It's been a good six years since Kona presented the first Satori. A 29er as an all-mountain, a real rarity at the time, as the large wheels were reserved for the cross-country faction. And despite or perhaps because of its unique concept, the bike convinced our testers at the timeAlthough the spec wasn't brilliant and the bike was a little heavy, the Satori was forgiven for its weaknesses on the descents, the concept worked so well: "The best fully Kona has built in recent years". High praise indeed.
29 inch, 130 millimetre suspension travel
Now, after a long break, Satori is back. Little has changed in the concept: Aluminium frame to keep the bike affordable, 140/130 millimetres of suspension travel, 29 inches of course. The geometry is designed to strike a balance between manoeuvrable handling, downhill performance and comfort. A trail bike as it is written in the book, except that the interpretation of this concept has of course changed quite a bit since 2012.
The frame is the centrepiece of the new bike. It is particularly noticeable that Kona is once again going its own way here. The head angle is still relatively moderate at 68 degrees, the chainstays are short for a 29er at 430 millimetres, both of which in combination should ensure agile, nimble handling. But downhill safety was also important during development, which is why the 29 millimetre bottom bracket drop is relatively low on the bike and the reach is very long at 450 millimetres in M and 475 millimetres in L. And to ensure that you can manage long days in the saddle and also pedal efficiently uphill, the seat angle has been designed to be quite steep at around 78.4 degrees.
Equipment: Functional and well thought-out but without any real highlights
When it comes to equipment, the Canadians focus on function and reliability rather than lightweight construction and dazzle factor. You won't find any high-end components here, but the equipment doesn't have any real weaknesses. Especially not on the top model, the Satori DL, which will be available for 3499 euros RRP. In return, you get a Sram GX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain, which should allow you to tackle most hills even with a 34 t chainring. You also get Rockshox suspension with Deluxe RL Debonair and Revelation, Sram Guide brakes, a Reverb with ergonomic plunger lever and wide WTB i29 rims, which ensure high tyre volume and good damping.
The standard Satori has to make do with a little less. Rockshox Recon instead of Revelation, Deore drivetrain instead of GX Eagle, groupless Shimano hydraulic brakes instead of Guide, Trans-X dropper instead of Reverb, but at 2699 euros, the entry-level model is also slightly cheaper than the DL version. After all, customers of the cheaper model can also look forward to the wide i29 rims, even if they are centred around Shimano Deore Boost hubs instead of corresponding models from Formula.
The first bikes should be in the shops from around mid-March. You can also find all the information about the new Satoris on the Website of Kona.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
