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Kona Unit X Bike 2018

Item #: BI171T00
This item is discontinued and no longer available.
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KONA UNIT X BIKE 2018

STEEL FRAME AND BIG TIRES READY TO ROLL

Mountain bikes are constantly evolving. Every year they are getting slacker geometry, more travel, better suspension, and crazier gear combinations. However, not everyone needs or wants a mountain bike that has suspension, some riders just want something simple and fun to ride. The 2018 Kona Unit X Bike is a Reynolds 520 steel framed hardtail mountain bike that doesn't have any suspension. It comes with 27.5-plus wheels and tires which provide excellent grip and damping while on the trail. It is the perfect bike for riding on the trail or taking on a bikepacking trip in the backcountry.

The Unit X comes with a SRAM NX 1x11 drivetrain that includes the crankarms, rear derailleur, and shifter. SRAM's NX drivetrain provides an 11-speed cassette with an 11-42 gear range that is perfect for tackling those tough climbs but also provides gearing perfect for the flats. The SRAM Level T hydraulic disc brakes provide ample stopping power for those long descents and they are paired with SRAM Centerline rotors. It features WTB Scraper i40 TCS rims laced to Formula hubs and are perfectly paired with WTB Ranger TCS tires so you can set everything up tubeless for a smoother ride and better traction. While it doesn't come with any crazy Fox suspension, it does have a Kona Plus fork that is strong and durable. If you're looking for a simple mountain bike that is fun to ride on the trails, then you'll love the 2018 Kona Unit X.

Features

  • Reynolds 520 Butted Cromoly frame is strong and durable
  • SRAM NX 1x11 drivetrain provides simple and reliable shifting
  • SRAM Level T hydraulic disc brakes offer ample stopping power
  • Tubeless ready tires and rims so riders can drop their tire pressure for a smoother ride and better traction
  • Rigid suspension because who needs suspension, right?
SPECIFICATIONS
Frame Reynolds 520 Butted Cromoly
Fork Kona Plus
Rear Shock -
Headset TH ZST No. 10
Shifters SRAM NX 1x11
Front Derailleur -
Rear Derailleur SRAM NX
Crankset SRAM NX, 28t
Crank Arm Lengths -
Bottom Bracket SRAM PowerSpline 73mm
Pedals Kona JS2
Chain SRAM PC1110
Cassette SRAM PG1130 11-42t
Brakes SRAM Level T
Rotor Size 180mm Front, 160mm Rear
Wheelset WTB Scraper i40 Pinned TCS Rims
Formula Hubs, 9x100, 10x135
Tires WTB Ranger TCS 27.5x2.8"
Handlebar Kona XC/BC Riser
Handlebar Widths -
Stem Kona XC/BC
Stem Lengths -
Grips Kona Key Grip
Seatpost Kona Thumb w/ Offset, 31.6mm
Seatclamp Kona Clamp
Saddle WTB Volt Comp
Intended Use Trail, XC
Weight -

Note: Components are subject to change without notice.

Geometry and Size Guide

Kona Unit X
Size Small Medium Large Extra Large
A: Seat Tube Length 370 420 470 530
B: Effective Top Tube 568 596 623 656
C: Stack 573 582 592 601
D: Reach 404 429 453 484
E: BB Height 305 305 305 305
F: BB Drop 60 60 60 60
G: Head Tube Length 95 105 115 125
H: Head Tube Angle 69 ° 69 ° 69 ° 69 °
I: Seat Tube Angle 74 ° 74 ° 74 ° 74 °
J: Standover Height 690 725 760 805
K: Chainstay Length 442 442 442 442
L: Wheelbase 1092 1121 1149 1183
Crank Arm Length - - - -
Stem Length - - - -
Handlebar Width - - - -
Suggested Rider Height
Frame Size Small Small/Medium Medium Medium/Large Large/Extra Large Extra Large
Rider Height 5'0" - 5'3"
152-160 cm		 5'2" - 5'7"
157-170 cm		 5'6" - 5'10"
168-178 cm		 5'9" - 6'0"
175-183 cm		 5'11" - 6'2"
180-188 cm		 6'1" - 6'5"
185-196 cm
Kona Unit X
Size Small Medium Large Extra Large
A: Seat Tube Length 14.6 16.5 18.5 20.9
B: Effective Top Tube 22.4 23.5 24.5 25.8
C: Stack 22.6 22.9 23.3 23.7
D: Reach 15.9 16.9 17.8 19.1
E: BB Height 12.0 12.0 12.0 12.0
F: BB Drop 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4
G: Head Tube Length 3.7 4.1 4.5 4.9
H: Head Tube Angle 69.0 ° 69.0 ° 69.0 ° 69.0 °
I: Seat Tube Angle 74.0 ° 74.0 ° 74.0 ° 74.0 °
J: Standover Height 27.2 28.5 29.9 31.7
K: Chainstay Length 17.4 17.4 17.4 17.4
L: Wheelbase 43.0 44.1 45.2 46.6
Crank Arm Length - - - -
Stem Length - - - -
Handlebar Width - - - -
Suggested Rider Height
Frame Size Small Small/Medium Medium Medium/Large Large/Extra Large Extra Large
Rider Height 5'0" - 5'3"
152-160 cm		 5'2" - 5'7"
157-170 cm		 5'6" - 5'10"
168-178 cm		 5'9" - 6'0"
175-183 cm		 5'11" - 6'2"
180-188 cm		 6'1" - 6'5"
185-196 cm

CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including (Cadmium, Phthalates, Bisphenol, Nickel (Metallic), di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate "DEHP"), which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and/or cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

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4.0 / 5.0
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Solid bike and could not beat Jenson’s price. Bought this to ride local state park and fire roads with my son. Jensons service was great. Everything arrived well packaged and protected.
March 3, 2019
Purchased
 1 year ago
Location:
Richmond, VA
This is the 2nd bike I've purchased from Jenson. Their service is awesome and this bike came out of the box ready to ride. I wanted a bigger tire bike, but also one that is versatile. What I used to ride on my old Superlight , I now ride on this, full rigid. I also plan on bikepacking a lot on this. And with the sliding dropouts, you can single speed it. I love this bike, it was a great value!
April 22, 2019
Location:
Flagstaff, AZ
Helluva Deal!
So I bought the Unit after a long search for the perfect hardtail under $1000. I wanted something to shred the local park trails with that wasn't my big full squish. I thought about getting something with 120-140mm in the front, but couldn't find anything with a good enough fork stock to make it worth it. I ended up picking up the UNIT X from Jenson. It arrived a week later, fully dialed. All QC checklists had been filled out with pictures of the team that put my rig together. It felt great outta the box. No squeaks in the brakes, shifts were dialed. For a big bike, this thing rips. It feels like an 90s stumpjumper/hardrock, but with enough rubber to smash over everything. I have used it on everything from rocky singletrack to my daily commuting. It get's overwhelmed pretty quickly on the gnarlier stuff, but it is an absolute hoot on smoother trails. The fork has a nice amount of flex in it, which, paired with the massive air volume in the plus tires, offers a supple ride and takes the edge off the chunder.

Since picking the bike up I have put on a dropper post (175mm PNW bachelor fits in the Large Frame), Thomson 50mm Stem, RaceFace Chester Bars, Tumbleweed Mini Panier Rack, and I am in the process of building up a wheelset for it.

Pros:
• $900 for a fully capable trail rig
• Spec is pretty solid
• An absolute hoot to ride on everything from jump lines to ripping down city streets
• Jenson is awesome

Cons:
• Brakes: a low spot on the build, touchy, noisy, and overall not ideal
• Wheels: the rims are great, but the hubs are garbage. Recommend upgrading those.
• Lack of thru axles: I think this would be better with the added stiffness and confidence of a thru axle on the front
• Paint: The quality of paint is nice, but the busyness and colors in the mix are pretty obnoxious
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July 24, 2019
Location:
Portland OR
risky to buy bike online- can't return to send for warranty claim
I bought a Unit X last Fall. After one season, the gear shifter is jammed, and Jenson and SRAM tell me I shouldn't try to clean or repair it myself, but go to t local bike shop to make a warranty claim. Plus, because cover can't be removed while on bike, lever must be removed from the handlebar to even begin to clean or work on it. Makes me wonder why I bought it at Jenson
April 25, 2019
Location:
Helena MT

Q & A

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Is the Kona Unit X dropper-friendly?
THOMAS A on Feb 5, 2019
BEST ANSWER: Yes, it has cable guides on the downtube and a removable internal dropper gasket in the seat tube. I was able to fit a 175mm PNW bachelor on my LARGE unit (anything longer will likely hit the bottle brazeons). I would say that a dropper is ESSENTIAL to making the unit what it is.
What’s the drop out spacing?
DouglasS on Jun 10, 2019
BEST ANSWER: You can purchase replacement dropouts (direct from Kona or any LBS that stocks Kona) in the rear to upgrade to a 142x12mm thru
5 foot 9 guy what size bike ?
A shopper on Mar 27, 2019
BEST ANSWER: I'm the sme height with a 32" inseam and I went with Medium. I like the reach on that size and the overall handling. I've heard that folks using it for bikepacking went for the Large for a bigger triangle to accommodate bigger frame bags but I like the grometry so much on the M that is what I went with!
Will this model accept 29" wheels?
A shopper on Jul 22, 2019
BEST ANSWER: There is clearance for 29x3.0 with the rear dropouts slid back.

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