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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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#683 ·
Ok I've been beating the crap out of mine for a year so I guess I should post up! Got some new bits i am excited about too:

2012 Honzo 18"
Rev RL fork
Deity Dirty 30 bars 760mm
Flow EX rims on Hope pro2 front, DT Swiss 350 rear W engagement Upgrade
AKA spiderless cranks w/MRP blingring 30t
Deity comp pedals
BB7 mech brakes, speeddial
Gravity Dropper Turbo sans boot
Ardent 2.4 front, Geax Saguaro rear tire

Running the stock ethirteen chainguide which still works fine with the smaller chainring...
THANKs to all of you for your posts/suggestions...this is a great forum and you all have really helped me dial in the build - really happy with the bike!
 

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#684 ·
Takin' the frame to the local shop for headtube milling and facing tomorrow. Hopefully they can git'r'done over the weekend. Brakes are in the mail. Need some 191mm spokes for a crap-tacular 20mm through-axle wheel rebuild.

Times are tough. This is a work in progress. Upgrades will be made, but I'd rather be riding it than looking at it meanwhile.
 
#688 ·
Yep. we're close in height- I'm 5-9" with a 32" inseam on my Levis, riding a small, love it. 50mm stem and 30" bars. seat height on my bikes runs 29" BB to top of saddle. The small definitely has a big-BMX bike feel, but actually doesn't feel cramped at all length-wise. The short chainstays and wheelbase are a blast- super easy to lift the front end and snap the bike around corners, unlike many 29'ers.

Something to keep in mind is that the small Honzo actually has a longer wheelbase than a medium yelli screamy, despite the honzo having shorter chainstays. Canfield doesn't post stack/reach, but that says to me the reach on the small kona may be longer than the medium canfield. Having owned both bikes I'd say that sounds about right.
 
#689 ·
Yep, and the medium has an extra inch of wheelbase over the small. Since all of the Honzo sizes have the same length rear end, this translates to an extra 25mm of front center. The top tube length on this bike is a deceptive number to go by. You want to size it based on the appropriate front center for your riding style.

Also, the fact that everybody seems to put a 140mm fork on the thing makes the Eff. TT lengths longer than advertised. So put that in your pipe and smoke it a while...
 
#696 ·
Also, the fact that everybody seems to put a 140mm fork on the thing makes the Eff. TT lengths longer than advertised. So put that in your pipe and smoke it a while...
By my precise calculations, the 20mm of extra travel has only added .1" to the ETT in my size. A whopping .1".
Photoshoped!

6'3" on a large... And really don't regret it

Xl is probably for Green giant?
I'm 6'4" on the XL. Go figure. Best fitting bike in years.
 
#716 ·
Got a local shop to do the head tube machining halfway; turns out they didn't have the over-sized reamer for their park tool.

Facing tool, yes. Reamer, no. Probably going to have them do the reaming too after seeing how far off the bottom face of the head tube was though.

Mechanic literally did a double take as he re-adjusted the mill to take off extra material. It was that far out of square.
 
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#723 ·
Hi folks, after some advice please. Just bought a 2012 full bike (for a bargain over original price), so planning some upgrades. First off, if I want to go 10 speed, can I just replace cassette, chain, shifter and medium length (or short) mech? Or will I need to think about the free hub body and chain guide too? (both 2012 stock at the moment). Would love to know if anyone has done a 10 speed upgrade on the stock bike. Thanks.
 
#727 ·
If you really have your heart set on changing out brand new drivetrain parts just for the sake of 1 extra gear go for it, but the stock parts are decent as is. I would keep them on until they wear out or fail, then shop for upgrades.
You will need to change the shifter, chain, cassette, and derailleur if you go 10 speed. Chainguide and freehub will be fine as is.

My advice is to take the money you would spend on those parts, add some to it, and look at upgrading to a lighter, stronger set of wheels/hubs. You will notice more performance gains that way then you ever would with one more gear.
 
#725 ·
Just ordered my small Honzo frame:) Already have the wheelset for it, and will likely go with the 140mm Revalation RCT3 from CRC. Oh and XT brakes when a deal pops up (wiggles is out of stock).

Curious if anyone has thoughts on selecting drivetrain components. Been running SRAM 1x10 in 33 x 11-36 on my 26" rig. Might try Shimano with the Zee short cage der, and saint shifter. Was thinking the SLX 11-36 cassette should suffice. I was also planning a 32 ring in front, but wasn't sure if I should drop down to 30... I could handle a 34 on my 26er when I'm in shape. The part where I always struggle on builds is cranks! Anyone know an affordable option that aren't boat anchors?? Looking at chain guides, the MRP micro caught my eye... not sure if anyone has tried one yet.

Have most of the other stuff ordered or laying around. Oh, and dropper... that one is gonna break the bank but I can't live without one. I have a Reverb I'm afraid to even breath on but has been holding up after 3 warranties, so time to try something else (maybe the Lev). It's always funny what a cheap in simple hard tail build turns into haha.
 
#732 ·
Dirtysurfer and Mitthew, I wanted to give you my thoughts on drivetrain. I love what I currently have and it shifts perfectly. It's instantaneous,crisp, quiet, and precise. I weigh about 200 lbs. and I stand almost the entire time, single speed style, but with gears, so I abuse chains and rings. My drivetrain choices were based on strength/durability first and price/value second. Here's what I'm running:

Shimano Zee derailleur
Shimano XT shifter (capable of dumping two gears at a time by simply depressing or pulling trigger past a certain point)
Shimano XT 10 speed cassette 11-36
Renthal 35t single speed chain ring
E-13 chain guide w/ taco bash, lower pulley removed (clutch derailleur makes it unnecessary)
KMC 10 speed chain - I don't know what it is about this chain, but I feel like it's freaking strong and it shifts great! AND it's CHEAP.
Shimano SLX cranks
 
#737 ·
Has anyone tried the White Brothers Loop TCR fork? I am likely going to pull the trigger on a Large frame soon and I have everything sorted except for the fork. The Fox 34 is honestly overpriced in my book, so that is out. I could wait for the Xfusion 34mm stanchion fork, but that seems to be eternally delayed. White Brothers looks like a good option, but I was looking for some feedback. I would get the 140mm version
 
#741 ·
This is true. I was hoping to use the 15mm American Classic hub I have on the TransAM, but I have the 20mm hanging around as well (100g heavier). It will probably be stiffer with the 20mm anyway. Its too bad there are no conversions for the front hub, so I will have to re-lace the wheel if I ever go to 15mm.
 
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