Well, if you had a significant overstock, it might have been a more financially prudent approach (“might” doing some heavy lifting there).Shimano Thumbies were either Deore or XT2, why would you offer them on a bike with 300LX?
Well, if you had a significant overstock, it might have been a more financially prudent approach (“might” doing some heavy lifting there).Shimano Thumbies were either Deore or XT2, why would you offer them on a bike with 300LX?
Dear Kona Dealers,
First and foremost, we’re sorry for the delay in getting some information to you, but there has been a lot to digest and organize in the past few days.
By now you’ve heard the news that our parent company, Kent Outdoors made the decision to close our booth at Sea Otter that they intend to sell Kona.
Although this can be taken as disheartening, we are staying positive and continuing to push on. Please be aware that your team at Kona is still here to support you and our riders.
At Kona, we’ve always been about the long sweet ride and we intend to keep it going as long as possible. Should you have a warranty or inventory inquiry, we are here to help as we always have.
We know you have questions, so here are a few things we’re working on to help.
Pricing: The current promo pricelist that we released recently with healthy margin boosts will now run indefinitely. This is to ensure that you will be able to continue to make competitive margins.
Program: The current program is valid, but all payment terms are subject to approval.
Online discounting: Yes, we will see some discounting occur, but the current plan is to focus on older models, overstocked models, parts, frames and accessories.
New Models: Unfortunately, our plans to intro our new models have been put on pause. We will of course keep you updated on changes.
Thanks for your continued support, we’ll provide updates as often as possible.
Your Friends at Kona
So in short, Kona will still have an ongoing presence in the UK via its existing 60+ Kona dealers with full warranty being assured by dealers & Mount Green Cycles with the caveat of ‘While stocks last’.
I appreciate the potential for bias here - I own and regularly ride two classic era Konas, but I don’t think there was anything particularly wrong with their product or brand perception lately, it has simply been, or is likely to become, victim of an uninterested parent company / malevolent corporate entity.
I think those of us with a work ethic might like to disagree with that rather sweeping and chippy shouldered generalisation!And unless daddy payed for your obsession with boutique brands, a hand-built frame was off limits for anyone without a sponsorship deal or inheritance.
It does seem on this forum that there is sometimes this undercurrent of 'my way is the only way', and a lack of understanding that forms of riding bikes can exist other than their chosen genre, and frequently in the history of bikes it's alsocompanies that have had this attitude and a reluctance to move with the times that have struggled. There are some forms I love and some I'm ambivalent towards, but at the end of the day it's all self propelled two wheels, and in the main for me, a bunch of grown men (and women) dicking about on bikes in the mud at weekend.Not wishing to add to what seems to be rapidly escalating into a flame-war, but I am a little surprised and disheartened by some of the negativity on display in this thread, particularly the ‘ah well it was just another bike brand’ kind, given that the reason we are all on this forum is literally to celebrate/reminisce about/trade stuff from old bike brands.
And, yes I am unapologetically a Kona fan - it’s not that I’m offended, I’m just a little disappointed as I had thought this forum had moved beyond petty Kona vs Marin vs Orange vs Trek vs Whoever type discourse.
Vulture capitalists typically find undervalued companies and break them up to sell the assets.With the Kona situation particularly it's a shame that a company of the Vulture Capital mould has so quickly given up on things. I guess they expected the boom to carry on forever, much like all the companies did in the late nineties, and when it's slowed down they've panicked and jumped. They'll be far from the last, sadly.