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Not particularly known for their road bikes, Kona is more of a staple in freeride films and on the North Shore of Vancouver. Nonetheless, their road bike lineup offers an amazing value for what you’re getting. carbon forks or even full-carbon frames mated to top-notch parts specs at competitive price-points and you’ve got yourself the Kona road bike lineup.
The Kona Zing is the entry-level bike in the 4 bike lineup, which consists of the race-worthy, full-carbon King Zing, the still capable and still full-carbon Zing Deluxe, the competitive Zing and the old-school steel Kapu. Between all 4 bikes in the line, you’ve got full carbon, carbon/aluminum and full steel construction. I don’t know of any other major bike line that has so much variety in their framesets, so there’s something for everyone in this line.
Specifically, the Zing is an awesome example of a competition-worthy, yet budget-friendly road bike. With a carbon fork mated to Kona’s 7005 butted aluminum tubes, you’ve got a solid frame/fork combo and stellar parts spec for the $1199 MSRP. And, the Bianchi-esque champion blue color scheme will definitely stand out in a crowd.
Highlights of the Kona Zing
- Components: Shimano 105 with an Ultegra rear dérailleur
- Wheelset: Mavic Aksium
- Frame: Kona 7005 butted aluminum
- Fork: Kona Carbon
- Sizes: 49, 53, 56, 58 and 61 cm
- MSRP: $1199
- More Info: Specs
I think you’d be hard-pressed to find another road bike with the components and build of the Kona Zing at such a competitive price-point. Kona’s road bike lineup has been steadily garnering more and more attention and deservedly so. The Kona Zing won’t break the bank, but delivers quality for not much money.
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looks like a very solid entry level bike at a good price….could be worth casting an eye at it.
Looks like I’ll have one of these as my road bike for the season, so I’ll post a review in the coming months. I’m stoked to get out on a roadie again after a year hiatus!
Awesome! Looking forward to hearing how this bike holds up to some serious mileage.
Bought a 2009 Kona Zing for a little over $1000. Put about 100 miles on it so far. This is my first serious road bike. So far so good, no complaints. I’ve done my research before buying this and have been looking around ever since – I have yet to find another bike that has the components of this for the price. This thing flies on level ground or down hills and can stop on a dime. Not bad going up hill. Smooth ride. Great value for what you get and what you pay.
I bought this bike in March 2010. This thing flies and I love this bike! With 105 components and an Ultegra rear derailleur, it’s a steal at this price. No other makes offer such great components at this price. I am not into racing (although I wish I could!) but ride for fitness. I’ll say the frame is solid enough for me and the Shimano components work smoothly, although the stock Tektro brakes didn’t work quite as expected and I swapped them for a pair of Ultegras. I also switched the Selle Italia seat to a more comfortable Specialized saddle and installed a pair of 105 clipless pedals. It’s a great bike for my kind of riding.