"Whether you’re a fisherman, an outdoorsman, or a recreational enthusiast, the Remote can take you where you want to go and get you there quickly", says Kona of its new Remote bikepacking bike. You might not be any of those things, and still want a versatile load carrier with a motor, in which case the Remote still looks like a good option.
With its geometry based on Kona's Honzo hardtail line of mountain bikes the Remote gets a 120mm travel fork and wheels that are different depending on where you live. For the US the bike is specced as shown above, with a 27.5x3" wheel and tyre combo. For more technical (and, let's be honest, wetter) terrain in the EU you get 29x2.4" rubber instead.
The bike gets the top-of-the-line Bosch Performance Line CX motor and a 500Wh powerpack, although given the backcountry nature of the bike and the fact it's designed to tow stuff, we're maybe a bit surprised that it's not also offered in a dual-battery build for extra wilderness range. With a 14T drive ring and a wide-range SRAM 11-speed cassette you should have all the gears you need for your journey, even if it involves towing a boat. Ours don't, all that often.
The Remote has been designed to carry a lot of gear, so Kona have specced an Old Man Mountain rear rack that's both strong and adaptable for different sorts of load-lugging duties. Big 180mm rotors on the SRAM Level T brakes mean stopping when fully loaded shouldn't be an issue either.
The Remote will retail for £3,499 in the UK and is available now. We'll be queueing up for a go on one.
