Kona have released details of their latest bike, the Entourage. Billed as a "short-travel DH / Big Mountain / FreeRad mountain bike", it's the successor to their classic Stinky freeride rig. This low-slung new machine has 170mm (6.7in) of suspension travel, ultra-short (415mm/16.3in) chainstays and a slack 65° head angle.
The Canadian company are quick to insist that it's no pedalling-friendly all-mountain bike, instead describing it as "an enabling mini downhill bike which absolutely rips turns, blasts jumps and rallies steeps at the whim of the rider". They say it also makes an ideal downhill bike for smaller riders.
The size large prototype shown here is said to weigh 36.6lb (16.6kg), while team rider Graham Agassiz's rig comes in at 33.5lb (15.2kg, small frame). The Entourage shares many features with Kona's new Operator downhill bike, including its four-bar suspension design, tapered head tube, oversize round down tube, 150x12mm rear end and 83mm bottom bracket shell.
Kona's gravity product manager, Chris Mandell, says the Entourage grew out of conversations with Agassiz and his desire for the ultimate 'big mountain' bike. "Much of what Graham was looking for came from his time pushing the limits of the legendary Kona Stinky," says Mandell. "The virtues of that bike (nimble, quick to turn, good pop on jumps, solid on steep lines) incorporated into an entirely new bike focused on the needs of today's gravity rider made sense to us."
The result, according to Mandell, is a bike that offers the best of all worlds – flickability in the air and in corners, combined with "plush, deep travel" on technical terrain. We'll bring you more news on the Entourage as soon as we get it. For now, check out the video below:
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