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Honzo Build Thread - post your builds here

1M views 7K replies 665 participants last post by  David R 
#1 · (Edited)
Kona Honzo Build

2012 Kona Honzo Med.
2012 Fox F29, 120mm, RLC, Tapered, 15mm TA
Stan's Flow Wheelset with 3.30 front hub, 3.30 Heavy Duty rear hub
Maxxis Ardents: fr/2.4exo, rr/2.25
Thomson X4 70mm zero rise stem
Thomson Elite seatpost
Easton Monkeylite xc lo-rise carbon bar 27 inches
Specialized Henge Expert Saddle, ti rails
Odi Rogue lock-ons
Avid Elixirs R 185/160
Sram 991? chain
XT cranks
XT med. cage derailleur
Shimano 12-36t cassette
Niner 32t front chain ring
XT rear shifter
BBG bash
N-gear Jumpstop
Cane Creek Headset / inset top, external lower

27 lbs. 13 ounces

Here's my review after my first ride today:

Just got back from ATT and I'm really, really, happy with the bike.

First of all, I expected the front end to wander on steep climbs, but it stuck, no wandering. This has a lot to do with the steep seat tube. It felt very efficient without any discernable bottom bracket flex. I expected this because the tubes Kona uses are fatter than my old Niner MCR 9. This frame weighs 5.75lbs. where the Niner 853 steel frame weighed 4.5lbs. and doesn't have sliding dropouts. For my weight, about 200lbs., the MCR 9 was nooodly, but comfortable. I felt it absorbed a lot of my pedaling power and the head tube was extremely flexy. The Honzo is a stout frame, and I don't think you can achieve that without it weighing more. I don't notice the weight, but I do notice the power transfer and SOLID feel of the frame. Also, I expected to dab the more technical sections because I'm not tuned to this bike yet, but I cleaned them all.

After reaching the top we lowered our seats and headed back. The words that comes to mind descending on this bike are INSANELY FAWKING AWESOME. Because of the short chain stays, the bike corners like a roller coaster doing a 180. The Honzo's geometry positions you over the rear tire and the pivot point of the bike in the turns. I'm not much of a downhiller, but I was flying and not worrying about any ruts or rocks because the fork and frame just swallowed them up, very confidence inspiring. The chain stays also make coming off jumps more intuitive. With Niner's geometry I always felt like I was waiting for the rear tire when popping off curbs and jumps, but the Kona feels right on.

This is the best bike I have ever owned, period. If you're worried about frame weight, you could save about 1/4-1/2 lb. going with a Canfield Nimble 9. The geometries with 120mm forks are almost identical, but the Nimble 9 has a slacker seat tube, which may affect climbing, and it does not accommodate a tapered fork, two things I really love about the Honzo.

PS - check out this video of the Honzo in action: House of the Big Wheel Part 1: Honzo and Satori on Vimeo

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#2,504 ·
I'll just put these here.

Bicycle tire Tire Bicycle frame Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle wheel


Tire Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel Wheel Bicycle frame


Tire Bicycle tire Wheel Bicycle wheel Bicycle frame


Bicycle tire Tire Bicycle wheel Bicycle wheel rim Wheel


2016 Kona Honzo ST large
1x10 Saint Drivetrain
SLX Cranks / 36t Wolftooth NW
MRP Guide
Pike 140mm / 46mm offset
Nextie 35mm carbon rims laced to Hadley DH hubs
Thomson fixed post
XT brakes 203/180 rotors
Onza Ibex 2.4s front and rear
Raceface 35mm SIXC bars (775mm) and atlas stem (35mm).
XT trail pedals
WTB Volt steel rails
Santa Cruz Palmdale grips in obvious orange

29 lbs., 6oz.
 
#2,506 ·
They're very high quality and cost about $60 each, retail $90. In socal we have a lot of loose over hard and these tires are excellent for that. They're similar to Highroller IIs but without the "Highroll"ing resistance. Reviews say they don't excel in the wet.
 
#2,508 ·
I haven't posted the EPO yet but it will be for sale.

