Interview: Kona Bicycles

By MBT Staff

We’ve recently had a chance to sit down with Joe Shlabotnik of Kona bicycles who provides us with a lighter look at the industry (and what does on behind closed doors).

Alright Joe, lets hear about you.

My full name is Joe Shlabotnik. Lets start with my origin of interest in biking… I have been riding bikes as long as I can remember. Since I was 4, I guess? Bikes offered a freedom, and a means of transportation before I could drive. After I could drive, my car afforded me the ability to take my bike different places. I never got “out of” bikes as so many kids do when they start driving. Before Kona, I had a bunch of jobs, some table waiting, and a couple bike shop jobs, which led to this. The bike business is a lot like the mafia - once you’re in, you can’t get out. Next my education: I was an English major, and didn’t want to be a teacher. Finally my favorite riding style: I like bikes. 2 wheels and no engine is a good time. XC, road, freeride, singlespeed, commuting, or cruising to the local bar are all very fun. If I had to pick one I guess it would be “All-Mountain” but mostly because that is such a broad term.

How did the Kona story begin?

Dan and Jake had ideas of their own, an wanted to start their own thing and even today we don’t really cater to a very specific market. I guess people who ride bikes, and ride often. Our bikes are built for people that know and love bikes, and the requirements end there. We have our own thing going, but we don’t want to be too exclusive a club. Anyone can join!

What’s Kona got cooking on the stove for 06?

Our goals are to offer some very cool bikes to the public, and sell them. We do as we always do. We want to be fun, do our own thing, and be successful at it. We’re not a publicly traded company, so we don’t have shareholders breathing down our necks to paint a bike a certain color.

We often talk to a lot of up & coming mountain bike brands who tell interesting tales about why they decided to roll the dice and thake their chances.. What does Kona have to offer in that department?

Hmm, it’s been nearly 20 years, so that may be a little foggy. Probably just a desire to build bikes their way.

Do you remember some of the challenges initially?

Again, that was a long time ago. Any time a new company starts, there’s always the issue of getting your name out, and all the little details involved with bringing a quality product to market.

Okay, back to the present. Which of your models seems to be selling best?

Models sell differently based on the region. Things like the Cindercone and Smoke are always top sellers, but our dual suspension bikes have always been very popular. The Kikapu Deluxe and Dawg Deluxe are very popular. We’ve been really positively surprised by the popularity of our new Road line, especially the Zing Supreme and Zing Deluxe.

What type of warranty come with these bad boys?

Our warranty is 5 years on most of the bikes, and 1 year on the Out of Bounds bikes.

Alright now the important one: Who is the most interesting person you've met in the industry? (If nobody, who would you like to meet?)

Sheesh… this is a funny industry, and there are some funny people. That’s almost an impossible question to answer. Bob Roll would be out there. Not just because he’s funny, but because he’s such a genuinly nice guy. I think our own Dr. Dew might be the most “interesting” person I know, and probably the fuinniest as well. Big Jonny (of drunkcyclist fame) is up there, as is Joe Murray. Getting to know Dave Watson right after he did the Tour de France jump was a treat, mostly because he had NO ego. We forgot to get him a room in Vegas for Interbike, and he happily slept on the floor the entire week. The more people like these guys we can have in the industry, the better off we’ll all be.

Lastly, now that we’ve got the reader’s attention, where do we send them to get more Kona overload?

Send people to our local dealers! Also, our webpage is a constantly changing creature: Check us out at Konaworld.com. Everyone can search for their dealers on the dealer locator.