Marin vs KONA: Beer serious

It doesn't seem so surprising that a brand that has a large fan base in Canada like KONA would name one of its models "Bear". Rather that there are legal problems because of it. Following a legal dispute with Marin, which has had a steel hardtail under the name "Bear Valley" in its range for years and is claiming copyright protection, KONA will now deliver all bikes of this type with a slightly different name: "Beer".

If you know the KONA guys, you've probably already guessed it: They would never have been satisfied with an 08/15 name. As the US industry newspaper "Bicycle Retailer & Industry News" reports, KONA President Jacob Heilbron has already found a new name after some field studies among KONA fans: "KONA owners like beer, which is what they keep telling us. When we were told that we had to rename our "Bear" models, "Beer" was a logical alternative. It also means we only have to change one letter on the stickers."

In 2003, KONA will offer three "Beer" models instead of just one: In addition to the "Beer", the "Beer Dee-Lux" and the "Beer Primo". It is an unconfirmed rumor that the age limit for KONA bikes will therefore be raised to 21 years in the USA.