uphillstruggler

After years of riding a mountain bike (mostly on roads, not on trails), I've decided to start looking for a new bike that would be more appropriate.

My local bike shop has both the Kona Dew Deluxe ($899 CDN) and Kona Splice ($799 CDN) in stock (I'm guessing they could get other models in if I order one). They both seem like nice bikes but I really don't know enough about the subject to make an educated decision. I went on the Kona website, but I'm not sure which specs to look for.

The two primary differences I've found is that the Dew Deluxe is 27 speed, and the Splice is 24 speed. Both would be an upgrade from my current 21 speed mountain bike. The other difference is that the Splice has a lockout on the front suspension, and the Dew Deluxe doesn't have any suspension.

I REALLY like the idea of having a lockout on my suspension, seems like it would make it a much more versatile bike. Obviously there must be some advantages to the Dew Deluxe that I don't see though.

My riding will be almost exclusively on roads, with quite a lot of it uphill (hills everywhere here).

Any advice?

Thanks!

MRT2

Then go with the bike with the solid fork. It will be a little lighter and should climb better.

uphillstruggler

Thanks for the response. The Splice has a fork lockout so I figured I would have the option to go on the occasional trail. With a solid fork I would likely have to completely avoid them. The lockout fork seemed like a nice compromise to me.

Do you see any other differences that would be noticeable between the two bikes?

Thanks again!

uphillstruggler

I made a table of all the places where the specs differ between the two bikes. Anything stand out?


[table="width: 500, class: grid"]
[tr]
[td][/td]
[td]Dew Deluxe[/td]
[td]Splice[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Fork[/td]
[td]Kona Project Two Aluminum Disc[/td]
[td]Suntour NEX HLO DS700C 63mm[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Crankarms[/td]
[td]FSA 316[/td]
[td]Shimano Altus[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Chainrings [/td]
[td]28/38/48t[/td]
[td]22/32/44t[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]B/B[/td]
[td]FSA 7420AL[/td]
[td]FSA 7420[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Chain[/td]
[td]KMC Z99 [/td]
[td]KMC Z72[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Freewheel [/td]
[td]Shimano HG200 or HG30 11-32t 9spd[/td]
[td]Shimano HG31 11-34t 8spd[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Chainguide[/td]
[td]Shimano Altus[/td]
[td]Shimano M191[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]R/D [/td]
[td]Shimano Alivio[/td]
[td]Shimano Altus[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Shifters [/td]
[td]Shimano Alivio [/td]
[td]Shimano Acera Rapidfire Plus[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Stem[/td]
[td]Kona Commuter[/td]
[td]Kona Control[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Seatpost[/td]
[td]Kona Thumb w/offset[/td]
[td]Kona Thumb[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Seat Clamp[/td]
[td]Kona Clamp[/td]
[td]Kona QR[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Grips[/td]
[td]Velo Ergo[/td]
[td]Kona Control[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Saddle[/td]
[td]Kona Commuter[/td]
[td]Kona Crosstrail[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Rims[/td]
[td]Freedom Cruz Disc or WTB SX17[/td]
[td]WTB SX19[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Tires[/td]
[td]Kenda K935 or Freedom Trekking 700x35c[/td]
[td]Schwalbe Tyrago 700x40c [/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

headloss 

Shocks, even with lockout, seem unnecessary for roads (paved or dirt). The question is which is a better compromise for the variation of terrain that you expect. How do they compare for max tire size? I have a 2005 Dew Deluxe and it only fits a 37mm tire (but the current frame is a redesign, so I don't know if they are the same).

Both of those forks would blow, in my opinion. Cheap suspension forks aren't worth the weight penalty. Aluminum rigid forks don't ride so well.

SouthFLpix

Well, one pretty big difference is that the Splice has much lower gearing available for climbing. If you have some really big hills, those lower gears might come in handy depending on your fitness level.

blakcloud

The one without the suspension fork. Extra weight even if you do lock it out. As for the occasional trail ride, use your mountain bike. There is a reason most commuter bikes don't come with suspension.

fietsbob

the fact that you made the effort, yourself, is commendable ..


For Hills and touring, Splice has a lower ranging drive train , but a 44:11 is plenty high enough. 8 speeds are Fine . 22:34 significantly lower than 28:32..

'Speeds' a count of how many sprockets are there , is less important, IMO, than the range of the gear ratios available..

MRT2

You can say that again. 22:34 is 17.7 gear inches. At 80 rpm, that is 4 mph! Hard to imagine even an extremely out of shape cyclist who would need such a gear for the road. (mountain trails are perhaps another story)

fietsbob

Or self supported cycle touring crossing Mountain passes..

uphillstruggler

Thanks for the advice everyone. It seems like the Splice might be a bit better for hills, but I'll definitely demo both of the bikes to see which one suits me best.

Are there any hybrids in this price range (or maybe even a few hundred dollars more), that would be worth looking at?

fietsbob

What brands are in your favorite LBS? narrow the world-supply down to what you have in your town..