It's hard to be certain if the new seat stays make it a tiiiiny bit more compliant or if it's the 30mm internal rims and fat tires the wider chainstay yoke allows. They feel very similar in terms of compliance, but I'm on a large now with 25mm~ longer reach and a 35mm vs 50mm stem. Also, longer tubes will be more compliant. Wheelbase is also about an inch longer. And I'm running a plush Pike. Just hard to pinpoint and not a night and day difference. If I still had an old version, I'd upgrade for the color, tire clearance, and new sizing/lines or get a Pike. The 2016 Honzo just looks *****in' and rides great.

Honestly, the EPO is better in every aspect except tire clearance and looks in my opinion. The geo numbers are identical but the EPO is .25 degrees slacker which bumps the wheelbase out a bit. Oh, and 7.5 lbs. vs 3.25 lbs in frame weight is kind of a big deal.

I'm going to pick up a Riot with the proceeds from the EPO and my stable will be complete...for now.
 
#2,512 ·
Looking to get some feedback prior to pulling the trigger on a '16. I'm a little worried about the slightly longer reach on the '16. I'm 5'6, long legs and short torso. Even with a 35mm stem, the '16 will be about 18 mm longer in reach then what I'm riding now. (Stumpy with 45mm stem). That said, I did notice the standover and stack height on Kona bikes are lower than others. At the end of the day, I'm worried about the bike feeling too big or difficult to handle. Can anyone chime in here to relieve my concerns?


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#2,513 ·
Looking to get some feedback prior to pulling the trigger on a '16. I'm a little worried about the slightly longer reach on the '16. I'm 5'6, long legs and short torso. Even with a 35mm stem, the '16 will be about 18 mm longer in reach then what I'm riding now. (Stumpy with 45mm stem). That said, I did notice the standover and stack height on Kona bikes are lower than others. At the end of the day, I'm worried about the bike feeling too big or difficult to handle. Can anyone chime in here to relieve my concerns?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
If you're concerned, go with a 140mm fork and that will reduce the reach. I am 5'7 and ride a 2015 small frame with a 40mm stem... a longer reach wouldn't be bad at all. The 2015 has solid cockpit room, but a little more wouldn't spread me out too much. The effective top tube is only a quarter inch longer, so the length while in the saddle won't be much longer at all. I think you will be stoked on the size small
 
#2,519 · (Edited)
Hey need some advice. my LBS quoted me $30 to press the headset for my 2016 Honzo ST. I was wondering if there is any possibility of me screwing up if I press them myself. In other words, can I damage the frame in any way. There is some DIY / Homemade press tool that seems simple to make. Note, I've never done this before.
 
#2,521 ·
Hey need some advice. my LBS quoted my $30 to press the headset for my 2016 Honzo ST. I was wondering if there is any possibility of me screwing up if I press them myself. In other words, can damage the frame in any way. There is some DIY / Homemade press tool that seems simple to make. Note, I've never done this before.
$30 for that?! Maybe find a new lbs... Anyways, if that's your only option, i say just pay it, they may end up needing to shave off some of the metal before pressing - mine didn't require it but it is common to need to do that while pressing a headset. It will most likely take them 5 minutes though, which is why I say that $30 is absurd
 
#2,520 ·
Yes, it is possible to damage the frame if you don't get the cups in straight. IF they are out of alignment enough, you will deform the head tube. But I have done it several times with my home-made press.

I don't do it on expensive frames, like my Ti Rove - not worth the risk. But on my fixed gear commuter, sure.

And did you buy the frame at the LBS?
 
#2,522 ·
If you bought the frame from them, they really should do this for free! It'll probably take them 5 minutes. Now, if you bought the frame online then take it in, I can understand the charge.

Putting them in DIY, even with a homemade press, is easy enough. I wouldn't worry about things, especially in a burly steel frame such as the Kona. I say go for it, just go slowly, and don't try to slam it in. I know people who have gone the DIY route on carbon road frames with no problems.
 
