I spent this weekend racing as part of the Kona Bikes “Media Darlings” team at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. I, of course, chose a 29er for my riding and got in three 17-mile loops on the Kona Kula 2-9.

While this is no where near enough riding for an in-depth review, I’ll give my thoughts with the time spent on the bike.

I went with the 18″ frame for the ride and it made for a very agile ride. The Pueblo course has a lot of fast sections in it and one track in particular is tight singletrack completely lined with cactus. Even while weaving through at top speed I felt completely in control. The course also ended in a long, fast downhill that is the most exciting section of the course. I blew through this section at top speed complete with rocky sections and dips and turns and the Kula blew through it with no problem.

I also got a great chance to use the 29er to it’s potential in several sections of the course. While I was definitely one of the slower riders in the race, I was able to use the big wheeled momentum to pass people on several of the long straight sections. It was great pedaling the same cadence as other riders and passing them.

The Shimano XT shifters and dérailleurs are paired with Race Face Deus XC X-Type cranks to make of the drivetrain and performed great. The bike was tuned before the race and never touched again for the 50+ miles of riding in the dusty, desert conditions and it was shifting as good at the end of the race as the beginning.

As for the the wheels, brakes, etc, everything performed well for the race. The bike was a great choice for the course and I had a blast riding it.

Does anyone else ride a Kula 2-9? What are your long term observations?