Kona Hei Hei Supreme (2014)

Full carbon racer from Kona

Pros

- Tried and tested suspension design
- Top shelf components

Cons

- KMC chain?

Review

The Hei Hei Supreme represents the top XC race bike from Kona. Although in many ways very new, it still uses Kona's Beamer suspension linkage which first appeared in the mid 90's. The company has had a long time to perfect this system into what you see today, and ironically, in this world of constantly changing designs, remains a positive feature in Kona's range of mountain bikes. They certainly stuck with it!

The Supreme uses a full carbon frame which is beautifully designed, with internally routed cables making for a clean crisp look. The Hei Hei is a very light bike but is designed around an almost "trail" like cockpit with a tallish front end, and is perfect for building speed fast and holding it with outstanding levels of control. The only danger of an extremely light frame is introducing flex when the going gets rough or when you push the bike to its limit. I would recommend test riding before committing if you like hitting trails to a bike's limit.

Components are mostly from the top shelf, although in my experience with other top end bikes, putting a KMC chain on an otherwise great Shimano drivetrain can lead to big problems. If you get gear jumping issues swap the chain for a HG-95 and potentially all your problems will be solved!

The Hei Hei is definitely worth a look and a ride. It is potentially a very good XC and trail bike that picks up and holds speed well and just looks fantastic. See your local store for a test ride.