Most Popular Stories
- 1.Kokanee Crankworx Day 8 Canadian Open Downhill presented by Kona 2010-08-16
- 2.Cam Zink takes Monster Energy Slopestyle at Crankworx 2010-08-15
- 3.Gravity Logic update. 2010-08-24
- 4.Kokanee Crankworx Day 7 Monster Energy Slopestyle 2010-08-15
- 5.Livigno: another good place to ride. 2010-08-18
- 6.Crankworx Day 6. Giant Slalom & Jump Jam 2010-08-14
- 7.Prokop / Ragot are your Crankworx Giant Slalom winners 2010-08-14
- 8.Cameron Cole out of worlds. 2010-08-25
- 9.This weeks loonie race 2010-08-26
- 10.The Atherton Project: Episode 8 2010-08-25
Reviews
2009 Kona Dawg Deluxe
Author: Chris Armstrong | Created: 2009-11-21 08:01:36 | Location: Whistler, BC
I have a long track history with Kona bikes. Over the years I have had I have a long track history with Kona bikes. Over the years I have had For about 4 years all I had was Kona bikes. Stab, Stinky, Coiler. It seems like every other bike is a Kona in Whistler and I was no exception.
One group that I had never tried a bike from was the Dawg series. Falling under the all mountain category in the Kona line up, the Dawg Deluxe is a 30lbs, 140mm travel bike with a reliable, almost indestructible suspension platform. The low weight comes mainly from a combination of Scandium butted tubes and magnesium rockers, with a nice spec package that focuses on: reliability, durability & price.
Nice colours & graphics. |
Spec's
| Frame sizes | 15", 17", 18", 19", 20", 22" |
| Frame tubing | Kona Race Light Scandium Butted, 6" Travel |
| Rear Shock | Fox Float RP2 |
| Fork | Fox 32 Float RL 140mm w/15mm Dropouts |
| Headset | FSA Orbit DL |
| Crankarms | Shimano SLX |
| Chainrings | 44/32/22 |
| B/B | Shimano SLX |
| Pedals | Shimano M520 Clipless |
| Chain | Shimano Deore |
| Freewheel | Shimano Deore (11-34, 9spd) |
| F/D | Shimano SLX |
| R/D | Shimano XT Shadow |
| Shifters | Shimano SLX |
| Handlebar | Kona XC/BC Deluxe Riser |
| Stem | Kona XC/BC Deluxe |
| Grips | Kona LOG |
| Brakes | Shimano SLX Hydraulic Disc |
| Brake Levers | Shimano SLX Hydraulic |
| Front hub | FSA XC-150 Wheelset (15mm) |
| Rear hub | FSA XC-150 Wheelset |
| Spokes | FSA XC-150 Wheelset |
| Tires | Maxxis Ignitor 26x2.35 Kevlar |
| Rims | FSA XC-150 Wheelset |
| Saddle | WTB Rocket V Comp Cromo |
| Seatpost | Kona XC/BC Deluxe |
| Seat clamp | Kona QR |
| Color | Brown Metallic |
Spec.
The spec on the Dawg Deluxe was a mixture of Shimano SLX, with a couple pieces of XT thrown in for good messure. Works well, priced right. But the SLX brakes are squeaky at best. The Fox 32 Float RL fork with 15mm axel was a nice addition and I couldn't feel the difference in the axel size from my standard 20mm that I run on all bikes. Out back there was a Fox Float RP2 which held the rear of the bike to the ground, but I must say that I preferred it with the ProPedal turned on all the time.
SLX components + Fox Shox = good affordable ride. |
Geometry
| DAWGMA, DAWG, DAWG DLX, DAWG SUP | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNITS | SIZE | TTH | STA | HTA | RC | FC | WB | FL | OF | BBH | SO | HT | BBS | FD |
| mm | 381 | 566 | 72.3° | 68.8° | 434 | 653 | 1087 | 510 | 39 | 355 | 806 | 125 | 73 | 34.9 |
| inches | 15 | 22.3 | 17.1 | 25.7 | 42.8 | 20.1 | 1.5 | 14 | 31.7 | 4.9 | ||||
| mm | 432 | 592 | 72.3° | 68.8° | 434 | 680 | 1113 | 510 | 39 | 355 | 774 | 125 | 73 | 34.9 |
| inches | 17 | 23.3 | 17.1 | 26.8 | 43.8 | 20.1 | 1.5 | 14 | 30.5 | 4.9 | ||||
| mm | 457 | 604 | 72.3° | 68.8° | 434 | 692 | 1125 | 510 | 39 | 355 | 779 | 125 | 73 | 34.9 |
| inches | 18 | 23.8 | 17.1 | 27.2 | 44.3 | 20.1 | 1.5 | 14 | 30.7 | 4.9 | ||||
| mm | 483 | 617 | 72.3° | 68.8° | 434 | 706 | 1139 | 510 | 39 | 355 | 799 | 140 | 73 | 34.9 |
| inches | 19 | 24.3 | 17.1 | 27.8 | 44.8 | 20.1 | 1.5 | 14 | 31.5 | 5.5 | ||||
| mm | 508 | 624 | 72.3° | 68.8° | 434 | 712 | 1146 | 510 | 39 | 355 | 810 | 140 | 73 | 34.9 |
| inches | 20 | 24.6 | 17.1 | 28 | 45.1 | 20.1 | 1.5 | 14 | 31.9 | 5.5 | ||||
| mm | 559 | 631 | 72.3° | 68.8° | 434 | 719 | 1153 | 510 | 39 | 355 | 835 | 140 | 73 | 34.9 |
| inches | 22 | 24.8 | 17.1 | 28.3 | 45.4 | 20.1 | 1.5 | 14 | 32.9 | 5.5 | ||||
Never one to sit idle, Kona has reworked the geometry slightly from previous years, mainly by making the head angle steeper to 68 degrees, the travel was adjusted to be now sitting at 6" in the rear by lengthening the rockers and tweaking the linkages.
Fit & Finish:
The look and feel of the bike is quite nice. I love the root beer colour paint job, and the gunmetal coloured, house brand parts look nice. On a bike in this price level it makes sense to have some house parts on it to bring the price down, but I am not a big fan of over spec'ing it that way. Bars, stem & seatpost is just enough.
The Ride.
There was something about the ride that I couldn't quite get my finger on. It was at best average. It was ok on the climbs, nothing spectacular, but it did feel slightly faster than it really was. Much like it felt lighter than it really was. The FSA XC-150 wheels were nice when the going was straight, but as soon as you leaned on them I could feel them flexing. This was really evident on my descents. When you live in the mountains, descents can be a bit more complex and require a bit of precision to clear roots or mucky sections. I never felt really comfortable once the bars were pointed downhill, slightly skittish, slightly unsure of itself. which could be partly due to the size of the stem and bars.
Opinion: Loves to climb and does it pretty well, doesn't like to go downhill, quickly.
Plus:
Great climber, lightweight for longer travel.
Minus:
Doesn't descend with confidence.
Website: http://www.konaworld.com
Price: $2999USD.
Rating: 4/5
Comments
No comments have been posted yet!You must be registered and logged in to post a comment.
