Friday, July 27, 2012

Kona Raijin: A True American Beauty

Although Aaron's current favorite bike weighs in over 58 pounds of Surly Big Dummy cargo-and-baby-carrying delight, we at Sultana Cycles have just fallen in love with our newest acquisition: the Kona Raijin -- a beautiful titanium hardtail frame, weighing under 4 pounds.


What is it?  A titanium hardtail 29er frame that maximizes the inherent virtues of titanium with geometry ideally suited for a fast, efficient, and simple ride.  The Raijin features a press-fit BB30 bottom bracket shell and sliding dropouts.  The curved downtube combines with the natural properties of titanium to balance the need for both stiffness and compliancy, creating a smooth and FUN off-road ride without complicated and sometimes problematic suspension features.  The finish is raw and industrial with a laser-engraved Kona logo.

Why we love it?  First, the Raijin is gorgeous, in both appearance and design.  Second, it's handmade in the US of A -- almost unheard of in the bicycle world these days.  And third, it's completely customizable -- the Raijin features an interchangeable dropout for geared or singlespeed  setup, which allows you to  build it however you want.  Pick your favorite parts or bling it out in the season's hottest colors (admittedly, we don't know what those are, but we're big fans of orange.)  You'll feel like you're floating across the trail from your elevated 29-inch perch.

18" frame in stock now, $1900 out the door.  Feel free to stop by or call us at (928) 649-3822 for more information on this American-made beauty.