here

I want it

I too want it. It is really nice in the flesh (metal). Got to poke and probe it while over in Austria, but no chance to ride it. The finish is lush on it.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/vkWSdV]Lush[/url] by Greg.May, on Flickr

The other option if you’re looking for an ace touring bike, would be the new Marakesh from Salsa – also, excellent price – $1,599 😀

http://salsacycles.com/culture/introducing_marrakesh

Nah, you want to buy my hardly used and 2nd hand Kona Sutra for only £450.

They’ve finally fixed it.
Again.
🙂

They’ve had separate rack and guard bosses.
And the rear disc in the right place.

But never both at the same time.
Amazing.

I like both colours too.

I know 🙂 They actually got it fully dialled.

Sorry Moses but I must be much taller than you, I’d be after a L or possibly XL.

I’m trying very hard not to look for a nearby Kona dealer. Edit: Didn’t know halfords did Kona… Edit2: But they only do certain models…

Is that a steel fork?

Yeah it’s a P2 fork…sorta. But yes, steel.

Why the single ring on an otherwise great rough stuff touring bike? Just following fashion rather than practicality.

Well there is the “normal” Sutra for those multi gear duties I suppose. Also, you could still run NxN (where N is more than 1) with the Sutra.

I think the idea was to mimic the Private Jake set-up as a low necessity maintainable touring/gravel/fun frame. Also, with that set-up the price is lower.

Sadly we spent more time riding MTBs than touring bikes. It was tough.

Anyone know what the difference is between Sutra LTD and Rove ST?

I don’t mean the technical detail or spec, I mean, like, in application: why would I choose a Rove, and why a Sutra?

Cos I thought I wanted a Rove (ST), but now I think I want a Sutra LTD, but I couldn’t really say why (apart from cooler colours).

Anyone ridden both?

After quite a long time – 10 months, apparently – I got my order in any my Sutra LTD should arrive today.

Even though it’s only a bike … am quite excited.

And here it is! (Any excuse.)

[url=https://flic.kr/p/JYzqdN]Kona Sutra LTD[/url] by SteveH2008, on Flickr

Might be a bit big, not sure yet.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/JHVB6o]Kona Sutra LTD[/url] by SteveH2008, on Flickr

That is nice, particularly in blue. I’m hankering after a Private Jake, but that could sway me. I need to define what it’d be used for. 2017 models showcased today.

Very nice, wide bar you have!

Feels big, high and wide at the front generally.

Think I’m getting more used to it though.

2017 one is orange, with what looks like more tyre clearance?

Sneek peek:

First Look: Kona’s 2017 Cyclocross and Gravel Bikes

Oh yes, that looks fantastic. Fat tyres always look so much better than skinny tyres don’t they? I’m definitely a mountain biker at heart…

Dorset, hope it was worth the wait? That blue looks incredible.

Think I’m always going to have a soft spot for Kona

I want to like it, but……….

Toe overlap?

And when would I want big tyres and a drop bar position? You’re never going to be in one position long enough to tire, or be going fast enough, unlike say a Fargo which is less head down to start with.

I can see the point of a 650b cyclocross bike for bouncing round rougher courses or trails, but surely big wheels make a nimble bike just less nimble removing it’s raison d’être?

Yep ~ took me ages to decide what to get … Nearly splashed for a Shand, then ummed and ahhd over Roadhouse/Rove ST/Sutra LTD for ages, tried three different Kona dealers for test rides with no joy but always kept coming back to the Sutra LTD. It just looked right, and looked good value too.

By the time I decided, you could get them for about 1300 end of season, which seemed too good a price to miss for the spec.

I too have always had a big soft spot for Kona, just never found the right excuse to buy one.

Ride-wise, I’ve only done about 50k so far, but I think I’m starting to love it. Zips along happily on Tarmac but it’s the sort of bike that has ‘personality’ if you know what I mean, and goads you into doing stuff for the heck of it. My first ride turned into me riding nearly everything I do locally on my mountain bike and it felt just as happy doing that as road stuff.

At the same time, it definitely feels like an all-day bike. Looking forward to a proper weekend long mini adventure.

Really pleased, yeah. 8)

(Spoon, I have no toe overlap on a 58cm)

And when would I want big tyres and a drop bar position?

Dunno really.

