Biting The Bullet!

Well I have decided to bite the bullet. I purchased a new Touring Bike. I thought hard and thought long but in the end I have come to the decision that it was necessary to upgrade, that is my story and I am sticking to it. I purchased a new Kona Sutra.

The 2015-16 Model which I purchased

The newer 2016-17 model - only the colour has changed

What was wrong with the Merida you may ask? Well, nothing really. But it was more suited for shorter rides, commuting etc. The distances I want to go, I just don't think it would cut the custard.
I did many searches on upgrades, touring rims, gearing and all that, but in the end it was going to be nearly as much as what I paid for the Kona.

The Kona is touring ready, with the only exception being front rack and panniers which I needed to purchase anyway. It is a Chromoly frame and runs Alivio/Deore running gear, 9 speed with 3 speed chainrings on Deore cranks connected to Shimano BarCon bar end shifters. The WTB X19 wheels with 36 Sandvik spokes and shod with the Clement XPlor MSO 700 x 40c tyres make it one smooth as silk ride. Join this with the Brooks B17 leather saddle and the bike was just built to spend hours on the road. Stopping power isn't an issue, the Hayes CX Expert mechanical discs make short work of stopping.

As I said, the bike comes tour ready, with rear rack, 3 mounts for bidon cages and drop bars. It gives you as a rider a relax fit and although you are leaning forward there appears to be no pressure on the shoulders or the wrists. The frame is stiff, and when I first rode it I thought, "Here we go, this will be rough". But no, it's not. After riding a Trek Domane 5.2 for so long, and loving it, I was surprised at how the Kona rivaled the Domane for smoothness on the road. All the components work together, the Brooks saddle, the wide tyres, all gel so well.

It is not light, but lets face it, a touring bike needs to be strong, and when you are carrying twenty plus kilograms of gear, are you going to notice a little extra in frame weight. When riding, it doesn't feel heavy, its maneuverable and rather nimble for a large bike.

The ergonomics of the bike are perfect for touring. Whilst riding you maintain a rather upright position, but the road style drop bars allow to get down of the wind as well as giving you plenty of hand options on them.

The large 700 x 40c Clements X-Plor tyres cancel out any vibration really well offering a smooth ride on all surfaces, even gravel. The X-Plors are an on road/off road tyre meaning that they offer superb grip and handling no matter the road surface.

The WTB 36 hole rims with 160 mm brake discs are a good element to the bike. WTB are a world renown wheel maker and have a reputation for making their wheels tough. They seem sure footed and work well with the Clements, holding sure footed over gravel roads, as well as being able to handle the weight of your gear.

The Hayes CX mechanical discs do a great job. I am not used to discs as this is my first bike I've owned with them. But I am glad I made this choice, they do not struggle at all. My Merida had V-Brakes and I would notice significant brake fade a a steep decent when loaded. The CX's don't fade at all, controlling the bike, rider and load in a very sure manner. The brake levers on the Sutra also offer up a button that once pushed pops the brake levers out a little further. This option allows you to fit your whole hand comfortably behind the levers whilst grabbing hold of the hoods, great for climbing.

The Brooks B-17 Saddle is to die for. Before owning this bike I had heard many mixed messages about breaking in, hard etc. But no, this saddle is comfortable straight out of the box. I can ride a good distance commuting without the need for knicks and still suffer no SAS, Sore Arse Syndrome. I'm finding the more I ride it the more the saddle does comply to my butt and seat bones. As it softens it also becomes like a spring offering up a type of suspension, suppressing rough roads and vibration as only a Brooks Saddle can. The B-17 Leather Saddle was first designed in 1898 and is still handmade in the same way today. You know what they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

The Shimano Deore/Alivio drive chain is fantastic, simple yet effective. The Alivio 3 speed (28/36/48) front derailleur with and Deore 9 speed rear derailleur (11-34) offer up a kaleidoscope of gearing options to make it loaded up the steepest of hills, or at least I hope so anyway...lol.

The Chromoly frame doesn't feel heavy when riding but has a wonderful way of joining all the components together to make a smooth and comfortable ride. The bike makes you feel safe and when push come to shove it can hold its own among my friends on their road bikes. It is easy to push the bike up to and beyond the high 30's and even over the 40 kph mark when needed. Or you can opt out, relax and enjoy the scenery, which is what I plan to be doing plenty of on this new steed.

The model I have is last years, and it ran out a little earlier this year. Not much has changed to the newr model only the colour. Being a run-out model I was able to score a good deal from my LBS Hoppie Cycles Bundaberg. I procrastinated over this bike for months, should I, shouldn't I, but in the end I am glad that I did...

It is one thing to see a bike and fall in love. It is another to ride it and know you were meant to be.

And as always Ride Safe...Cheers.