Honzo
Origin
Launched in 2012 as a balls-out aggressive all-mountain 29er Cromoly hardtail, the Honzo broke the rules of the day with a 1×9 drivetrain, super-short chainstays, a slack 68° head angle and a stubby stem — a long-low-slack recipe so successful it set the template for the modern aggressive hardtail. Its cult following and immediate success spurred a wave of copycat bikes (Transition TransAM, Canfield Nimble Nine, Trek Stache). The geometry has changed remarkably little in 13+ years, and Kona has kept the line broad — alloy (base), steel (ST), and carbon (CR) frames — topped by the 150 mm enduro-focused Honzo ESD.
Specifications
- Frame
- Base Honzo: Kona 6061 butted aluminium, 29" wheels, very low standover, ISCG-05 tabs, internal dropper routing. Family also offered as steel (Honzo ST, Cromoly) and carbon frame-only (Honzo CR)
- Weight
- kg
- Drivetrain
- Shimano Deore 1×11, 30T chainring, 11-51T cassette (base Honzo). DL runs 12-speed; older AL/DL shipped 1×10 Deore. ESD uses SRAM NX/GX
- Brakes
- Shimano MT410 hydraulic disc, M4100 levers, Shimano RT30 centerlock rotors 180 mm front / 160 mm rear (base Honzo)
- Wheels
- 29", WTB ST i30 TCS (tubeless-ready) rims, Shimano hubs 110×15 mm front / 148×12 mm Boost rear
The verdict
- Genre-defining long-low-slack geometry that descends with the confidence of a much bigger bike
- Very stiff frame and short chainstays give excellent power transfer and a snappy, playful feel
- Low standover and short seat tube allow a longer dropper across every frame size
- Tubeless-ready WTB i30 rims and Boost hubs — a solid, upgrade-friendly platform
- Broad model range (alloy / steel / carbon / Big Honzo / ESD) covers trail through near-enduro use
- Punishingly stiff rear end — rough, chattery descents leave the rider battered; comfort is its weakest trait
- Short chainstays restrict fitting larger tyres and push weight rearward on L/XL sizes
- Stock tyres on cheaper builds aren't always tubeless-set-up out of the box (early swap recommended)
- Entry builds carry weaker brakes/fork (older Acera-level kit) and a narrowish gear range for steep climbs
- Despite short stays it isn't especially eager to manual or hop without fitting a shorter stem; ~13.2 kg is heavyish for a hardtail
Where to buy Kona Honzo in Latvia
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