Touring bike to commute with

[Jim_Noir]

This has probably be discussed to death, but just wanted to get folks thoughts.



Up till it was written off I commuted to work on a specialized sirrus sport, can recommend them enough… light agile bike. Recently I got Boardman team carbon with the view to use that with some sportives and fitness training (Maybe some commutes in the summer). So been looking at a replacement commuter and been toying with the idea of the Kona Sutra… as I’d also like a bike that I could cycle all day on cycle paths… and me and a friend are looking to do a 200 mile cycle and thought the sutra would be ideal… though I do love the sirrus and wonder if I’d miss the speed of it… or would there not be that much difference on my commute?

 

[Wobblers]

Depends... how far's the commute?

Most days, I use my Dawes Galaxy for my short commute - and sometimes the VN Yukon when I want to go the long way back. It's definitely more fun on the Yukon but the Galaxy's no slouch. You'll probably find there's only a 1 mph difference between a good tourer and your old Sirrus. A tourer will also carry loads easily which is handy if you want to do the shopping!

 

[the snail]

With rack,mudguards,wider tyres a tourer won't whizz along like a road bike, and touring geometry is more relaxed, so it won't be as quick steering. I think a tourer makes a great all-round bike, with proper mudguards and a rack it would be very practical in wet weather, or if you want to pop down to the shops, and obviously ideal if you want do a tour. You also get a granny ring for when you don't want to grind up those hills. Seeing as you've got the boardman, a tourer would make sense esp. when it's wet, with more grip from the tyres, and a bit less jarring over bumps. I think the best plan would be to test ride a tourer and see how you get on.

 

[Jim_Noir]

Cheers guys. Commute is only 8 miles, pretty flat, though have to go through the Clyde tunnel so a bit of a climb. I do like the idea of an all round bike as a few of my mates don't cycle on the road but on the cycle routes... and to be honest the old sirrus wasn't too comfy on cycle paths... great ton the road though.... I could buy both

 

[aberal]

A tourer will make for an ideal commuting bike, but a hybrid won't necessarily make for a good touring bike. A tourer will handle cycle paths with ease and there is no doubt that the Kona Sutra is a class bike. Performance wise it'll do the business if you want to head off for some serious tours - but it has the added advantage of being a looker too - which is unusual for touring bikes. With the exception of my own.

 

[ianrauk]

Kona make great bikes.

 

[Staffordshire Mamil]

I bought one of these as a late Christmas presie http://ukbikesdepot.com/products.php?plid=m18b0s163p2328
Really surprised with the quality,comfort and it is every bit as quick as the Spech elite road bike I also own.

 

[Jim_Noir]

Anyone use a ridgeback panorama? How does that fair against the Kona sutra? I still like the Kona more... cause it's green

 

[MacB]

I think the Kona is very good value, it comes with Avid BB7, racks, guards and would easily cope with anything short of serious offroading. I recently built up a Salsa Vaya having looked at the Salsa Fargo and Kona Sutra amongst others. I'd say the Sutra is in between the Fargo and the Vaya but a bit closer to the Vaya. I wanted a versatile commuter/tourer/allrounder and was looking for steel frame, front and rear rack mounts, compact geometry, long head tube, drop bars, disc brakes, rear caliper chainstay mounted to make guard/rack mounting easier and generous 700c tyre clearances.

The Vaya won out as, in my size it came with a 200mm head tube and the reviews, including one of it being use for a cross season, indicated it was a bit more road nimble than some of the others. But I had most of the intended parts, had I been buying a complete bike then the Kona would have been hard to get beyond.

 

[the snail]

Anyone use a ridgeback panorama? How does that fair against the Kona sutra? I still like the Kona more... cause it's green

I have the voyage, which is very similar in design, and a very nice bike. The panorama is a lovely bike with better frame and bits, I know others here like theirs a lot. You're gonna have to go further than 200 miles to do it justice though

 

[gussington]

I was after pretty much the same thing - a bike that will be reasonable fun for my commute and general trips, but that can also be loaded up and taken (much) further afield. Having tried my friend's Steel frame tourer on a trip last year, I was also interested in a Steel frame for extra comfort for long cycles.

I had a good look at what's available myself - then also asked my friend who recommended a few. The real stand-out one was the Sutra, which I found a sample one in a shop to try out and haven't looked back! Haven't got it yet, but have it on order and getting it 1st week April. Also, for me the £1,000 price tag was good as I was using the C2W scheme and that is the limit.

It feels a lot more nimble and fun than the weight would suggest, and reveiews certainly say it is good at going up hills both unladen and fully laden. There was in fact an experiemnt done recently that concluded that over long climbs the flex in steel stopped fatigue to such a point that the rider was able to outperform people on much lighter bikes.

I have tried the Voyager and personally (although it is a nice bike) if you do want to do some longer mileage would test ride the Sutra. The Voyager has an Alu frame which is a lot less forgiving, although is a little lighter. The mountain bike(ish) geometry on the Sutra makes for a fun ride, and is a good part of why I chose it. I like to know that when I head out for the day I can ride on most things.

If you are based in London there is a great shop in Islington that got a Sutra in for me to try, and may still have it. It is a 53cm one, as I am 5'10". PM me or let me know on this thread if you want the details? Every other shop (20+) that I checked with either said they could not get them in unless it was a fiurm order, and/or that they couldn't get them until April or after. These guys however contacted Kona and sorted out a sample one for me to try. Even if you are a different size, they may be able to sort that too.

 

[theloafer]

hey jim you seen this... Kona Sutra 2008 - 58cm
http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=47106

 

[Jim_Noir]

thanks for the link, my issue is wither to buy now or wait for the insurance pay out for my right off!

The Kona does look nice and whe I look it it I get that kid looking at his chrimbo pressie feeling.

Would the westhighland way be too much for a tourer?

*Edit By that I mean if I buy now is it going to be a hassle claming back what my Sirrus with worth and explaing why I don't mind adding more cash to it and it wasn't a fall to get a better bike.

 

[aberal]

Would the westhighland way be too much for a tourer?

Reckon so. From what I've heard bits of it are too much for a mountain bike. I have a Cannondale T2000 and will happily take it along old railway lines, tow paths, forestry commission tracks, farm tracks and so on - but anything involving mud and rocks are best left to the full off road bikes.

 

[peelywally]

Would the westhighland way be too much for a tourer?

if your really serious about it think hardtail nothing less will cope with the terain .






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