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Origin of Diamondback and Kona

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Old 12-03-05 | 07:21 PM
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Origin of Diamondback and Kona

Does anyone know how Diamondback and Kona got started? I mean their history. I don't seem to find them on the web.
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Old 12-04-05 | 01:10 PM
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I don't know the history of Kona but know a few things about Diamond Back. They were originally a BMX company started, I believe in the late '70s. Since then, they have had numerous ownership changes including a period when Raleigh USAs parent company owned them.
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Old 12-04-05 | 08:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Bikebros
I don't know the history of Kona but know a few things about Diamond Back. They were originally a BMX company started, I believe in the late '70s. Since then, they have had numerous ownership changes including a period when Raleigh USAs parent company owned them.
Diamondback still is part of Raleigh USA.
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Old 12-04-05 | 10:45 PM
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Is Diamondback a separate operation? A lot of the brands are simply private-labeled bikes imported by the parent company.
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Old 08-03-08 | 09:34 PM
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I was wondering that myself. The similarity between diamondback, giant and some house brands is amazing. But then again most of the components are all the same. Anybody know for sure?
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Old 08-03-08 | 09:53 PM
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Kona was founded in 1988 by Joe Murray, Jacob Heilbron, and Dan Gerhard and base their operations in British Columbia and Washington.

Jake "the snake" and Dan still run Kona while Joe Murray has moved on to other projects.

I have a first year Explosif in the works... the frame is simply awesome.
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Old 08-03-08 | 10:16 PM
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kona_Bicycle_Company
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Old 08-03-08 | 10:29 PM
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JOE MURRAY was one of the founders of Kona?

Didn't he design, one of the first recognizable 26" 'mountain' bikes, the Murray Baja? That stuff was HAWT back in 1970 something.
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Old 08-03-08 | 11:25 PM
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I think Dia,ondback bought Centurion quite a few years back.
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Old 08-04-08 | 08:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Bekologist
JOE MURRAY was one of the founders of Kona?

Didn't he design, one of the first recognizable 26" 'mountain' bikes, the Murray Baja? That stuff was HAWT back in 1970 something.
That was a Murray bike. Murray made "cheap" bikes. No Murray MTB in 1970. No brand-name MTB, period, in 1970, or for quite a while after that.
Joe Murray was THE mountain bike racer for a while in the eighties.
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Old 08-04-08 | 08:55 AM
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Bikes: the ever shifting stable loaded with comfortable road bikes and city and winter bikes

sorry, confused 1981 murray baja, was muddling the late seventies in with the very early 80's.
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