I’ve got Schwalbe Marathons on mine which seem perfect at the moment, but perhaps in winter I’d want to chunk up a bit.

Another comment about the frame … it has a reassuring built-for-life feel to it … I don’t think I’ll be finding cracks around the cable guides in a few years’ time … 😉

All the new Konas up online now.
Linky.

Sure it’s the same frame on the new one, I think reviews mentioned a 45mm tyre as being a good size.

Nicer colours on the normal Sutra and Rove AL this year, but the otherwise lovely Wheelbase looks a bit dull.
An appalling dog toffee brown on the (Honky) Tonk too.
😀

Really like Kona’s road/cross bikes at the mo.

Nice, love that blue.

I’m only commenting as I’ve always had a soft spot for Kona’s and my full suss is a Process 134. 😀

Sure it’s the same frame on the new one

Geo seems same – helpfully sized in cms now, not S/M/L.

Chainstays look different – flatter, deeper, presumably to widen clearance, and cable guides moved slightly /nerd

I do fancy a Ti Honzo.

Nice, love that blue.

I rode through central Oxford on Saturday afternoon, and girls and hipsters were DEFINITELY checking me out.
😆

Whats the main difference between the Rove & the Sutra?

They both seem to be off road capable road bikes.

And then you have the Wheelhouse

I think in terms of clearance and weight, it’s Sutra at the top, Rove and the Wheel/Roadhouse.

Don’t forget the cross bikes and the other road discs bikes too.
🙂

What size are those bars? They look massive, perhaps because they are flared?

Podge, welcome to my world for the last 6 months.

In the end I went for Sutra LTD because of better spec and colour.

Geometry very close-to-identical, I think. Rove ST gets a slightly lighter tubeset. It might’ve been my first choice if it came with the bits they put on the Sutra.

Ordered and cancelled a Roadhouse for the 853 and carbon fork, but decided the Sutra was a bit more open to birdleway abuse if I fancied it.

No idea what size the bars are, sorry – been riding normal handlebars since 1989 so the whole thing is so new to me width isn’t really on my radar. They look wider in the pics than they feel in real life, though.

…I think Sutra is seen as the touring/adventure “platform” while Rove is your CX/everyday fun bike.

Let us know how you get on, they’re lovely looking things.

The 2016 Rove AL is under £500 now.
😐
That’s a crazy amount of very adaptable , good looking bike for the cash.
Even the wheels look decent and you could upgrade the drivetrain as you go.

Bargains out there.

I’ve just ordered a rove al. I’m quite excited about it. Does anybody know if a WTB Horizon on a 21mm or wider rim would fit in the back?

Ta

dont know what a horizon is

but i have a 40c wtb nano under a set of pdw full metal fenders with room to spare on my rove al.

Thanks for the info, T_R. Are you using the nanos tubeless? If so, are you using the standard rims?

The horizon is WTB’s road plus tire. 650b x 47 with the approximate circumstance of a 700×30. I like the idea of lots of air volume without the cost of a sutra ltd.

standard rims , not tubeless

hubs are poor on the rove – i replaced mine after very short period with a hope rear and sp front as the original hubs just wouldnt run smooth unless loose(after QR done up tight) the cones were pretty gash – when set up right they were notchy in the hub. 1/8th of a turn looser and they moved – which might have been acceptable in the early 90s but not today.

I have a 2015 kona sutra that I picked up as a end of season for 900. After a season of riding I decided the triple and barend shifters were not fitting my commuter/aspiring cyclocross/weekend tourer riding needs. I never used the big ring in front and constantly shifted the back around in search of the gear I wanted but didn’t have. So I converted to a 34t single raceface aeffect crank set, 11-42 cassette, Shimano xt rear derailleur and gevenalle 1×11 brake/shifters. What prompted this was riding the new ltd and loving the feel but not loving the brifter so much it’s the gevenalle I can have the simplicity of the barend shifter with the functionality of the brifter. The gevenalle also allows (as stated in someone else’s review) to drop 11 all rear gears in one clean swoop of the lever. Maybe just a cool factor at this point but it makes me gitty.
Also working on a 650b conversion with 650 x 2.2 tires so when I want some more girth I can have it. More to come on this and pictures of the project when completed

Not seen those shifters before, look cool.

Does it stop you 2 finger braking from the hoods? i.e. does the shifter get in the way?