Canadian Jake Heilbron and American Dan Gerhard met through Rocky Mountain Bicycles and settled on the Kona name in 1988, after the Hawaiian island where they hoped to retire, according to road.cc. US champion Joe Murray was chief designer until the end of 1993. Kona was sold to Kent Outdoors in 2022, and the founders bought it back in 2024.
Key facts
- Founded
- 1988, name settled
- Based
- Washington State; HQ Ferndale, Washington
- Ownership
- Kent Outdoors 2022; bought back by the founders 2024
Kona models
Years show the earliest and latest evidence found so far, not exact production dates.
Mountain bike
Sources for this brand
Last updated 19 October 2026. Every fact on this page comes from one of these.