Kona Sutra Owners *LTD build*

JPS wrote:, i'v treid 4 different kickstands bevore i found the right ones, iv treid both 10 speed and 9 speed set up,

\nHey JPS, \nI have a 2017 sutra I'm trying to get a kickstand to fit. \n \nwondering which kickstand ended up fitting your bike, what model front mech you have, and how you've routed your front and rear gear cables. \n \nTried the pletscher twin kickstand and it fits but it doesn't sit well with my cable routing and front derailleur. \n \n Could you could post a picture of the cable routing around the bottom bracket to the front derailleur too. thanks for your informative post

RoverAl wrote:Just checking to see if there are any Sutra owners here. I am strongly considering the new 2016 model as my next all around bike and have a few things to ask. 

Steel ride really better more comfy than aluminum? 
Bar end shifters? 
Any other general comments welcome.

The 2016 has some tweaked geometry that I like compared to my Rove Al which I love.
Thanks
Al

\nHave the standard sutra \nSteel's far less harsh over the bumpy stiff particularly at higher tyre pressures v Alu. Geometry wise feels snappy enough unloaded. Haven't loaded it up yet. Bar ends are reliable. Index shift can be turned off on the rear so you can switch to 10 or 11 speed. Reasonable weight considering it's a workhorse. Switching out the Brooks . Retro cool doesn't do it for me.rather have something with a modern anatomical correct fit

RoverAl wrote:I still like the sutras, the head tubes look wildly different in size in the photo. Are these large and small frames? I kind of settled on a touring rig for my next purchase and the sutra is at the top of the list. Maybe year end. Pretty sure the frames are the same. I gave up on building one up. Hey dr. spoke did you get a chance to check out the cutthroat?

Just saw this - no new data on the Cutthroat.  I did finally get the Ridley back up w/Di2 and some new carbon bits and have been riding it a lot.  I wasn't sure I'd like the Di2 but it's pretty cool.  And no dropped chains.

Lately, I've been thinking of selling the Niner RLT Steel and using the old Ridley parts on a Chinarello frame.  Right now though I'm training for the Belgian Waffle Ride in May.  BTW, the Redlands Strada Rossa was stellar again this year.

sdfwQER

Dub123 wrote: Hey JPS, I have a 2017 sutra I'm trying to get a kickstand to fit. wondering which kickstand ended up fitting your bike, what model front mech you have, and how you've routed your front and rear gear cables. Tried the pletscher twin kickstand and it fits but it doesn't sit well with my cable routing and front derailleur. Could you could post a picture of the cable routing around the bottom bracket to the front derailleur too. thanks for your informative post

http://www.hebie.de/en/parking/rear-stands/fox/672v/ all the centre models give cabble routing problems

JPS wrote:Building bikes yourself is not easy, finding the right components that work well together, fitting stuff that does not work or intervien with the cabbles its all i bit of a problem, i'v treid 4 different kickstands bevore i found the right ones, iv treid both 10 speed and 9 speed set up, treid old wheels bevore buying new ones, treid different handlebars and i'm still not happy with the ones i have now, treid a couple of different solution for our handlebar bags, had problems with the headset, treid different saddles and the bottlecage bolts on the down tube are to high so i had to finf a solution for that asswell. Some parts come from older bikes but most parts are new, and to make everything work a hade to go to a bikeshop to finnish the drivetrain settings, and even they could not figure it out, and the end together we did, and the bike now works great. All together it coust me about 2500 Euro for each bike and mounts to build. Mine is Size L my girlfriends bike is S. Buying a standard Sutra is much easyer but our set up is much better.

Thanks JPS - Sage advice for anyone considering building up their first bike from a raw frame. Unless one is extremely lucky, or has built that frame, it's going to be a learning process.  It's also good if one has a LBS which carries that model as they likely can help with the inevitable questions and issues. 

Do you guys find the 1 by 11 gear train tall enough for faster rides? I have one and often want more on the top end. This is my do it all bike and do some group rides with buddies and often spin out of gearing

i have 3x9 on mine

Some quick math...
48t Chainring
10t Smallest Cog
218 cm (700x38c) Wheel circumference
110 RPM max cadence

Max Speed = 43 MPH

If you have an 11t instead of 10t for the smallest cog, the gear ratio is reduced by 9% (10/11 = 0.91)
So the Max Speed is reduced by 9% to 39 mph.

If your max cadence is 100, reduce the max speed by another 9% (100/110 = 0.91) and you're spinning out at 35.5 mph

46t Chainring?  46/48 = 0.94 (6% smaller) and max speed drops to 34 mph

IMHO, the 1x setups make most sense on mtb riding where large jumps are the norm for me, and also certain types of racing for example some CX and criteriums.  With an 11x34 cassette for mtb riding I'm frequently double or triple shifting.   On the road the grade does not change as often nor as significantly so I prefer a much tighter cassette which allows me to find an optimal cadence.  The gravel rides I do are somewhere in the middle - I prefer larger jumps than the road bike but also like to be able to dial in my cadence.  What works best will depend upon your riding style, distance, ride type (Social? Race? Century?), terrain, fitness, and I'm sure other stuff I'm overlooking.

Hope this helps,
Greg

I'm impressed that you can do group rides on a heavy touring bike and spin out. Nice

I certainly do not want to give the wrong impression, I am not a super athlete by any means nor am I that fast. I think the front chain ring is too small. It is easy to climb up steep hills and yes, I think it is a really excellent choice for MTB but as an all rounder it is not geared tall enough. I have a triple on another bike which definitely provides better gearing choices.

I've got a '17 Sutra LTD that's quickly become one of my favorite bikes. In large part, it's stock except for a Ti Alpkit seatpost (I found it on sale), Ritchey Venturemax bars (only mounted last week... no rides yet), a 32t front ring (hey, I live in Switzerland... read: steep Alps and I'm not spadmike) and the saddle is up for debate at the moment. It's comfortable enough but seems to be really heavy. Oh, I also changed out the headset before I even rode it. I had a brand new Chris King, in black, sitting on the shelf. You can't do better than that.... almost free.

If I had one major complaint about this bike, it'd be that it's probably the heaviest bike I own. Even more so than my 29+ bikepacking bike. One of the reasons that I've been switching parts is to put the bike on a bit of a diet and for a bit more comfort. The Kona bars were fine but I never used the drops as they're too deep and the bars aren't flared enough for my liking. One other thing I'm looking at trying is putting on my White Industries cranks and bottom bracket. The Race Face is also a nice, stiff BB/crank setup but it seems to be quite heavy.

I love the fact that it's got a lot of water bottle mount throughout. Also, the bottle mounts on the fork are great but I wish they'd made it Anything Cage (3 bolt) compatible. It would have been really great if they'd gone with a tapered headtube as well so that I could use a carbon bikepacking fork on it. Sadly, I can't find a quality carbon bikepacking fork with bottle mounts with a straight steerer.

As a small example of how steep it is around my house... one of the roads leading from our house has a sign warning of a 26% grade.

     

@wunnspeed, I totally understand the 32 tooth chainring.  When I lived in Seattle, WA we had lots of long climbs over 10% and a few over 20% grade.  Now I live in Tucson, AZ - where it is pretty flat around town.  Low gearing is unnecessary.  (I ride a Salsa Fargo now, with a 2x10 42/28 and 11-36 drive train.)  Luckily, with the Sutra LTD, adjusting for your local conditions by swapping out a chainring and adjusting chain length is a pretty easy fix.