Kona Bikes is for sale

The mythical bike brand Kona, once one of the leading brands during the mountain bike boom in the 90s, is going through turbulent times and faces an uncertain future after Kent Outdoors, the owner of the company for the past couple of years, decided to put Kona up for sale to focus their efforts on other brands.

Difficult times for Kona, one of the legendary mountain bike brands

Not even two years have passed since the sports group Kent Outdoors acquired Kona from its original owners when they announced their intention to get rid of it. This move, initially, is motivated by Kent Outdoors' decision to prioritize their water sports brands as well as the turbulence that the bike market has experienced in the post-COVID era, from which Kona has not been immune, leading Kent Outdoors to focus on their main lines of business.

This announcement of the sale comes with the controversy of Kona's absence at the Sea Otter Classic fair, where they set up their stand only to remove it before the event opened.

During this period under Kent Outdoors, Kona started a direct sales program of their bikes to consumers, which was rejected by the company's store network, in addition to relocating their headquarters from Ohio to Utah.

In any case, Kent Outdoors' intention to sell Kona could already be inferred as in recent months the brand had offered significant discounts in their direct sales program, including a 2x1 promotion.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for a brand that was once one of the most coveted in the world of mountain biking and, like many others, has struggled to adapt to the changes that have occurred in the cycling world in recent decades.