Kona rove st , Ribble CGR , Choosing a new bike

barrymanilow

Hi ,


Just wondering if anyone has ridden either of these bikes , looking at the kona rove st or the Ribble CGR with sram 1x and was also considering a rose pro cross but I don't like the colors and it has a quick release on the rear.Any other suggestions welcome



Coming from Mountain Biking and want an all rounder , not interested in cadence/strava timing or all out road biking so these types of bikes with 1 x systems appeal to me for long jaunts on bad country roads and detours into forestry .I'll probably be using it with flat mountain bike pedals. Already have a dedicated drop bar touring bike so won't need it for bikepacking or racks etc but I would like something that is more craic and a bit faster/sportier than the tourer as much as I appreciate it.



I see they both have 650 db wheels with road plus tyres 45-47mm , how would this work out for me who'll be 70/30 in favor of road over gravel/fireroads on this bike or would I be better off with 700c?


Thanks for any ideas

Plastik

Canyon Grail AL probably also worth considering.

doozerie

I have a Kona Rove, the 2013 model from what I recall. Brief summary: vastly over-priced, rubbish wheelset, weighs a small ton, I wouldn't buy it again. The paint work has held up surprisingly well though, they say you can't polish a turd but apparently you can.

I wouldn't buy any Kona again, in fact, I've had such bad experiences with the company and their products that I won't give them any more of my money. That's my personal bias of course, other people may well have a very different view.

Re 650b wheels, bear in mind that with a suitably large volume tyre, a 650b wheel+tyre can have pretty much the same circumference as a 700c wheel+tyre, but wider of course. One of the advantages there being that with 650b, depending on your choice of tyre you get something similar to the rolling speed of a 700c tyre but being larger volume you can run the tyre at lower pressure (for comfort, grip, etc.). I've never tried 650b personally but on paper I like the idea of them.

cblanc

doozerie wrote: »

I have a Kona Rove, the 2013 model from what I recall. Brief summary: vastly over-priced, rubbish wheelset, weighs a small ton, I wouldn't buy it again. The paint work has held up surprisingly well though, they say you can't polish a turd but apparently you can.

I wouldn't buy any Kona again, in fact, I've had such bad experiences with the company and their products that I won't give them any more of my money. That's my personal bias of course, other people may well have a very different view.

Re 650b wheels, bear in mind that with a suitably large volume tyre, a 650b wheel+tyre can have pretty much the same circumference as a 700c wheel+tyre, but wider of course. One of the advantages there being that with 650b, depending on your choice of tyre you get something similar to the rolling speed of a 700c tyre but being larger volume you can run the tyre at lower pressure (for comfort, grip, etc.). I've never tried 650b personally but on paper I like the idea of them.

I rode with a Kona Rove for 4 years. Really good and reliable.

a148pro

I've ridden their Sutra a lot and have a couple of their kids bikes. They seem really well made bikes I'd be surprised if the above experience isn't just an outlier, but who knows?

Answer to these qs usually is to try and ride the bikes youre interested in and see if you like them. I think there's a shop in Moycullen, Galway that sells a lot of Kona. Otherwise you could try and put the feelers out and see if anyone else has one that you could borrow for a quick spin.

P2C

I have one probably a 2013/2014 with apex group. Very heavy but takes a lot of abuse. I use with 700c and 42m wtb tyres on trails, gravel paths and bike park. Although not tubeless ready wheels i converted to tubeless. I have had it everywhere and anywhere. My gripe is not to do with the frame but the Hayes brake set is crap. The geometry is comfortable.

Macy0161

I started gravelling on a Kona Rove, albeit the AL, and it's now my hack/ commuter. Weighed nearly 13kg with nothing extra on it. Even has an AL fork. It seems bullet proof, I did plenty of Gravel on it, including the Lakelander Big Dog, but it used to beat me up (not helped by not being tubeless). Their "Jake the snake" seems to be well regarded in the US though going on other forums when I started looking, so even that may be out of date by now.

I really liked the look of the steel CGR, but couldn't make it work financially (and that was pre-brexit). A club mate has a SL, and had a frame replaced, but they've changed the design in between.

nilhg

barrymanilow wrote: »

Hi ,


Just wondering if anyone has ridden either of these bikes , looking at the kona rove st or the Ribble CGR with sram 1x and was also considering a rose pro cross but I don't like the colors and it has a quick release on the rear.Any other suggestions welcome



Coming from Mountain Biking and want an all rounder , not interested in cadence/strava timing or all out road biking so these types of bikes with 1 x systems appeal to me for long jaunts on bad country roads and detours into forestry .I'll probably be using it with flat mountain bike pedals. Already have a dedicated drop bar touring bike so won't need it for bikepacking or racks etc but I would like something that is more craic and a bit faster/sportier than the tourer as much as I appreciate it.



I see they both have 650 db wheels with road plus tyres 45-47mm , how would this work out for me who'll be 70/30 in favor of road over gravel/fireroads on this bike or would I be better off with 700c?


Thanks for any ideas

Something like the Fustle Causeway might suit you?

https://www.ridefustle.com/