Kona Bikes was founded in 1988 by Dan Gerhard and Jacob Heilbron. Since the early days, they've been headquartered in a small nondescript office in an industrial quarter of Vancouver, British Columbia, in western Canada.
Vancouver is a beautiful city, but it does have it's sketchier side. So just in case, Kona keeps this sketchy machete stashed near the entrance. Please note, it's for emergency use only.
The building consists of two floors. On the upper level is the shipping area and main office. On the lower floor, as you enter the building, you're greeted by a row of commuter rigs.
That Ti number at the end of the row might be our favorite commuter.
Follow this hallway and you'll pop into Kona World. This is where the co-owners and managerial team of Kona sit. I hope you weren't expecting new age Swedish furniture and an accent wall made from reclaimed barn pallets.
Kona moved into these offices in the early 1990s. For many years the bikes were assembled, warehoused, and shipped from this office. These days, this building houses upper management, sales, accounting, and warranty, among other things. The main warehouse and distribution center is located across the border in Bellingham, Washington.
Normally this is where we would include a picture of the fridge, but the only beer in there was Kokanee. You don't visit Canada for the IPA.
What Kona HQ lacked in quality beer it made up for with views.
Continue to page 2 for more of our Kona Bikes headquarters tour »
Speaking of views, the art department was a wild mess of inspiration and memorabilia.
The basement of Kona HQ acts as the warranty/bike storage/prototype assembly/everything room. This is what N+1 looks like. Complete bikes, vintage bikes, **** bikes, and everything in between is kept here.
Hanging from the ceiling are a variety of old prototypes and NOS frames. Those are undoubtedly cool, but I want to draw your attention to that little blue guy in the center.
This frame is special to me because I used to own one. I built it after thieves stole my previous ride. Nothing will ever heal that bike shaped void in my heart (nothing could), but riding that little Coiler helped heal that wound. I hope some grom out there is still riding it…
Aside from being a repository of awesome, this room is where warranty claims are handled. Where there's room, they've stacked walls and shelves filled with chainstays and small parts from every era.
Like the big wigs upstairs, you can tell this crew knows how to have fun. Although, you didn't need a tour of Kona's offices to know that. If you've ever thrown a leg over a Kona, flipped through a catalog, or watched a marketing video, you get it. What I loved most is that the entire place is steeped in history. It feels lived in. Where some brands have beautiful offices that are evocative of a modern art museum or a mausoleum, Kona gets down. And that's what mountain biking is all about.