that today's entry level bikes are the same as yesterday's entry level bikes and are no longer good even by their standard?

[@kevincross9206]

@@icantgivecredit871 What I was referring to is that we have got used to higher end features trickling down the line over the years. So things like bolt through axles are hardly new, and would’ve expected to see them at entry level or just above by now. I’m sure entry level bikes are generally more than capable, and suit the riders needs perfectly.

[@ProThaiboxingGYM]

Where are you riding?

[@GuyKesTV]

Just the woods local to me. It was lovely and dry in summer but starting to get wet and sketchy again now.

[@ProThaiboxingGYM]

Orbea lahfy h10 review please

[@GuyKesTV]

I'll see what I can get from my local Orbea store

[@Apachemiwokmexican777]

My chain on my mahuna didn't slap arounds....mmmmm

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

I would find this bicycle uncomfortable . I prefer my Trek custom build . My forks are far superior too .

[@i_honey_badger]

set the clutch on, then chain won't bash. problem solved

[@deadenear]

good bike until you have a steep long climb. It sucks then

[@TrapaniSicilia]

Kona are Great bikes bomb proof