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Kona Offers Up a Teaser of Their 2012 Carbon 29’r Hardtail Frame

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It seems Kona has a tendency to tease us with their newest carbon products, like when they were first introducing the new all carbon Jake the Snake. So it should come as no surprise, that their newest hint at what’s to come, takes the form of a grainy camera phone shot to be “leaked” online.

What can we tell you about the new bike? Well, for starters it is a beautiful full carbon 29’r hard tail frame. It appears to have a pressfit 30 or BB30 bottom bracket, tapered head tube (most likely ZS), and braze on front derailleur mount. It also appears to be one of the first hard tails that I have seen with a 12mm thru axle out back, that’s right, thru axle on a hard tail! No way to tell whether it would be 142 or 135mm spacing (confirmed as 142), but the prospect of a super light hard tail with full thru axles, is exciting. Hard to tell, but it looks like it may also feature the post mount standard for the rear disc brake. If this is a sign of things to come, more shops might need to start purchasing tools like this.

While some were quick to criticize Santa Cruz for being “late to the carbon 29’r HT party,” it seems that they may not be the last company to enter the market. It is safe to say though, that if everything seen here makes it into final production, this will be one of, if not the most technologically up to date carbon 29’r on the market. That’s all for now, but keep an eye out for future updates!

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Ky
Ky
13 years ago

What about the OnOne Carbon HT 29er?

http://www.on-one.co.uk/reviews/carbon-29er-reviews/

APSBiker
APSBiker
13 years ago

HOT!

But not for me – I love their Scandium hardtails too much.

Steve
Steve
13 years ago

I tend to think that folks who like “142” spacing don’t understand it.

It’s no better than 135×12… except it’s slightly easier to INSTALL your wheel. No better chainline. No better flange spacing. No improvement to wheel durability. No weight decrease.

But, thankfully, it’s not compatible with anything else.

If you cared about function, you’d want 150mm or “157”.

Probo32
Probo32
13 years ago

ok, so I fit bikes for a living and have come across only a few 142 X 12 rear ends thus far. As a Pro MTB rider that’s super active, i’m sure i’ll see more. If you have used one then you know there are no end-caps or any sort of QR stub to fit into a trainer. The axle is more or less flush to the frame when installed. That’s problem #1. Problem #2, it’s too wide to fit into a trainer. I know what you’re thinking, why would I want to put my bad ass MTB in a trainer? well, if you’re serious then I hope your position is dialed and you’ve had a proper fit done. With 142 it’s impossible to install in any traditional trainer. Someone please tell me if there is a trainer out there that accepts 142… I’d buy two tomorrow. Even the trainers that run on the rim are a problem. Low profile disc rims don’t have enough room to set up well. It can be done but it’s a pain.I even called Specialized about this, they replied; “Call us back in 30 days, we’re working on that” when asked “what are you doing about 142 rear ends in trainers?”. Lastly…what is the major benefit of a 12mm axle on a super stiff carbon hard tail? Wasn’t the purpose of the system in the first place to stiffen the somewhat wonky suspension rear end? I can see yes it would make things more firm in any application but are we splitting hairs here on an already uber-stiff Carbon bike? Seems to me that it’s not worth the hassle here. On the dually….for sure. I’m sure in two or three years after every major company adapts this system it’ll be the new standard. Will trainers adapt also? my 2 cents…

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