Press Release

Kona's Hei Hei Trail and Hei Hei Trail DL Have Arrived 14

Aluminum trail bike fun.

Konaworld
6/13/2018 10:03am

 


Kona's latest Hei Hei Trails are now in stock and ready to be ridden! The new Hei Hei Trail and Hei Hei Trail DL are the next iterations of our Hei Hei Trail lineup. Our carbon Hei Hei Trails are so much fun to ride that we figured a more wallet-friendly version would be a nice addition. These bikes are the ultimate do-all machines, whether exploring your local backyard trails or for taking on that epic summer biking vacation. 

With two aluminum 140mm 27.5” versions to complement our existing carbon lineup, there’s sure to be a build for most budgets. We’re sticking with our Fuse suspension platform to ensure just the right amount of support is provided on both the climb and descent. The Hei Hei Trail DL features a RockShox Revelation fork and Deluxe RL shock. Hills are made easy with a SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain and a Reverb dropper post. The Hei Hei Trail comes ready to shred with A RockShox Sektor RL fork and Deluxe RL shock, a Shimano Deore drivetrain, TransX dropper, and Maxxis tires. 

The Hei Hei Trail MSRP is $2,699 USD ($3,499 CAD) and the Hei Hei Trail DL is $3,499 USD ($4,499 CAD). Find your local dealer on Konaworld.com.


 


Hei Hei Trail

Hei Hei Trail DL

About Kona

At Kona, we're all about the freedom and empowerment of the bicycle. We have been since 1988. We still have the same founding owners. We're still populated by a staff of keen, active, impassioned cyclists. We're not big, nor are we that small. Just a dedicated group of cyclists making bicycles for people who love bikes - no matter if that love is new or long established.

Related:
Kona
Trail / All-Mountain
14 comments

View replies to: Kona's Hei Hei Trail and Hei Hei Trail DL Have Arrived

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bizutch
6 years ago
I guess you can name your price when Canyon doesn't have a bike in stock to compete at either price. "Coming Soon" & "Out of Stock"
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boaz
6 years ago
value for your money is horrible on these bikes. for $3500 there should at least be a pike.
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jeff.brines
6 years ago
While I would have liked to see something else up front too, I don't think its "terrible". Any bike at $3500 that doesn't even require a tire swap to really go rally gets a thumbs up in my book. Eagle, Reverb, good brakes, tolerable cockpit etc.

There are those pushing the price/value envelope a lot further, but its still a great time to be a bike rider! SO much performance for so little money!

I think the real bummer to these bikes is the geo. I would have really like to see a 67-66 deg headtube angle, reduced offset fork bla bla bla.

Still, for the right rider, I think it'd be a fun ride!
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casman86
6 years ago
$3500 should be absolute top of the line spec for any mountain bike if you compare it to any other outdoor sport. Paying any more than that is for yuppies that don't actually ride anyway.
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Jaybirdy
6 years ago
Agreed!!! 3500 would be a Killer bike spec on say a Commencal.. This price is very illegitimate
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boaz
6 years ago
i take your point, but a fork upgrade is extremely expensive for an average consumer (assuming no industry affiliations or bro deal at a shop). the upgrade to a pike will run you anywhere from $700-$900. at that point you’re into this bike about $4300 bucks. we both have to agree that price is absurd for what you’d have
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jeff.brines
6 years ago
...but you don't need to upgrade the fork for this thing to be fun. The Revelation is a very capable fork.

I'm not saying its a steal. I'm just saying its pretty cool we can go into a bike shop (not just order online) and walk out with a bike that someone can really rally for well under $4K. This isn't just true for Kona (which I agree could do a bit better) but for all the brands.

No doubt if someone is looking for the best deal D2C is the call. However for the non-Vital non mechanically inclined, non "I know what I want" crowd, that isn't so appropriate. A bike shop is needed. Some hand holding is needed. Its a good thing!

This bike seems more aimed toward those who decided "I want to give mountain biking a try, I don't know what I want, and I don't want to work on my stuff" crowd.

Steeper HA, simple, alloy, reliable parts spec, can go anywhere. It has its place (just clearly not here!)
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PositronicJohnny
6 years ago
I don't know, Jeff. If I was a first time buyer and I saw a $3,500 price tag, I'd probably just take up hiking. Or, just shop for a Giant, Marin, or other brand that actually has entry level bikes priced accordingly. I do agree with the bike shop angle, though.
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jeff.brines
6 years ago
@PostironicJonny

I hear you. I'm not saying this is a full on entry level bike. They still make "entry level" hardtails for a reason. I'm saying this is the bike you buy if you are into really giving the sport a go. Say, a couple buddies are into the sport and you want to tag along. See what its all about and 2 years from now still not be let down by the bike. You know you are likely going to be into it but don't want to spend more...and like the Kona dealer in the area.

I say this as a guy who could take this exact bike and go race it! Would it be my first choice? No. But I bet you I'm not THAT much slower, if at all, compared to my purpose built monster. (especially in a lower 48 enduro lol).

I'm not saying this is the only sub $4K bike that I could take and go test in a pro level enduro race, there are many others, but I am saying the "pareto principal" is in effect here. 30%-40 the cost (of a purpose built race bike). 90% the performance (or more).

I looked at Marin, at Giant, at the others. Most bikes that bike shops carry, spec'd like this one (12 speed, reverb etc) are around $3K. So its not "crazy expensive" for a bike shop bike aimed toward this user group. You can get something around $2800 if you are cool with no name dropper posts, 10 or 11 speed, and a few other corners cut. Would I be cool with those changes? Sure! But Eagle does have its place *especially* with a newer ride looking for a single ring setup.

Bike riding is a hobby that'll cost money. Its still cheaper than most any other mountain-sport this side of hiking or running I can think of.

As a dude who has personally gotten probably 100 people into the sport over the years, I can tell you the entry fee is really around $3K-4K no matter what. Maybe I can convince the higher ups to really dive into this one ("what does mountain biking really cost) though as i'm clearly on a tangent here.

Anyway, as always thanks to everyone for the banter. Made the beer more fun to drink!
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jive turkey
6 years ago
The Charger 2 Damper can be dropped right into the Revelation, essentially (literally) turning it into a Pike. As of ‘18, Revelation and Pike now share the exact same chassis, thread pitches, and air springs. No need to spend $700-$900 on a new fork for this bike. This $3500usd Kona looks like a good deal to me...
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boaz
6 years ago
good point about the charger 2 upgrade. quick google reveals you can get the upgrade kit for the revelation for around $240. provided you do it in your garage (at a shop you’ll be looking at around $70 for the install) that’s a more reasonable price for a fork upgrade
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casman86
6 years ago
Probably the worst deal in mountain biking! You can get any model Transition bike with a much better part spec and geo for $2,999. This bike is worth half that. For $2500 you can get a YT or Canyon with Lyrik or Pike and part spec equivalent to a $6000 Kona.
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PositronicJohnny
6 years ago
Agreed. Not sure why anyone would buy a Kona these days. Totally overpriced bro brand now. Makes me sad as I love my old Four. It was a good buy at $1,300 in 2008. For $3k, it would be any of the Transition bikes. But, for my money, I spent $2K and got a Jeffsy.
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