#2,526 ·
took the new honzo out today on its first ride…love it…it was a really rocky trail and I was concerned about sidewall tears (wtb trailblazers/wtb scrapers) but alas-those fears were unfounded. I probably could have dropped a few psi on the tires but i figured I wanted to make sure I could make it down in one piece.

the 27.5+ tires was like an extra inch of suspension, which is really nice on a hard tail.
 
#2,527 ·
took the new honzo out today on its first ride…love it…it was a really rocky trail and I was concerned about sidewall tears (wtb trailblazers/wtb scrapers) but alas-those fears were unfounded. I probably could have dropped a few psi on the tires but i figured I wanted to make sure I could make it down in one piece.

the 27.5+ tires was like an extra inch of suspension, which is really nice on a hard tail.
What non-plus tires are you comparing the Trailblazers to?
 
#2,533 ·
Since I've had no issues with a 3.0 on a 25mm Stands Flow EX on my rigid ss, I have no doubts a 2.8 tire would work great on a set of 27.5 Traverse wheels. The idea that you need a 45mm rim to run 27.5+ tires is marketing gobbledy ****.

I'm not pushing Roval wheels, but $600 for a wheelset without the weight penalty of a fat bike rim is nice.
Scott/Syncros did their own testing and found that 38-40mm (internal) with 2.75" tires was about optimal for a B+ trail bike.

Me, personally, intend to build some WTB Asym i35's with 2.8"ish tires
 
#2,534 ·
Yeah, I don.t doubt that a 45mm rim is better suited for the fit of a larger tire, but I've heard people claim it's required to run a fat rim with fat tires, which I've found isn't the case. Once 45mm wheels are in the 1800g range, I'll definitely consider it.
On that note, I decided after yesterdays' ride that I would try and swap over some smaller diameter tires onto the scrapers to see what would come of the 'feel' of the bike....maybe swap over the highrollers to see what happens...again, that would lower the BB even more and i would def get some pedal smacks
 
#2,537 ·
Tell you what, with the scrapers and trailblazers together it barely clears the inside of the stays. So much so that a zip tie that I had clipped on the driveside was rubbing the sidewalls.

This happened with the drop outs slid back and slammed, it didn't matter. We're talking about 2,3mm maax clearance on each side once all is said and done.
 
#2,539 ·
New 2016 Honzo ST

This is the first bike that I've ever built myself, and I can attribute the fact that I chose it mainly due to this thread and its 100+ pages of loyalty. I finished building it last Saturday and have a few rides in on it. I've always had dedicated XC race bikes in the past, and I've got to admit this bike is a whole lot more fun than any of them have ever been. Someone a bunch of pages back said that the Honzo is the result of a steam roller having a baby with a dirt jump bike- I'd agree with that statement completely. It is absolutely fantastic.

Here's my build:
2016 Honzo ST medium frame
Full m8000 series XT 11 speed drive train (32 tooth chain ring, 11-42 cassette)
XT m8020 pedals
XT m8000 brakes (180 mm rotor front, 160 mm rotor rear)
Stan's Flows on Hope Pro 2's with DT 14/15 spokes
Minion DHF 2.3 front and Ardent 2.25 rear with Stan's sealant
Rock Shox Pike Solo Air 140 mm
Thomson Elite Seatpost
Thomson Elite X4 50 mm stem
Thomson Trail alloy riser bar
Ergon GE1 grips
WTB Volt Race saddle
Cane Creek 40 series headset
 

Attachments

#2,546 ·
There are two bolts on the left side (NOT the bottle cage mounts), but the 2 up closer to the headtube.

Unscrew those two bolts attach the p-clips to them and swap out the rubber stopper that came installed with the frame with the other one that has a hole to insert the stealth dropper housing...pretty clean actually.

If you're running nom stealth, then yea-you'll have to cook something up (probably with a zip tie or two.)
 
#2,547 ·
Non-stealth is pretty clean too. I ran my line down the center sections of the cable guides. The new guides do a better job as I had mine ran the same way (reverb down the center guide with the brake line and shifter cable held on the outside on the guide with zip ties) on my 2013.

sferg, that's a heck of a kink on your line. It has to put a lot of stresss on the line in the dropped position. I would reroute it down the downtube if you have the length.
 
#2,553 ·
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