Originally Posted by
Andy_K
You missed my favorite, the Kona Jake:
The 2013 model has a triple, but they switched to double for 2014.
The internal cable routing is a nice feature. I've got about 2200 miles, lots of them in the rain, and I'm still happily using the original cables. I think Tiagra is the sweet spot for commuting components -- very good performance at a reasonable price.
Regarding 650B wheels, if I manufacturer did that, I'd think they were crazy. It limits tire choices and for commuting wheel size really isn't such a critical issue. The only advantage I see of smaller wheels is that it allows better fit for smaller riders. If that's an issue, maybe look into the Salsa Vaya, which has 26" wheels in its smallest sizes.
The 2014 with double 50/34 and 11-30 gets pretty close to 50/39/30 with 12-28 on the low end. You could also change out the cassette to 12-32 SRAM cassette or 11-32 which is a very common mountain/trekking cassette. A 34 ring with 32 cog will be very slightly lower than 30 with 28 actually; 1.063 vs 1.071 output revolutions per input revolution. The Tiagra 4600 rear derailleur will handle that gear combo so no issues there.
I'm kinda like you, I have a Trek bike very similar to your Kona but has last model 105 so probably very comparable to your Kona, and it came with Avid BB7s from with 160/140 mm rotors - very avant-garde for 2007 road bike I must say.