Bike Test: Kona Entourage Deluxe

Slopestyle rider Graham Agassiz and Kona head designer Chris Mandel had a very specific bike in mind when they set out to design the Entourage. They wanted a short-travel downhill bike that could handle any jump, pump or berm, and be a wicked-fun whip to take to the bike park. They also wanted a bike that Graham could ride day in, day out on the most aggressive terrain. This bike draws from the Stinky chassis of the past and the Operator downhill race bike of present, with a little new-school geometry and a few tricks up its sleeve.

WHO IS IT MADE FOR?
The Entourage is a unique bike. It’s a gravity bike by design, but it breaks the mold when it comes to its intended use. It’s a 7-inch-travel bike that will certainly require a shuttle or chairlift to feed its habit, but it isn’t interested in being the fastest down a racecourse. The Entourage is all about fun. It’s the ultimate park bike, blending a short and flickable geometry with enough travel to tackle the steepest and gnarliest terrain.

WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?
The aluminum Entourage frame uses Kona’s Walking- Beam rear suspension, which is a modified single-pivot design. The suspension rides on huge, oversized cartridge bearings that are designed to increase time between service intervals. Should you need to replace them, the sizes are so common they can be found nearly anywhere that sells cartridge bearings. The frame also uses a 12×150 rear axle, 83-millimeter bottom bracket and tapered head tube.

WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?
Kona has a way of delivering great components for the parts that really matter while keeping the price tag in check.For example, the Lyric DHRC2 is a top-level fork that delivers perfect performance and adjustability for even the most discriminating rider. The Fox DHX RC2 rear shock keeps the rear end in check and makes setting up the suspension simple.

Walk the line: The Walking-Beam rear suspension is essentially a single-pivot design that Kona has refined over years of design and development. The Entourage boasts a high-end SRAM and Fox parts package with tons of value built into the 4K price point.

HOW DOES IT PERFORM?

Moving out: Jump aboard the Entourage and you’ll notice it fits a little like a trailbike and a little like a downhill bike. The bike is designed with a short stem and wide bars in mind. When the bike is set up this way, the rider feels perfectly stretched out in a ready position. Our Entourage came with a 400-pound spring that was much too stiff. The low leverage of the bike worked best for our 175-pound test riders with a 350-pound spring.
Descending: This bike isn’t designed as a downhill race bike, but it will make it down the hill fast in the hands of a strong and skilled rider. While it doesn’t boast as much travel as its race-inspired brother, the Operator, it has many of the same traits. The suspension has a naturally progressive feel that loves to be ridden hard. Compared to a full blown race bike, the Entourage has a much more playful feel that prefers to find the fun lines and float down the trail. The 65-degree head tube angle makes for a confident ride down chutes and steeps and opens the Entourage up to terrain previously reserved for downhill bikes. The ultra playful nature of this bike doesn’t keep it from feeling stable and confident when the trail gets steep, deep and loose. The low bottom bracket height keeps the rider feeling connected to the trail and always in control.

Cornering: This is where the Entourage shines. The short rear end and low center of gravity make it a pleasure to dive into corners with this bike. We found ourselves having to duck our shoulders to avoid tree trunks and boulders on tight corners because we were able to lean over so far. The short rear end tucks the rear wheel under the rider and has geometry as close to a super-short, dirt jump hardtail as you will find on a bike with this much travel. The Entourage also has enough suspension to make a snap corner out of even the roughest high-speed turn.
Pedaling: Simply put, the Entourage is not a strong climber, but that’s not the bike’s intent. There are a very limited number of riders who could turn this bike into a heavy-duty trailbike with some lighter-weight parts, but the trails would have to be extremely gnarly to truly take advantage of the Entourage’s exceptional descending prowess. Sprinting is surprisingly easy on this bike. When approaching a jump, a few quick pedal strokes can easily mean the difference between a stomped landing and a hard case on the backside. The Entourage is responsive when the rider has to “blip the throttle.”
Simply put, the Entourage much prefers to have a driver
when it makes an appearance, but it will take direction
when it needs to get up and move.
Getting it airborne: With its short chainstays and lively suspension, the Entourage loves to find lips on the trail. We found ourselves popping off everything we could and even occasionally venturing to the outside lines we never ride just because this bike is so fun to get in the air. When the wheel literally feels like it’s tucked under the saddle, the rider will naturally want to send it.

Braking: A well-executed single pivot works better than a poorly executed, more-complex suspension design, and this is what we found with the Entourage. On paper, a single-pivot design shouldn’t be free from brake jack; however, the Entourage has tuned it out enough that it’s a non-issue.

TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?
The SRAM MatchMaker clamp, which attaches the shifter to the Code brakes, has a limited range of adjustment. If you’re picky about shifter placement on the bar relative to the brake lever, go with a standard clamp style. The Avid Code brakes proved difficult to set up, but ultimately performed well for the duration of the test. The lever offers great modulation but lacks a positive, responsive feel.

BUYING ADVICE
If there were a contest at a local bike park called “most fun wins,” the winner would probably be riding an Entourage. It’s not designed to be the first down the track or to be an all-around trailbike. Instead, it’s designed to be the ultimate partner for the day-in-and-day-out park rider, the serious slopestyle rider looking to boost it, or the downhiller who just wants more fun on the trail.