Kona Ouroboros

Some reviews are relatively uncomplicated – a review bike neatly slots into a category, everything works as expected, and everyone from the engineers to designers, production and marketing teams did their job well. We do a first look to cover specs, geometry, details, and maybe some initial ride impressions. The full review follows, teasing out some nuance, strengths and weaknesses of particular design and spec choices, and hopefully there are no long-term durability issues. It takes some practice to adequately communicate ride characteristics, intangibles, and qualitative aspects of a bike; I won’t say it’s easy, but with focus, attention, practice, and an editor helping with my application of apostrophes, it’s a reasonably straightforward operation.

The Kona Ouroboros has been anything but easy or straightforward. That’s not a function of any failures by the Kona, it’s a feature. By design, the Ouroboros lives somewhere in the murkiness between mountain and gravel bikes. The geometry is a mishmash of the two, there’s a suspension fork, drop bars, and a sloping top tube. It's not really an ATB, either. It’s unabashedly a bit of a freak. Trying to fully digest this bicycle, let alone regurgitate it cogently for readers has taken some time (It’s up to you lot if I’ve been successful or not.).

I covered the features, spec, and waxed on about my Electromagnetic Theory of Bicycle Classification in a first look around the launch of the Ouroboros, and since then I’ve been fitting in rides on it, trying to puzzle out what it’s best at, and using it as a test platform for Shimano’s new 12 speed Di2 GRX drivetrain.

So, in these intervening months, what have we learned about the Ouroboros? Let’s start with some of the nuts and bolts.

Spec

I didn’t love the touch points provided by Kona – the saddle is a bit wide and squishy, the bars are a bit wide (more on that later), and the bar tape is a bit thin. These are personal preferences and it was straightforward to swap to a saddle of my choice (the heat-customizable Reform Seymour, reviewed by Deniz here), as well as some cushy Easton Microfiber tape. This is the tape I'd choose to run on all drop bar bikes, it's thick and cushy, and helps add some comfort especially with the small diameter bars spec’d by Kona. Elsewhere on the cockpit front, despite my initial whinging, I never changed out the stock KS dropper post lever, however this is absolutely something I’d recommend anyone do before they leave the bike shop with their new Ouroboros. The Easton EA90AX is a good replacement; unfortunately Apex 12 isn’t compatible with OneUp Components’s clever new drop-bar lever. I came to really like the long-travel dropper (coupled with sloped top tube) here, and I think it's a big contributor to the fun you can have descending on the Ouroboros as much as the rest of the geometry,.

If you’re looking for a tire for aggressive, rough, rocky terrain for your gravel bike, I’m a fan of the Maxxis Ravager tires spec'd here. While not the fastest rolling tire on the block, they make up for it with grip and a beefy, puncture resistant sidewall. They’re fit for purpose on the Ouroboros but I can’t help but wonder what this bike would feel like with small mountain bike tires (eg. 2.25” Maxxis Rekon Race), but you’re limited by the Rudy suspension fork. Kona also sells rigid Ouroboros variants that will fit 2.5” rubber. The stock wheelset on this Ouroboros CR is a bit heavy and stiff, but I’ve had no issues. The upgrade to Shimano’s GRX wheelset was a huge improvement in responsiveness and ride feel (this comes with a correspondingly large price tag, mind you).

I appreciated the 1x simplicity and wide range of the SRAM Apex 12-speed group. Coming off the Gucciest of drivetrains on my personal bikes, Apex shift quality didn’t always meet my dreams but fortunately the pull ratio is compatible with other 12-speed SRAM Eagle mountain derailleurs. Shop around your local classifieds, or find a friend with a GX or XO1 sitting in their parts bin because they changed to electronic shifting, or retired one because of a worn clutch.

