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Got my Kona Ute

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Utility Cycling Want to haul groceries, beer, maybe even your kids? You don't have to live car free to put your bike to use as a workhorse. Here's the place to share and learn about the bicycle as a utility vehicle.

Got my Kona Ute

Old 08-28-08, 09:20 AM
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Got my Kona Ute





So how do I find it?
Well, maybe it's a trick of the geometery, or maybe it's just the longer wheelbase, but it actully feels better than the standard mountain bike I'd use for hacking around. Unloaded, it glides through traffic without any compromise from that extended rear, and loaded with my 2 year old daughter, her upfront childseat (which should actually destabalise it as the seat rests higher up front than the rack at the back), and a bag of shopping, I can honestly say that it was a delight.
The handling from the porteur style bars felt a little sluggish at first, but this, I soon realised, was because my daughter was holding them and resisting my movements. When she let go, it all felt natural, not snappy or soft, just about right (though I am used to that style of bar from a tourer I have).
The 700 wheels, which I've seen questioned work really well on the streets - they roll with you and feel sturdy enough. The big continental tyres offer little restistance. They soften the bumps and give a confidence to the ride which I appreciated on the broken up ashphalt of my home town.
The gearing seems well though out, to me. I never had to work that hard up hill, and there are a few on my route that while short, are pretty sharp, and take it out of me whatever bike I'm riding. I did find myself missing the change down to 7 or 8, but then remembered I had the front end to use, and just changed up there.

There was no flex in the frame, and yet it didn't feel dead, as with a few I've ridden, that combined with a more relaxed posture from the bars and a surprisingly comfortable saddle, meant the 6 miles I did, which included child and groceries, some hills and more than a bit of squarly rain, was a rather enjoyable experience. And the kickstand (always the littel things, isn;t it), is remarkably useful with such a big bike. It seems to hold the bike in just the right place, so I can stand it, still with my daughter in her seat, and let go without any fear of it toppling over (though I'm not going to make a habit of using it with daughter attatched, as I know there's a first time for everything).

Any downsides? Well, firstly, I'm really not sure about that disk brake. Maybe it's the way mine is set up (it's the first I've had, so it could very well be set up wrong and I don;t know it), but it seems a lot less effecive than any V-brake I've had. I'd been expecting to use it with caution for fear of it gripping like the taxman, but no, I found it rather soft and in need of teeth. I might tinker with it and see if I can get it better.

I'm also less than impressed with the mudguard (fender). I found myself so piqued by it's misfitting, I took boiling water to it to bend it into a shape that resembled the curve of the Kona's wheel, not that of a penny farthing.

Neither am I completely happy with the grips - much as I like the bars, I don find the grips tend to dig into my hands and make them feel numb (something I'm sure they're desinged to actually relieve). I'd prefer some nice cork ones, and will probably swap them our for some.
I'd also like a convenient point at which to attach a light on the back. Obvioulsy there's the seat post, but with luggage, it could easliy become obscured (especially with a second daughter on back), but the tubing on the back of the rack is all too thin to take any of the lights I've got without major packing.

There are of course the gripes you probably know about - like the bags being a little weedy (though the open top bucket design did work surprisingly well for slinging groceries, and pretty much anything else, in), and the rack tubing being too wide for anything other than the Kona bags (that said, it only took me a few minutes to knock together a working pannier from some hooks I got from B&Q, a piece of stiffening board and an old courier bag I had hanging round, and it fits pretty well, actually, and works nicely as I can take it off the Kona and then carry it over my shoulder with the strap). There's also the issue with the foot boards, which I would have loved, but which I understand the reason for excluding (lawsuits, I imagine, from people carrying more than the 7.5 stone max weight). I'm working of fitting some myself, though, and am pretty sure I know how I can do it.

So there you go. I'm pretty pleased with the Ute - as pleased as I could be, I think, for a £500 bike.

Oh, one last thing I really like - it doesn;t stand out too much. Maybe it's because it's shorter than the xtracycle or the surley, and looks to resemble a normal bike at a sideways glance. And believe me, where I come from, where to pull a child trailer is the eqivalent of driving a sequinned tractor through Watts, that's only a good thing.
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Old 08-28-08, 09:42 AM
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Nice bike.
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Old 08-28-08, 10:48 AM
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New disk brake pads do take a little while to break in -- about 20-30 good hard stops (you can speed things up by riding around and slamming on the brakes, if you're so inclined!). But if it's a cheapo brake anyway, you might think about putting an Avid BB-7 on there -- all the brake you'll ever need, and you can pick them up for $50 on closeout at pricepoint.com right now.

I'm curious about those bags... I use an Xtracycle, and it seems pretty handy to have one long container on each side, instead of discrete bags. Do they work pretty well for groceries?
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Old 08-28-08, 12:03 PM
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Thanks for the review! How tall are you?
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Old 08-28-08, 12:26 PM
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Thanks for that, Ong. I'll see if working them in improves them.

