“Great Bike”
The Good: Shimano part spec
Handles great
The Bad: Cheap paint on frame
Downtube is very exposed
After riding a buddies 2011 Operator I immediately put my name on the list for a 2012. I ride a large frame and have been riding mine for a year now. I love the top tube length because I find that a lot of other bikes feel too jammed. The top tube length just feels very natural. I also like the longer wheelbase because it handles so well on fast and steep runs. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to turn the bike because of the long wheelbase, but I haven't had any issues making tight off cambers. The paint on the frame is really cheap and doesn't make the bike stand out. I also would have liked Kona to integrate a better chain stay protector because this bike gets more chain slap than anything else i've rode. Another thing is that Kona needs to put a down tube protector on the bike as well because rocks get kicked up from the front wheel and have dented my down tube by the bottom bracket numerous times. Overall it's a great bike but I would wrap the chain stay really good and zip tie a one foot part of an old tire to the lower part of the down tube in order to prevent denting