Geometry and Sizing

Whether you're coming at the Ouroboros from road/gravel or mountain, the geometry chart is going to look a little foreign. In my First Look, I discussed my sizing choice; I went down a size from what Kona recommended from a nominal “56” to a “54”. I was looking to keep the stack a bit more moderate knowing I could get some reach back with a longer stem. To put the geometry in perspective, a size 56 Ouroboros has 3mm more stack than my size large Rocky Mountain Element, the size 54 tester here is a whopping 40mm taller up front than my personal gravel bike. I’m happy with this decision. This is again a matter of preference, but after adding 20mm of stem and slamming it, I found myself in a position I'm happy with from a comfort and handling perspective.

That doesn’t mean you should size down, but I’d strongly recommend trying an Ouroboros before you commit to a size – the geometry is just so different from most everything out there that it’s hard to decide based on some charts.

Riding the Ouroboros

My typical ride on a gravel bike is relatively tame. I’m usually stringing together gravel segments, urban paths, and goofy connectors trying to minimize contact with tarmac (and the cars that roam there) as much as possible. As a general rule I’m not out there to get extreme; I’m out to cover some miles, get some fitness, and explore. Mind you, I don’t live in Iowa so it’s not exactly perfect rail-grade covered in ¾” minus, but I’m not out pushing the rugged edges of gravel into mountain bike terrain. I have mountain bikes for that.

But this rugged edge where the Ouroboros excels over a conventional gravel bike – rough, chunky, slow, janky, undulating XC-ish trails - is far from the usual fare NSMB’s ordinary 170mm bikes eat for lunch. The Ouroboros is fun in places traditional gravel bikes are distinctly not fun. It encourages little side hits, singletrack side trails, and in the same way the bike exists in between genres it encourages rides that would be less fun on almost any other bike – too much distance and smooth connection to be any good on a mountain bike, with sections too rough and mountain-bike-y for a lesser gravel bike.

But while the Ouroboros does well in areas other gravel bikes struggle, it gives up remarkably little elsewhere. It’s not as snappy and responsive like a traditional gravel bike and the riding position is much more upright, but if you’re foraying over from the mountain bike world, it’s still going to feel like a rocket ship on tarmac and smooth dirt.

If you’re one of the folks out there thinking “everything you can ride on a gravel bike, you can ride on a mountain bike,” you’re right, but you’re missing the point. Sure, I could circumnavigate SFU from my house on my MaxxGrip Assegai-equipped We Are One Arrival, but it would be slower, harder, and worse in basically every way over a purpose-built tool. And while geometry of the Ouroboros isn't far off many XC bikes, especially from a few years ago, I'd argue vehemently with anyone who says it'd be better with flat bars. That'd just make it a bad mountain bike.

Conclusion

I started off here saying it took me a while to wrap my brain around the Ouroboros, but perhaps I’ve overthought the whole thing. Maybe it actually is simple, and the Ouroboros just does what it says on the tin: it’s a bike that tries to capture a little bit of several worlds, a blend of gravel, mountain, and ATB rolled into one. A bike that’s inherently imperfect at any single ride type, but ultimately perfect for rides that nothing else would quite work for. It’s a bike that expands the terrain available for you to on your drop bar rides, and increases the radius of available trails from your doorstep.

You also don't need to go ride aggressive terrain on the Ouroboros, if you're a baggy clothes or Hawaiian Shirt type gravel rider - if snacks, #coffeeoutside, and a general relaxed atmosphere where no one is in a hurry is your jam - the comfort afforded by bigger tires and upright geo will serve you well for meandering rides between third wave coffee shops, the Seawall, and the forest.

Earlier this year, I wrote a eulogy for Kona. Fortunately, the brand lives on, and its bikes like the Ouroboros that give me hope. It’s a bit kooky, unlike most other products on the market, and ultimately fills a small niche in a way others don't. It’s bikes like this that made Kona cool. Whether it’s dual-crown hardtails, full-suspension single speeds, or fully rigid freeride bikes, the brand has a storied history of pushing boundaries and creating unique builds. Now that the corporate snake is metaphorically eating itself and the brand has been re-purchased and given new life by its original owners, maybe we’ll see more progression and bikes that aren’t afraid to disregard the molds. In the meantime, the Ouroboros is out there for those who understand it, and want it.

Kona Ouroboros