# 2018 KONA Shred 20 air shock & hydr brakes



## Crashtestdummee (Sep 14, 2015)

Just noticed the 2018 KONA Shred 20 has is now sporting a Grind Air shock and hydraulic disc brakes. For $675 with the recent updates it's a decent 20 inch bike. No mention of weight.

2018 SHRED 20 - Kids' - MOUNTAIN


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## GrayJay (May 16, 2011)

Looking through it, disappointing to see that it has a 6-speed freewheel, revo twist shifters (non-functional for little hands), and a 36t chainring (too big). Also has really long chainstays and and really high bottom bracket (Listed as 10mm drop but I think that is more like +10mm of rise (-10mm drop). High BB makes it harder for little kids (who like to keep feet on ground) to transition to an appropriate saddle height. 
I would also have serious safety concerns about having a little kid play with / work on their bike with disk brakes, high risk of finger amputation...


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## svinyard (Aug 14, 2017)

This kind of mid-range mountain bikes in the 20" range are kind of odd bikes. Like they aren't good enough for legit mountain biking: air fork isn't great, gearing and components are lacking, cranks aren't right, they are often a little heavy, etc.....but they are still fairly expensive. If your kid is riding legit trails on a 20" and is pushing a rigid well beyond with some downhill or jumps etc, then drop the 1k$ to get a Spawn Yama Jama 20" or Flow. If you aren't, then I'd buy some of the nice rigid platforms like Orbea or Trek Super Fly. They will be lighter and often make for a better platform to upgrade and are cheaper.

Side note, the Norco Charger is a better bike in 20" for the same money I think.


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## Crashtestdummee (Sep 14, 2015)

svinyard said:


> Side note, the Norco Charger is a better bike in 20" for the same money I think.


I agree, just looked at the specs on the 2018 Norco charger 2.1 and hands down a better bike for $649.00. Last I checked with my local Norco dealer they had no Charger 20 inchs anywhere. That was a little over a month ago. Probably why I ruled it out. Now that the 18's are here they probably have availability. Only problem with the Norco is getting the kid to like the color. She's not a fan of the black and yellow.

https://www.norco.com/bikes/youth/youth-mountain-geared/charger-20/charger-21/


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## Crashtestdummee (Sep 14, 2015)

This bike will be under the Xmas tree. I hate to say it but the color was a big factor. The kiddo has to like the looks of it. Overall, it's a nice ride for the money and my LBS gave me a good deal. The Grind Air shock is nice and smooth and has a lockout feature that I was not expecting. The Hydro brakes on a 20 inch are awesome. The low profile rear derailleur is also a nice touch. Here's a couple pics. The bike fully built in stock form with pedals weights just a tick over 25 pounds.


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## Crashtestdummee (Sep 14, 2015)




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## Crashtestdummee (Sep 14, 2015)




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## Crashtestdummee (Sep 14, 2015)

Did the first fit and ride at the pump track today and then we hit the trail. There is a 1 mile loop trail right by the pump track that has a good mix of climbs, descents, wash’s, turns, rocks , loose sand and gravel. She was afraid of it before today. 

She tore right through it three times around. Yelling the whole time how much fun she was having! She could not believe how well it stopped and “how smooth it is on the bumps”

Best $600 bucks I spent all year seeing how happy she was. She had no problem climbing even with the 6 speed cassette and the thing weighting 25 pounds. Also no problem with using the grip shifter. She shifted on the fly during climbs and descents. 

The hydro brakes and air shock to me are worth the weight penalty. She is very fit (gymnastics, swimming, soccer, and does a 1 mile run each week with me) so maybe that’s why the weight was not an issue for her. Here’s a couple more pics. Could not get a trail pic because she would not slow down.


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## Crashtestdummee (Sep 14, 2015)

Ran into this vid of this girls build on her on KONA Shred 20. My 7 year old daughter the loves the updates this little girl did.


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## mrzen (Nov 2, 2018)

Interesting reading this thread - I bought a Shred at a big discount for my son then used the money I saved (plus a little more) to sort out the issues pointed out on this forum... I've written it all up here: https://bikeweekends.com/blog/kids-20-dream-bike-build.html

Still need to weigh it, but I reckon changing the wheels has saved a lot of weight...


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## Crashtestdummee (Sep 14, 2015)

Great build! It is a bit of work but you definitely built a nice ride. Those tires are awesome. I think those will be the first upgrade to my girls KONA.


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## Crashtestdummee (Sep 14, 2015)

I noticed for 2019 KONA has rebranded this bike as a HONZO. It looks like they corrected some of the gearing issues front is now 32T (was 36T) and it is now a 14-34T 7 speed (was a 14-28t 6 speed).

Still lists for $675. But you should be able to get it for $600 or less.

Here's the link to the newest bike
KONA BIKES | MTB | KIDS' | Honzo 20


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