The Kona Satori isn’t a new bike, it was last seen at the tail end of 2014 as a 130mm, 29er trail bike and although these basics are same for the 2019 bike, the Satori range has been radically overhauled in most other dimensions.
The demise of the Kona Process 11 in 2017 left a big gap in the brands lineup, but that’s not to say the Satori is a re-named Process, this bike has more travel – 130mm at the rear with 140mm forks up front and a similar linkage driven single pivot suspension with flex stays as the Hei Hei range. In fact, this bike is much more like a big wheeled version of the Hei Hei Trail, the brands 140mm 27.5” trail bike.
Being pitched at an ‘all-rounder’, a bike to tackle long missions adorned with frame bags inside that spacious front triangle or for hitting technical trails every weekend. The Satori isn’t the longest or the slackest, in fact with its 68° head angle it certainly isn’t the most relaxed, this is around a degree or more steeper than you’d expect in current trends on a 130mm trail bike.
The frame looks like it should be roomy enough though with a 450mm reach on a medium bike. Where it does pull its punches though is with its effective seat tube angle of 78° which is super steep and gets the geometry geeks in us at off-road.cc pretty excited! A steep seat angle puts the rider into a more efficient place in the middle of the bike for climbing. It will be interesting to see how the bike feels to both climb and descend, whilst the reach is roomy, the steep seat angle leaves the effective top tube quite short at 577mm and may lead to a more cramped feeling when seated. What ever happens, we’re hoping this bike will be one hell of a climbing machine, all clues point that way!
The update also gives the Satori a Trunnion mounted shock where the upper mounting hardware sits in the shock body, a design which is meant to allow less binding under load and allow for an increased length of shock which in turn allow the shock to be more supple.
There are two bikes in the Kona Satori range, the Satori DL which costs £3,295, which we have here and the regular Satori which comes in at £2,495. The pricer DL version comes with Rockshox Revelations RC Solo forks, that the new Rev 35’s that are essentially a Pike lower, 35mm stanchions and a Motion Control RC damper as seen on the Yari RC’s. As we have said the shock is a Trunnion variety, a RockShox Deluxe RL DebonAir with the two position compression damping lever. To get you moving the bike comes with a SRAM GX Eagle 12 speed drivetrain, SRAM Descendant 6k cranks and a 34t chainring, whilst rolling on WTB STP i29 TCS 29er wheels. To haul up at the other end, the bike uses SRAM Guide R brakes, the four piston callipers giving a nod to the all-round capability of this bike.
For £3,295 you also get a 125mm Rockshox Reverb dropper post (there are longer posts on larger frames) with, disappointingly the old plunger style lever. There is a 2.3” Maxxis Minion tyre on the front and a Tomahawk on the rear, just the Dual compound rather than the tackier 3C. Lastly and pleasingly there is a nice and short 35mm stem coupling that longer than average reach.
We’ll get out and about on the Satori this weekend and let you know how she fares soon!
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