MRT2

Actually, not better for hills. Better for steep mountain ascents. I have an old Bianchi hybrid with a 22 tooth small chainring and it is frankly unusuable for climbing because in my area, there are few climbs where I can even will myself to go that slow, even climbing a hill. If all you have are hills, the Dew is more sensibly geared and I would argue, the 28: 32 low gear of 23.8 gear inches is overkill for most cyclists as that low gear would have you ascending a hill at just under 6 mph at 80 rpm! This is just overkill for most of what people do on roads, unless you live in a place known for especially steep and long climbs.

There are lots and lots of hybrids out there in this price range from Trek, Specialized Jamis, Felt, Raleigh, Giant, etc...

You could even take a look at the Kona Rove AL in this price range. I have seen it in person at a bike shop and I was favorably impressed, though I did not ride it.

uphillstruggler

Good point! According to their Facebook page they carry Kona, Norco, Rocky Mountain, Giant, WeThePeople, Electra, and Chariot. The Kona's were the only hybrids I could find in stock though, they have a lot of mountain bikes (and a half dozen road bikes). Plus 3-4 Kona hybrids.

I've been trying to figure out how the gear ratio numbers work. Is there a way to tell on my current mountain bike what the ratio is? It's 10+ year old cheapy bike so I can't find much info online about it, and I'm unsure where to look on the bike itself.

Thanks again everyone!

fietsbob

Maths: Big one turns the little one X number of times
the tooth count is the ratio basis 44:11 reduces to 4:1.. 48:12 is the same . 48 '/, 12 = 4

then you multiply by the wheel diameter .. commonly spoken of as gear inches for visualization .. its like the size of a Big wheel of a Penny-farthing.
since how far the wheel takes you in one rotation is what you get.

MRT2

I use Sheldon Brown's calculator. Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Gear Calculator

As for calculating your old bike's gear ratios, you could count the teeth on the chainrings and cogs and plug it into the calculator that way.

PatrickGSR94

Freewheel? Is that right or is that just the term you used OP? Surely it has a modern freehub and cassette. My wife's BikesDirect bike has a freewheel, but it's a 7-speed with cheap@$$ parts.

uphillstruggler

I copied the headings exactly from the Kona website. I just took a look at some of their other bike specs (road and mountain), and they all use the term "Freewheel" as well.

gregjones

I have a 22:36 and don't care at all how slow it goes since I never use it. I do, however, use the 33:36 some. It keeps me on the center ring longer. I basically ride the middle with the several hot rod ratios on the big ring and a few on the lower end. Just because the 22:36 is there doesn't mean that I have to go there. The 36t cog serves another purpose.

Andy_K 

Alivio is a slightly higher groupset in the Shimano hierarchy than Altus, but I don't think there's a whole lot of difference between them other than the number of speeds they're designed for.

As others have said, the rigid fork is better suited to riding on pavement. I also think the gearing on the Dew Deluxe is much better for commuting than that on the Splice. The lowest gear on the Dew Deluxe is plenty low for nearly any hill you'll find on urban or suburban transportation roads. With the Splice I think you'd find that you almost never used the small chainring and even the middle chainring would be sub-optimal for speeds above about 14 MPH.

uphillstruggler

I've noticed that as I've gotten into better shape the last couple of years (down 50lbs so far!), I'm using the lower gears on my mountain bike less and less. When I first got the bike, I almost never went into the highest gear because it was just too much work. Now, there are times when I don't think it's high enough.

PatrickGSR94

There's a grass hill between my neighborhood and the park that I have to use my lowest 22:28 gear on my utility bike, and even then sometimes I start picking up the front tire as I'm mashing. I usually just walk it. The bike will only make that hill on my 2.1 knobby tires. Definitely won't do it on the 1.5" street tires.

Just depends on where you live and where you're going.

MRT2

22:28 is plenty small. That is the smallest gear on my old hybrid, and gear inch calculator says that is 21.5 gear inches. Must be a steep hill if 21.5 gear inches won't get you up that hill. Then again, we are talking about a grass hill, not any kind of road. The lowest gear on the Splice is 17.7 gear inches which, as I noted before, is just 4 mph at 80 rpm. You could probably walk the grass hill faster.

PatrickGSR94

heh I regularly ride 3 mph and under when alongside my son's bike, but I'm usually not turning the cranks very fast either.

Yeah it's a pretty darn steep grass hill. If I have the street tires on, or the trailer, no way I'm getting up it without pushing.

Andy_K 

To offer an alternate take on gearing, my commuter has a 30T small chainring and a 28T big cog, so a 28.9 lowest gear (compared to 23.6 on the Dew Deluxe). That's a low enough gear to get me up the "gentle" side of the hill to my house, which peaks at about a 15% grade, without a lot of problem and up the steeper 20% side with some hard mashing. I've been riding that hill regularly for about 5 years now, but I'm still not a remarkably powerful rider. My mountain bike has gearing similar to the Splice and I wouldn't even use the small ring to get up a hill this steep because it would just spin too much.