Stinky

Introduced in 1998, the Stinky was Kona's defining contribution to the birth of freeride mountain biking. Built minutes from the legendary North Shore trails in Vancouver, it became the bike under riders like Richie Schley and Andrew Shandro in the early Kranked films — the visual identity of an entire era of the sport. Long travel, geared (so you could pedal back up), and tough enough for woodwork drops. The 2003-era frames have achieved cult-classic status. Later evolutions trended longer and DH-specific, losing some of the do-everything spirit. Phased out around 2011 as the discipline split cleanly into trail/enduro and dedicated DH — Kona consolidated big-bike duties into the Operator (DH) and later the Process X (enduro). Has NOT returned in the founder-led 2024–2025 relaunch; current Kona lineup contains zero DH/freeride models.