The hardcore hardtail was always a very British mountain biking phenomenon.
Steel frames with very progressive geometry and the ability run long-travel forks, enabling riders who had the adequate skill, to negotiate year-round technical riding.
The advantage of a hardcore hardtail is simple: plenty of riding thrills with relatively low maintenance, thanks to the rigid rear end, devoid of links and bearings to service.
Riders who have the joint health and confidence to ride a hardtail on terrain that would have most mountain bikers grateful for their rear shock, now have a new option from Kona.
The Canadian mountain bike brand has endured with its Honzo steel hardtail for years, but the latest version is quite a radical departure. It is called the Honzo ESD and has geometry numbers would not look out of place on a dual-suspension downhill frame.
Fabricated from steel, the Honzo ESD is designed around a 150mm fork and 29er wheels, which makes for a very big hardtail rig. It rolls Raceface AR 30 wheels, with a combination Maxxis Assegai (2.5”) and DHR 11 (2.4”) tire pairing.
Designed for descending - not merely riding along
Viewed side-on the Honzo’s radical geometry is clear. You are looking at a 63° head angle unsagged. When you are descending, that ultra-slack head angle comes into play, and with the 150mm Marzocchi Bomber Z1 fork, promise a very purist technical terrain riding experience.
Kona has also ensured the Honzo ESD features an appropriately roomy front triangle with 490mm of reach on the size large, which should deliver prodigious stability at speed. There is a sliding rear dropout, allowing riders to select chainstay length on scale between 417mm and 432mm.
At 14.6kg (32.8lb), the Honzo ESD is not a light hardtail by any measure, but its overbuilt frame structure and frame bracing gussets ensure that you’ll fail before the bike does.
For skilled riders who revel in steep terrain and wish to add some low-budget thrills to their mountain biking experience, this new steel hardtail is a compelling alternative.
