Kona founders buy back brand, pauses D2C as it “gets back to basics”

A month on from the worrying news that Kona had pulled out of Sea Otter Classic mid-show and had been put up for sale, Kona has been bought back by two of its founders, Dan Gerhard and Jake Heilbron.

Kona admitted that it has had “a bumpy couple of years”, so said the press statement, but happily the firm now appears to be looking forward to a brighter future under the stewardship of its new/old owners who purchased the brand back from Kent Outdoors.

Returning to being rider-owned and operated, Kona said it was doubling down on its unique brand legacy and getting back to some basics, including more retailer focus and a pause to D2C.

Kona said: “Renewing relationships with our nearly 1,000-strong North American and European dealer network is our highest priority. Most of us started out in bike shops, and in our eyes, IBDs are our strongest advocates and allies. Healthy retailers are integral to making sure that Kona fans everywhere experience the ride of a lifetime. To best honour our dealer relationships, we are pausing D2C for all bikes. Konaworld.com will show changes to reflect this, and our social and communications channels will be getting reworked as well once we get things rolling. Bear with us, and we will keep you informed as we move through this transition.

“On the bike side, new Kona inventory is headed to our warehouse and distributors, and alongside the freshly released Ouroboros, we’ve got some incredible bikes in the pipeline that we are looking forward to unveiling. We’re beyond grateful for the support that our suppliers have shown us in this endeavour. Vendors like Fairly Bikes, who have been with us since our first bike in 1988, are a testament to the value of longstanding relationships where people take care of people.

“In more good news, we are now positioned to price our bikes much more competitively. Private ownership allows us to be more streamlined, more flexible, and quicker on our feet. This, combined with the support of our suppliers, means we can deliver high quality bikes in a distinctly Kona flavor at super attractive prices. We’ll never do a BOGO Sale again, so don’t ask, but we promise to offer good value for good money, always.

“Our Pacific Northwest roots are as strong as ever. Offices in Ferndale, WA and North Vancouver, BC continue to anchor us proudly in place. Tenacious, resilient, straight talking, gritty and sometimes covered in grease, we are committed to keeping the distinctly Kona flavoured bike buzz flowing, and helping people find freedom and fun. We are back. We are still here. Let’s ride.”