Kona’s Operator DH platform has been around since 2011, but this year it’s been given a serious overhaul, including a move to now de-rigeur 27.5” wheels. I hurled it down some seriously steep trails at Retallack Lodge in the wilds of British Columbia, Canada to see whether this new Operator is extra smooth or a missed connection.
Kona Operator DL highlights
- Now has 27.5" wheels and aluminium only frame
- Slacker head angle with lower bottom bracket and increased reach
- Offers 200mm of travel at either end
- More progressive rear suspension
Kona Operator DL spec overview
- Frame: Kona DH 6061 aluminum butted 200mm travel
- Fork: RockShox Boxxer RC Coil, 200mm
- Shock: RockShox Kage RC Coil
- Shifters: SRAM GX
- Rear derailleur: SRAM GX
- Chainset: Shimano Zee
- Cassette: SRAM PG1030 11-28t 10spd
- Rims: Mavic EX729
- Hubs: Formula 110x20mm, 157x12mm
- Tyres: Maxxis Minion DHF DH 3C 2.5"
- Brakes: SRAM Guide R 200mm/200mm
- Stem: Kona Direct Mount
- Saddle: MTB Volt Sport
- Bars: Kona DH
The move to mid-sized wheels has, relative to many other brands, been a fairly long time coming for Kona’s dedicated downhill rig. Despite fielding some seriously fast racers at World Cup level — take a bow Antipodean flat-pedal rager Conor Fearon — it's still a pretty small company, so it’s fair to say developing its trail bike range may well have taken priority over the more niche concerns of downhill. However, now it’s here, it’s safe to say it’s taken a load of features from the old bike and added a bit more, namely more reach and a more progressive rear end to dish out the 200mm of rear wheel travel.
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The chainstays are now 33mm longer to compensate for the bigger hoops, but they’re still pretty damn tight relative to many at just 423mm. The bike is now also one degree slacker, with the head angle at 63 degrees, while the bottom bracket is lower with a 10mm drop from the axles. Save for the short chainstays, those numbers now put it right in the middle of the competition.
One area where this new model differs is that there’s no carbon fibre option, with all three models on sale using an all-new aluminium frame that’s available in three sizes, ranging from medium to extra large. At 5'8" tall, I tested the middle of the range Operator DL in a size medium.
Kona Operator DL ride impression
Kona Operator DL early verdict
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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