As for the bags, they do work surprisingly well, though with only two it feels somewhat under capacity. That said, it is handy that I can just take two if I want, and have my other daughter on the rack as well. With continuous bags, she'd have her legs hanging over them (mulling it over in my brain, though, big bags may be advantagious, as they'd protect her legs from spray in the rain) I do also like the fact that they open with a simple clip at the front and thenconcertena out into a nice big bucket size. I found today that I tended to simply put whatever in there then clip it back up again, from keys, to wallet and phone, to a bag full of shopping (Lefe bier - how civilised). It was rainy, though not pouring down, and I didn;t notice any ingress of water, though if one was in a real downpour, they'd soon start holding water, as, and this does seem to be a design flaw, there is no drain hole. I'll no doubt put one in myself, but it should really be there in the first place, especially in the UK.

Here's a pic of the new bags (and new grips and front mudguard) on the 09 model



Next year's bags look substantially better, and I hope they can be ordered as extras, but for the time being, the two Kona bags and my big courier bag work well to cart what I want to need.
Now, it's just the foot rack. My brain's still ticking over...
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Old 08-28-08, 12:36 PM
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Gotte, thanks for the review. I'm curious to know if the Ute has any form of lower horizontal ledge. Even if it is a mini version of the "WideLoaders", it would help support the weight of bulkier items. Or are the bags the only load-bearing elements for stuff you put on the side.

I have a friend of mine who loves my Big Dummy and we're exploring the various options for him to get a utility bike (Ute, Xtracycle, Big Dummy, Radish). I've mentioned to him that I find the Wide Loaders to be excellent for carrying very large or bulky loads, but I can't tell from the pictures of the Ute if the frame has anything like that.

Thanks.
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Old 08-28-08, 02:11 PM
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No, it hasn't, but I'm looking into ways of adding something. All I need is something that will attach to the chain stays. Actually, I think 4 handlebar stems might do it (2 each side), as the tubing is quite wide. This would allow a deck to be attached on top. The stems would work so long as they have the front plate that comes off fully (if you inderstand what I mean), allowing the stem to be bolted on. They are good in that they are simple, though it's not an ideal solution. I mean to go to a hardware store at the weekend and see if there's some other kind of device that will do the job. I'm sure I'll be able to find something.
As with so many things bike related, you need a make do and mend appraoch.
As it stands, the Ute has a load capacity of 7.5 stone, which is less than and Xtracycle and Yuba, but which is still quite a lot. The communique I got from Kona when questioning the maximum weight was "it's 7.5 stone, but some people carry more."
Make of that what you will.
I beleive the ommision of the foot decks is perposeful - being an alu frame, I think they're scared of people snapping it with too heavy a weight, though the word from Kone gives me a tacit understanding it will carry more.
I love the ride, and though I haven;t rode a Yuba or xtracycle, imagine the stiffness and lightness of the Ute is a distinct advantage. Now if only I can solve the problem in some simple way...
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Old 08-28-08, 03:13 PM
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The Ute still doesn't do anything for me. Honestly, the first thing I noticed was the stove. I'm jealous.
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Old 08-29-08, 06:44 AM
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Mmmmm... Utility Bike Porn.
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Old 08-29-08, 08:59 AM
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Keep us posted on the Ute and how it's working for you...I'd like to get a real owner's perspective on that bike rather than the short term reviews that have been published.

Could we get some pics of the rear cargo area? I'd love to look directly down from the top - maybe with the deck removed if that's not a hassle...=-)
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Old 08-29-08, 03:55 PM
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I like the bike. Do you know the weight (in kg`s)?

For her legs I would go for something hanging down from the top of the rack, stirup type (spelling?) like on a horses saddle. Could be made with some frontal protection against wind and rain fo her legs. Made in some strong nylon it would be light and not destroy the frame.
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Old 08-29-08, 04:40 PM
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It's 37lbs, which is 16.78kgs. Thanks for the advice on footrests. I used to have something like that on another bike, but I've just got through fixing two stems to the chain stays, which should work a treat. I'll post pics when I'm done. I might very well get two more, place them at the back, and try and fix a foot deck along it. I always thought the footrest (are they called snapdecks?) on the xtracycle looked really inviting.
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Old 09-02-08, 06:08 AM
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Vik, I'll try and get some images of the rack, but my camera's playing up at the minute, so it may take a few days. I can describe it now, though. It's ostensibly like a conventional rack, except longer. The plastic deck bolts onto 4 struts which run between the two side arms.
I've managed to fit a foot deck - I'll also post pics of that when my camera's working properly. It's mainly for my daughter to keep herself stable with, and works really well. You could use it for stabalising bulky items, though I wouldn;t use it to carry heavy items, as it bolts onto the chainstays and has no support from the rack itself (though it wouldn;t be hard to do, if one put one;s mind to it).
hope that's of help for now.
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Old 09-02-08, 08:58 AM
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Nice bike and even nicer Kitchen!
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Old 09-02-08, 11:47 AM
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Thank you. Unfortunately, my wife won;t let me keep the bike in the kitchen, where I can clean it and polish it and make sure it's nice and warm and well fed. Women!
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