Vancouver brand Kona is opening a Service Centre in the UK for the first time.
Located at the Old Fire Station in Chertsey, Surrey, the Service Centre opens its doors this week as a hub for servicing and training.
Jimbo Holmstrom told BikeBiz: "The UK has always been a key market for us at Kona.
"With over 20 years of UK and European business there are a lot of Kona bikes out there that need spare parts and questions answered.”
Kona is planning to run training sessions twice a year for its dedicated UK Kona retail network. Dr. Dew will head these Clinics and they will cover alternating areas so the brand can include different types of testing and riding for its dealers.
Holmstrom added: "At the moment, we have seen that the UK has become double as motivated for our bikes than in the past. This we believe comes down to new styles of riding and product choices that we provide today.
"Our ambition at Kona has always been to "do it right". It’s not about the hype, it’s about the "long sweet ride", we provide. This always takes longer to get the message out to the dealers and consumers. But it surely is rewarding when you get a huge laugh and smile when you meet consumers that understand that Kona way of building bikes."
"Barrie Dixon [pictured] will head up our new service centre. He has over 20 years of mechanical experience including working as mechanic for national 4X and downhill champions during this time. He’s a keen gravity enduro and mountain bike junkie, who enjoys racing the Mega Avalanche amongst other premier events."