March 2013 - Page 2 of 2 -

downhill247com cf1 — The most talked about bike at the Australian National Championships was Connor Fearon’s new Kona.

Rumours had been flying for some time before the race and most people were expectingA�Kona to bring out their new toy. Under Connor Fearon Kona debuted their new bike right here in Australia, with Connor flying the flag for the company this year at World Cups the new Operator is going to help Connor to progress. Now we would love to do a full blown interview with Kona and Connor but unfortunately their instructions are to remain tight lips until April, Connor has opened up with some valuable information regarding the bike including that and we quote; “the head angle will be between 60 and 70 degrees” and that it weighs the same amount as a few bags of potatoes” (non cooked still in the bag in case you are wondering!) It was good to see Connor taking a fun approach when being asked about the bike at the race!

downhill247com cf2 — “No comment” was the official response regarding questions about the bike but Connor and co did have a bit of fun with it all.

There are a few things we do know though;

– The frame will have 200mm ofA�travel and is made up of a carbon front triangle with aluminium rear stays.

– The head angle between “60 -70 degrees” is likely to be 64!

– A few nice little detailsA�that a lot ofA�bikes are nowA�featuring include the integrated bump stops and internal cable routing (with the option of being able to run them externally).

– Interestingly the bike will have a 104mm press fit bottom bracket as well as the standard ISCG05 chain guide mounts and a 12x157mm rear axle spacing.
A�

downhill247com cf4 — The bike almost didn’t get a race debut after Connor snapped the only derailleur hanger in the Southern Hemisphere! A quick trip to a CNC shop fixed all that fortunately.

downhill247com cf3 — Integrated bump stops and internal cable guides are nice touches.

downhill247com cf5 — Rock Shox came to the party with a custom sticker kit for the front rear and shocks, will the next step for Connor be the Black Box program?!

downhill247com cf drifto gibbo user submitted — Connor has gotten use to the bike very quickly, as this user submitted photo from Gibbo show us!

Connor heads off to Sea Otter in just over a month it will be interesting to see what else gets revealed there.

Images: Jason Stevens

: The fastest Aussie mountain bike family and their new Polygon bikes!

The most succesful team at the 2013 Australian National Champs was the Hutchison UR team, which just happened to be a family affair, we are of course talking about the Hannah family! With Tracey returning from injury and both riders having to get use to their new bikes itA�made it all the moreA�impressive feat. With that saidA�we thought we would give you guys a bit more info about the setup;

downhill247com polygon 1 — You may not be familiar with Polygon bikes, they are an Indonesian company that started back in 1989, they make a variety of bikes, not just downhill bikes.

downhill247com polygon 7 — What is quite remarkable is that Mic Hannah has almost exclusively ridden single pivot bikes throughout his career… However early reports suggest he likes the multi pivot system for its lack of harsh feedback.

downhill247com polygon 8 — After a serious crash in 2012 where she broke her femur, Tracey returned to hold onto the title she claimed in Adelaide in 2012 at her first race back!.

downhill247com polygon 9 — Mount Stromlo is a track Mic has done well on in the past, he was the fastest Aussie at the 2009 World Champs finishing third, just 0.69 behind the winner…

downhill247com polygon 3 — It wasn’t just the Hannahs representing for the team with Fabien Cousinie and Guillaume Cauvin racing in Elite Men,the only rider missing from the results was current Female Junior World Champ Holly Feniak. So why is this bike being carried through the pits you ask?! There was definitely nothing wrong with it but how else are you going to keep the tyres clean for a photo shoot, thanks Mic! They’re a professional out fit at Hutchinson UR that’s for sure!

We will be following the Hannah family keenly this year, Tracey won her return World Cup race in South Africa and the track suits Mic too, an Aussie family affair on the top step this year?! Lets hope so!

A big thanks to Mic and Tracey (along with the rest of the team) for taking the time to chat with us and pose for photos. Images: Jason Stevens.

Month: March 2013

Inside Info: Connor Fearon’s Kona

Inside Info – The Hannahs