This is a continuation of my post regarding the highs and lows of the 2008 Kona Sutra.
The Sutra is too much bike for what I want to do. The Sutra is a loaded tourer, through and through. The ride is cushy, the position is a good balance of taking in the scenery and getting a cruise on, and there are braze-ons just about everywhere. For a compact, rigid frame with mountain-bike inspired geometry, it soaks up the road nastiness with aplomb.
But I don't need something this hefty for my riding. A randonneur frame is obviously more my speed, but good luck finding those with disc brake mounts. Also, the Sutra is just plain heavy. If this frame were a girl, I could slap her thigh and ride the wave across the state. In commuting kit with fenders, pedals, handlebar bag, and lights, the Sutra masses in around 45 pounds. It speaks of durability. Great if you're trying to cross a continent with all of your belongings, but it sucks when you just want to get to work. On the upside, pushing around this heavy bike has made me quite stronger and faster, especially when I jump on my light(er) and nimble fixie.
Why disc brakes? It's a quasi-religious argument, bolstered by my local weather. I ride year-round, in rain, snow, and ice. There is no substitute for disc brakes for foul weather riding. Herein, the Sutra shines. Because the Sutra has both disc tabs and cantilever posts, I even have a choice if I want to invest in the changes. The modulation is confidence-inspiring. There are big hills and oblivious traffic in my commute, so modulation is a plus.
My biggest beef is the hooded rear fork ends. The damn Breezer droputs make it so that the only trailers I can use are either a BOB or one that connects to my seatpost, such as the CycleTote. Why these miserable dropouts get so much use in bicycle manufacturing, I have no clue. They're ugly (IMO), limiting, and thin.
Mounting fenders on the Sutra is a nightmare. The upside is that Planet Bike has got ya covered in this department. They had the foresight and intelligence to include mounting hardware to accommodate disc brakes with their Cascadia fenders. The standoffs allow the left stays to clear the brake calipers.
The downside is that, with the Sutra, the racks don't play well with the fender mounts and stays. The standoffs don't cooperate with the racks because the Sutra only has one set of rackmount/fender braze-ons. This has resulted in some jury-rigging, but it works. For the rear rack and fender, I stacked a few bolts and washers. If I had a Dremel, I would have just cut the spacer that Planet Bike provided.
To add insult to fender installation injury, the positioning of the rear braze-ons means that the lower rear fender stay is not long enough to allow sufficient clearance from the tire. So, another jury-rig is in order. I used another piece of heavy stainless wire (cut from my previous SKS fenders)(we won't discuss them, except for: they sucked). Some silver wire stitches it all together.
By using the lower fork mount for the front fender, the front rack and fender can be friends. This actually works out for the better. The one downside is that the fender stays now protrude past the top tube. Nothing a little hot, steamy Dremel action can't fix! Once I borrowed one from a friend, that is...
I'm picking apart the Sutra here. And will continue to do so. But I want to emphasize that I really love my bike, but I am fully cognizant of its flaws. There will be more tomorrow.
You can find Part 3 here.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
What's Wrong and What's Right with the Kona Sutra
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4 comments:
As somebody who has spent time trying to decide which commuter frame will serve me best I found your article interesting... My most bothersome problem is finding something worth while that still has disc brakes. With the new belt drives coming about, i'm even less likely to purchase some chain driven bike that can't be ridden in the horrid conditions where the disc brakes excel.
I agree that worthwhile commuter bikes with discs seem to be the exception. I've long agonized over choosing the right disc-equipped bicycle from a narrow field. In my opinion and experience, one of the most underrated platforms ever was the Trek SU 200. I have two of them, neither resembling anything like the stock bike.
The belt drive has certainly proven itself with James Bowthorpes' round-the-world ride. While I tend to think technology to be the answer (now what was the question?), I find the belt drive an over-engineered solution looking for a problem.
The chain gets an undeserved bad rap. It is highly efficient, inexpensive, and does not require any special frame design. I lived in Vermont and commuter year-round. Despite not having a decent place on which to clean my bike, the chain was hardly an issue with a scant minimum of maintenance.
That said, a Rohloff with Gates drive, disc brakes, and sintered ceramic pads... *drool*
Thanks for reading!
Hello from England.
Seems we have the same bike philosophy - just bought a 2007 Trek SU200 (got it cheap as bike shop wanted to clear before 2010 stock arrives), and am looking to get a 2010 Kona Sutra in February as part of the work bike scheme.
The Trek's the winter workhorse. I've kept everything that came with the bike, except the tyres. I'm using the nearly new Schwalbe Marathon Plus (26 x 1.75) from my old commuter. The stock Bontrager tyres are re-enforced with an Aramid Belt. What's is your experience with the Bontragers?
I find the SMP bullet-proof, albeit, with a little loss in speed due to the weight and extra width.
The Schwalbe Marathon Plus is indeed a durable tire, but a little too much rolling resistance for my liking. If I was crossing the continent, I would definitely, go SMP. But for staying in range of dense society, my money is on the Continental Ultra Gatorskin.
I used an SMP on the rear of the Sutra and it made the bike feel even more piggish. The only thing that got through an SMP was sharktooth glass and big pieces of metal.
My SU200 is getting a total refit. Stay tuned for that!
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