I’ve had Kona Africa for a little bit over a year now, it is probably a good time for a review.

I’ve got this bicycle for express purpose of kid transport. Essentially, it is a compact cargo bike. I’ve had two bobike seats installed at the shop. The front seat interfered with the basket that came with the bike so it was replaced with a different (larger) basket. The rest of the bike is original.

I have never used an internal hub before, but I really like it on this bike as I can shift any time, not just when I am moving. Coaster breaks are something that I had the hardest time leaving behind when I moved from riding minibikes to hybrids. I am so happy to break with my foot instead of hand again. Installed rear wheel lock is another thing that I had on my childhood bike and am excited to have again. Admittedly, on my childhood bike, the wheel lock was loose and not actually installed. The bike mechanic refused to install it because he said I was going to break my spokes, but I think he was just being lazy and giving excuses. Africa comes with the installed wheel lock, so there is no fear of lazy bike mechanics. Besides, bike mechanics at Tall Tree Cycles, where I got the bike, are very nice and not lazy at all.

The bobike child seats fit well on the bike, though I had to order an extra part for the larger seat due to the non standard rear rack. The kids love riding and the bike is quite stable even with both of them on. Owen loves ringing the bell and while I think it is cute, I am not sure if that is a good thing. I suppose I can always move his hand away if we are in a situation where random bell ringing might be confusing to the rest of the traffic.

In terms of performance, this bike is the happiest when it is fully loaded. With both kids on, it rides like a charm, even going up smaller hills is a non issue. I have not tried any steep hills, and I am not sure if I would.

I do have two complaints about the bike. The first is that my thighs are too long so the horizontal distance between the seat and the pedals is uncomfortable. Interestingly enough, this is not an issue with both boys on the bike, it is a little bit of an issue with only one of them and it is a big issue when I ride alone. I don’t have a good explanation as to why. Maybe the bike stretches under weight? The second complaint is that the bike is slow. It might be possible to get it to be faster by replacing the standard heavy duty puncture proof tires with slicker ones, but I am not ready for that at this point.

The cost of the bike is at the lower end of what you would pay at a bike shop, usually a bit above $400. The child seats set me back about $300. Given that the cheapest kid carrying cargo bike for sale in Ottawa is $1500 (it was not available when I was looking two years ago though I could have gotten a different one in Toronto for $4000), I think I got decent value for my money. Plus, once the kids are too big, I still have a useable bike.