Re: Knowing me knowing you - (Kona) A'ha! (1997)
I've got an A'ha as well that I just love. I use mine to tool around town, but mostly out on the local singletrack around the lake. I have Fat Franks on it and find that the grip is fine, particularly given that stickers/goatheads can't get through despite their best attempts. Aside from the tires, I'm completely stock. The Scratch 'N' Sniff set didn't last too long...too soft. The paint job is a love/hate thing. Personally, I hate it...yet every single time I talk about stripping it and having it coated, I get so much heat from people! They act like I'm burning the flag or something. To me it's just a gaudy mess, but whatever...I just like to ride the hell out of it. Someday I know I'll finally strip it down and send it off for a quality coat and then put some Kona decals back on as well as a few of my own (graphic designer by day).
I'll most a pic soon, I still have yet to get set up again with an image host after Mac killed me.com. I'm playing with the idea of converting the A'ha to a 650B. In regards to the gear ratio, it's not terribly steep on the singletrack so I've left it stock and have no problems. I usually only have to hop off and walk it up a few spots on the trail. I think I prefer having the speed than the torque...which it still has a decent amount of. Oh, and yes, mine's a '97 as well. And one last thing, I'm going to toss some Kona wahwah's on. These stock pedals hit and grab everything.