Sorry for the delay but a couple of weeks in France and endless rides got in the way.
So the Kona Kilauea is finished. Final build is a mix of carbon parts to complement the frame, I’ve gone for a Bontrager XXX lite seatpost, 3T stem and Ritchey WCS carbon bars.
Unfortunately Sram had no 2×10 XO available at the time of build up which is a pity because I reckon the red and white decals would have looked ace with this frame, as it is I’ve had to come to terms with an XX drivetrain 😉 (Thanks Gary and Elmar).
Brakes are Elixir CR’s which I’ve nicked off the Orange Five, not quite colour matching but I’ll cope. Wheels and rotors courtesy of Shimano XTR.
Comfort points are taken care of with a SDG Bel Air and Odi grips. Tyres wise I’ve swapped out the Nobby Nics for a Maxxis Crossmark/Ardent combo to keep things the same as the Cannondale Rush I’m also riding.
Overall build weight is just over 22 pounds.
So how does it ride?
Initial impression is fast.
Acceleration is very responsive to rider input, it’s another bike that begs you to keep pushing harder and true to form sucked me in and spat me out on the first ride. Big ringing up the first climb to find legs struggling to keep up on the singletrack that followed. Hello lactic my old friend.
Steering is sharp with the 100mm Blackbox Sid World Cup up front and is a joy to ride in twitchy tight woodland. The stiff back end starts taking its toll on longer rides and lets you know exactly how rocky a descent is.
Test wise I’m aiming to keep this as a proper “saddle up” bike and seeing as I’m mainly using it for quick sub three hour rides the next step is to play with 1×10.
Kona Kilauea carbon frame: £900
Available from: Paligap
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