Bike Setup: Pretty stock 'cept yellow PB fenders and matching yellow Dimension bottle cages, Egg Beater SLs, and a crummy steerer extender.
Summary: I have the 08 (I know it says 07 up there) Sutra, when they decided to ship the bike with front and rear racks built specifically for it.
Strengths: Strong frame, those BB7s are STRONG brakes, nice drivetrain, stable at high speeds (even WELL loaded. I am currently moving and am using this bike along with a 7-foot Bikes at Work trailer to move all my furniture across the city and I have had all four panniers full of laundry and my dresser full of laundry in tow and made it up some hills (in my 30-32) that I have seen other unloaded cyclists walk up. Very stable up and down the hills with all that weight.
Weaknesses: Wow, it's heavy. And there's a lot of crap going on in the back, hardware-wise (QR, disc rotor, rack, rear der, fender stays) that can make working on any of it a pain. I don't have others' problem with toe overlap even with fenders (size 60) but I do have to use a small water bottle. I had to install a steerer extender which I thought was VERY lame. A touring bike should be tall in the front... The disc brakes while they will stop you quick can be a pain to adjust and keep adjusted.
Similar Products Used: None.
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Summary: I bought the Sutra specifically for a month-long bike/camp tour of Europe. I have a mountain bike but didn't want to tour on the shorter wheelbase and general geometry. I liked the Kona's solid feel under weight, and wanted drop bars and disk brakes.
Maybe I got lucky, or my bike shop has dealt with it before, but I didn't have any of the problems opthers have posted about. I carried rear panniers only; the rear rack went on without issues and did not interfere with the mechanical stuff back there. I couldn't adjust it to be horizontal (tilts back about 10 degrees) but that didn't bug me.
The front wheel is a little tight to the frame, but with the wheelbase as long as it already is, I can see why Kona did this. Under load, I wasn't turning too quickly, even while navigating Paris and Amsterdam streets (or maybe I just unconsciously avoided pedaling into the wheel while turning?).
Reliability? Just before heading to Europe, I took an end-over spill that hammered the front end - I had to replace the drop bars, but the shifters and brakes came through fine with only some nasty scratches. The front derailleur was banged up in shipping but worked fine after some tweaking. A month of biking and loading on and off of trains didn't faze it, and I have since been using it as a commuter with no problems.
Strengths: Solid frame, good components for the price.
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Summary: This bike is a typical Kona, it attracts you with it's high end compents, but falls short in attention to detail.
First off, My toe strikes the front wheel when I don't have fenders on. I CANNOT mount ANY front fenders on this bike because my foot will just tear them off while turning. Finding a rear rack was a genuine pain in the ass. Kona was trying to think, by adding braze on's that are infront of the disc brakes, however, they are WAY too far forward, so your heels run's into your panniers. After much modification, I managed to attached both the rack and rear fender.
That all being said, the bike actually handles very nicley loaded and is comfortable to ride.
Strengths: Strong frame with little flex. Good quality drivetrain, and disc brakes are a nice addition.
Weaknesses: Lack of clearance on front and rear. difficulty mounting racks and fenders.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale T800 (far superior)
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Summary: I've had the Sutra for just over 3 months now and must say that I am pretty happy with it. My previous bike was a Gary Fisher aluminum hybrid and the ride of the Sutra is a dream compared to the Fisher. The steel frame dampens out the road vibrations and takes the harshness out of potholes quite nicely. The frame is also super rigid. The time I appreciate the rigidity of the frame most is when I have loaded panniers on the rear and stand up while pedaling. The rear end seems to have very little flex (unlike my Fisher which I would describe as a wet noodle in this situation). I must say that I also really enjoy the down hill rides on this bike. It seems very stable at high speeds.
Now for my complaints. I had an extremely difficult time trying to mount a rear rack to this bike. I bought a disc specific rack and put it on, but my as I rode with loaded panniers the rack had quite a bit of flex and the pannier was banging against the disc brake. This made me nervous that the brakes would be damaged--and I like to have brakes that work. Next I bought a non disc rack and had to make quite a few modifications to it in order to make it fit. Now that it fits I'm happy with it though. The thing I find most annoying with this bike it the interference between the pedals and the front wheel. When I turn about 15 degrees the front wheel and my foot contact. This has almost caused me accidents several times now. Because the front wheel is so close to the frame the third bottle mount under the down tube is useless. I can't even fit a small bottle in the the cage.
Strengths: -rigid frame
-parts spec for the price
Weaknesses: -interference between my foot and front wheel when turning sharp.
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Bike Setup: Stock, plus, Brooks saddle, Shimano 324 pedals, bar top brake levers, Answer ATAC Pro stem, Delta Mega rack and Schwalbe Marathon tires.
Summary: I use this bike for recreational riding, errands, family picnics and for fitness. It has very neutral handling, very stable and comfortable. It rides fantastic, and has become my primary bike. I was shopping for a touring bike with a road triple, and disc brakes. After I had the bike for a couple weeks I began to suspect that the frame was not true, the bike shop checked it and found that the frame needed to be replaced. Kona needed to have the original frame before they would replace it. So the shop had my bike disassembled and the parts banging around the workbench for five weeks, really dinged up the shifters. After I finally got the bike with a new frame (and scratched up components) back all was well, until the spokes in the rear wheel started breaking. The shop where I bought the bike does not stock that spoke so I had to take it to another shop. Altogether five spokes broke before the original shop “loaned” me a rear wheel so they could investigate why they were breaking. That was a year ago. The loaner has since had three spokes break and I will have it re-laced this week. I have tried to contact Kona about this with no reply. It would be nice if they would give me some input, and nicer if they would reimburse me for the repairs. It is difficult to mount fenders or racks on this bike. Kona should dump the adjustable wheel base drop-out in favor of rack/fender mounting ease. This could be a much better bike for touring.
Strengths: This is a really comfortable bike. The MTB geometry is very stable and relaxed. It carries a load well. For the price it has pretty good components. Disc brakes.
Weaknesses: Rear wheel spokes keep breaking. First frame was misaligned, but Kona did replace it. Hard to mount racks/fenders. Seat. Lack of response from Kona about the spokes.
Similar Products Used: This is my first “Touring” bike.
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