Ride Quality

Thanks to the well-thought-out geometry discussed above, I didn't notice any stability issues with the Sutra. In fact, I would say that it is one of the more stable bikes I've owned, especially when carrying weight. I enjoy riding hands-free on those long, flat stretches with high visibility and no obstacles - the Kona never leaned, wobbled, or wiggled. Riding handsfree uphill in your climbing gears is a bit more difficult because of the slower speed, but it's still doable.



Going down the windy, heavily wooded multi-use path poses no problem - the handling is sharp and agile enough to easily navigate the twists and turns. Besides the multiuse path and residential roads, my commute also takes me through some rough dirt paths and down a rocky trail alongside railroad tracks. I wouldn't recommend the rocky paths for this bike - my suspended mountain bike with wider tires did much better. However, if you put on some wider, knobby tires, which the Kona can accommodate, you've got yourself a fire road tourer that could easily compete with the Salsa Fargo.



Regarding comfort, the bike comes with a very nice looking brown WTB Rocket V Comp, which has been acceptable so far. I personally don't care much for road bike seats, preferring a cushier seat to having to wear ridiculous padded lycra shorts, but that aside, the WTB is a fine saddle. The matching Velo gel grips are superb, offering plenty of hand comfort. This was a wise choice, as a rigid fork usually transfers up more of the bumps in the road than a curved fork, so you're definitely going to need that extra padding. Overall ergonomics of the bike work out well, and climbing out of the saddle is comfortable. As noted above, cruising handsfree is easy, and despite the bike's weight, getting down in the drops can really get you going pretty darn fast. As others have remarked about the Sutra, it rides like a much lighter bike - it just feels like it wants to go, go, go.

Components

Kona has kept the components fairly similar over the years since the Sutra was introduced. In general, the component list is pretty normal for a bike in this price range. The 2010 model's components are mainly Shimano - both derailleurs, shifters, and hubs, as well as the chain and freewheel. The cranks are FSA Omega triple, with 50/39/30 chainrings.



The rear cassette is a nine speed Shimano HG50 11/32. This makes for a 27 speed layout, with plenty of gearing for spinning up hills. After a quick calculation of the gearing of this bike, the range is nice and broad with a difference between top and bottom gain ratios of 7.10, and that 50-11 top gear certainly won't slow you down on the flats. However, if you're going to be spinning up passes in the Andes carrying 100lbs, you may want to go up to a 34 in the rear and/or down to a 28 in the front.



The Shimano bar-end shifters take a little getting used to (if you're accustomed to thumbies like me), but once you get in the groove, they're actually quite nice. The left shifter has no pre-determined gear stops, but the right one has a D-ring that allows you to switch between a clicker to help you find the gears or clickerless friction shifting. I really enjoyed riding with the clicker until I got used to the 9-speed layout. Both the rear XT derailleur and front Tiagra give you smooth and accurate shifts.



The wheels are 36-spoke Alex XD-lite double-wall disc-specific 700c diameter. While the 700c vs. 26inch debate goes continues, let me just say that because the bike is equipped with disc brakes, it is possible to switch to 26in wheels, provided they are equipped with the same brake rotors and tall enough tires that the overall diameter doesn't change too much.



The rear rack is a Racktime Add-It (Racktime is a Tubus subsidiary). The rack has a lower set of rails so that you can haul panniers and a 'bike trunk' bag on top of the rack at the same time, as well as mounting points on the back for lights and reflectors. This rack is incredible - it's tough, well-designed, and sits far enough back on the bike that you can load up some pretty big bags.



The front rack, an MEC Front Suspension Lowrider, includes a hoop for stability and is adjustable enough to fit nicely around the disc brakes, which can be an issue for other racks. However, the front rack is not nearly as well built as the rear one, and it seems like it could have came with more washers at the attachment points. I grabbed a few extras out of my garage, so this was an easy fix. I only have one set of bags right now, so I wasn't able to test the front rack in a loaded state. While plenty strong in their own right, both racks are aluminum alloy, so they won't be as durable for rough-road, long distance, third-world touring as more expensive steel racks.



Brakes were, of course, an important factor for me. Since the beginning, the Sutra has been equipped with Avid BB7 Road disc brakes with 6 inch rotors. These are non-hydraulic disc brakes, so while you will have to occasionally adjust the cable tension, you won't have to flush the brake fluid, bleed air out, or worry about the brake fluid boiling on long descents. The stopping power of the BB7s is pretty incredible - I kept thinking "Oh my God, these brakes; these brakes, oh my God."



Disc brakes have many other advantages as well, but the most important one for me was the fact that they typically stop equally as well in wet conditions as dry. I won't get into a detailed discussion of disc brakes and touring here, but rather I think it suffices to say that a) the BB7 is one of the best cable-pull disc brake on the market today, and b) many people have successfully toured with them. New pads cost $18 to $24 a pair, and you will typically have to replace them more often if you ride in the rain. The pads took a few rides to get seated, so know that when you first hop on the bike, you won't have full braking power.



Side note: if you're thinking of equipping your bike with disc brakes, know that forks, rear triangles, and wheels as specifically designed to take the extra force that disc brakes exert. Installing disc brakes on a bike not meant for them is a recipe for a broken fork and a nasty wreck.