But a lighter weight version. What is there??

Anybody? Looked at salsa but at nearly twice the price of the kona, i don’t think so.

not sure about a lighter version, but I have a Sutra and was concerned about the weight prior to purchasing. Honestly mate , its not an issue, it rides superb. OK you are not going to break any TT records , but its not designed for racing. As a touring/commuter bike its superb. strong enough to carry everything and comfortable enough for all day riding. I love mine.

SBB +1

Thanks stan and plumber.

I’d agree. I went for the Salsa Fargo and despite it being a heavy beast (esp. my XXL) it rides beautifully and doesn’t feel heavy when pedaling.

It excels at what it was designed for and all the reviews of the Kona suggest that it’s the same.

I would also say that addition of more grippy tyres turned mine into a do it all mountain bike lite type of machine

I’ve done Iron Keld on it – not mega comfortable TBH but I rode it all and its still in one piece

also good for shopping trips to tescos (provide your own shoes 🙂 )

Wors – I had a Sutra – the original one with STI’s and loved it. However, I did find it a bit heavy and, like you, started to look around for alternatives. If you don’t mind an aluminium frame, the Dew Drop would be a good bet. If you don’t mind spending a wee bit more, you could build up a very nice bike around a Van Nicholas Amazon frame and a set of Kinesis DC19 forks…

I had a Sutra which I bought mail order and never really loved. After I broke both my arms I faced up to the bikes shortcomings. It was too heavy and the straight fork was too harsh. I changed it for a Marin Toscana which is so much better. It is lighter and has a curved, more forgiving fork and is stealthy black.