Kona Bicycle Co. Dr. Dew

Price Paid:  $919.00 at Jubilee Cycle, Burna

Favorite Ride:
To work and back

Bike Setup:
Stock except for accessories - lights, fenders, pannier rack.

Summary:
This is a comfortable bike for my daily commute on the roads of Vancouver. The disk brakes work well in the rain and the drive train shifts smoothly in all conditions. This is my first "hybrid" bike and I think it is ideal as a city commuter bike.

Strengths:
Good value for money. Hydraulic disk brakes. Strong frame and fork. Very well equipped for the price.

Weaknesses:
The stock tires don't have as much grip as they could in the wet - otherwise they are good. Frame is stiff so you feel all the bumps in the road.

Similar Products Used:
This is my first "hybrid".

Price Paid:  $999.00 at North Havan Bike

Favorite Ride:
Rt 146 Branford-Guilford, Or Backroads of Durham

Bike Setup:
tock execpt for 700x38 kenda tires, and richey foam grips.

Summary:
Like the guy before me I don't fit into any of the catagories for what type of cyclist I am. I am a mountian, singlespeed, freerider, who would rather ride to work than drive and this bike is ideal. I can go pretty fast for a long period of time on this bike. It loves long rides. I havent riden with any roadies yet to see how i compare to them, but then again i dont really care how I compare as long as I am having fun. This bike is very easy to operate when impared !!!!!!!!! A big plus. And the hydro disk brakes have saves my A$$ many times. This is a great bike, I think Kona built this one with me in mind.

Strengths:
Strong frame, p2 fork, disk brakes, flat bars, rims haven't bent yet.

Weaknesses:
Broke 2 derailer hangers, and the stock 700x23 tires had to go, But other than that nothing.

Similar Products Used:
Trek 1000 roaie crap, I hate the way road bikes handle and ride. And I don't wear spandex.

Price Paid:  $1300.00

Bike Setup:
Setup as a cross/touring/commuter. 105 STI levers, Salsa bell lap bars, Avid Mechanical discs, Thompson seat post, egg beater pedals. Everything else is stock.

Summary:
What type of cyclist am I? I dabble in everything: road, mountain, tri, commuter with a bike for each. How about more choices in the dropdown box? I swing my leg over a bike most days of the week.

Very versatile and stout bike. You can run racks for light touring or use it as a commuter. Curb hopping? No worries. Stop fast? No problem. Triple crank smooths out the big hills going up, disc brakes will stop you going down. My 20 pound road bike seems very light after riding this to work all week. If you want to go fast on the road then this probably isn't your best choice, but if you want a do-it-all tank that you can beat the heck out of buy one up. You will go a lot faster than on a 26" wheel mountain bike. Kona does a great job of overbuilding their bikes for durability, you can see the serious beef in the welds. I may try a cross race this fall but the bike's weight will be a serious disadvange. Come to think of it, so will my weight.
Fours for ratings, not the perfect bike but very good.

Strengths:
Triple-butted frame is very stout, not afraid to jump curbs on this baby. Dropped top tube gives good standover for urban riding. Wheelset is bombproof with Mavic touring rims. Paint looks good and thick, no nicks yet.

Weaknesses:
Heavy bike. 60 cm weighed 26 pounds on shop scale (my setup is different than stock but probably similiar in weight), I dropped a pound by swapping stock seat post and pedals. Stiff frame will rattle your fillings, you feel every imperfection in the road.

Similar Products Used:
First Al road bike. Tested Lemond Poprad and Cdale cross but decided on disk brakes (Cdale cross disc was $200 more and had no rack mounts). Didn't pick the Lemond because I didn't want to worry about