Kona Sutra ULTD - First Impressions Review
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- In this video, Darin and Ryan give their thoughts on the Kona Sutra ULTD bikepacking bike. Trail ready?! You betcha. Show Notes Forgot to mention: the Sutra ULTD frame geometry IS different from the Sutra & Sutra ltd models. Check out the BikeInsights frame comparison here if interested: bit.ly/2M6H30N Also! Every body is different so we ALWAYS recommend a test ride before purchasing a bike : D
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#bikepackingbike #konasutra
I've had my LTD for slightly over a year and I love it! I had a mtb that I built up for bikepacking and it served me well for about 3 years. But the aluminum frame always had wobble when loaded. The LTD with its chromoly frame does not. I swapped the 36T for a 32T chain ring as well. Definitely a game changer for long days.
I'm reeeeeal jealous of the terrain and trails you get to ride right now!
We are definitely spoiled by ridiculously consistent sunshine weather !
It looks soo good out there yeah!
Love the color. I opted for the Kona Rove ST & love the steel. Doesn’t feel heavy. Plan to change to a 32/34 but will decide after riding a while. First 1x and liking it! It is a fun bike to ride.
Nice bike! You may want to consider a 32T oval for the front, especially riding flat pedals. I went oval on my MTB and love it! Have fun and be safe!
That might be a great option thanks!
Had mine since november. I love this bike. So comfortable, practical yet grin bringing fun. Nice review!
Right on!
My wife rides the same one and loves it! She really likes the sloping top tube and dropper post. We swapped out her tires for a set of WTB Venture 50’s that match my LTD.
I have the same bike and replaced the cassette with an 11-50 and kept the 36 up front. Works really well, you will need a longer chain and longer derailleur cage (I went with garbaruk)
ULTD sounds like a birth control device 🤣 The color is beautiful and it's a nice looking bike altogether. Kona makes a great bike. Thanks for the solid review!
Bahaha kinda does. Awesome bike tho! 🩹
Damn... This bike is almost making me regret getting an IceCreamTruck this year, but I've got a spare set of 29+ wheels so I'm covered.
That handlebar though, looks perfect.
Yeah for sure! Dreaming about getting one of these!
I love the kona sutra. This is going to be my next bike.
Awesome review! I have a Kona Rove DL (formerly ST) and love that bike. Been more excited to pull that out for a 15 mile coffee run than a 50 miler on my carbon road bike.
Darin, you look so much better fitted to this bike. I always thought you looked overextended on your Trek 520. Like me, you seem to have limited space in the triangle so I’m very interested to see how you distribute your bike packing gear around the bike. Lastly she is a beauty. The colour is awesome as are you and Ryan
That bike is 😍😍😍🔥🔥🔥! Nothing better than being beautiful and functional!
That color is super sexy. I like the way the purple pedals reflect off it. Looks like an awesome bike. My Ogre came with the same issue for the chain ring; too high geared for heavy loading and too low geared for daily commuting. In a perfect world, any 1x gravel/bikepacking/mountain bike would come stock with a Race Face crank mounted with a Wolf Tooth CAMO spider so us end users can then just pick and choose and swap out chain rings for whatever our own needs/desires may dictate. For a quiver killer bike; 1st is a second wheel set and then 2nd is easy-access direct mount chain ring for total quality of life upgrades. At least in my opinion.
This was a great, honest review.
No sales pitch feel like I see in a lot of bike reviews. Real, useful opinions from someone clearly using and enjoying the bike, not just reading a spec sheet. Awesome bike! Why is that Kona wrap tape so damn comfortable? Wonder how it will hold up in the dirt after some real use.
Congratulations!Nice bike. I would have to make a couple of changes though. I would want to go with a 2x up front, a subcompact road or a mountain double. I'm picky about cadence so a 2x setup allows for me to find my perfect cadence. Personally I have never found a dropper post useful for my type of riding so I would remove it to save the weight.
Great review ladies!!! My husband stands 5 10 but as short legs so he always ask's for a small frame and gets "Are you sure?" looks from the shop staff. Thanks to you and Paths Less Pedalled he as bought a Surly Crosscheck with hand built wheels, loves it!!! Keep Safe you two. Love from dark damp England xx
Would you take the ULTD rig on a bikepacking adventure??
It looks like the perfect bike for that if you ask me.
It looks like a sister to a Fargo (that i own) wich is a good thing, but without suspension corrected fork, wich is even BETTER then a Fargo, steel fork is very, very nice. Downside for me is the 1x drivetrain and flatmount brakes, but i am looking from a more touring perspective. I would take it bikepacking, to get the taste of it 🤘
Just put a double chainring on & change gears w/ your foot. Lol
An anecdote from new video.
That paint job rocks!
Really nice bike, wow. That frame is a thing of beauty. Such similar geometry to my Cannondale Cujo, but rigid and drop bar. I personally run a 30t crank to an 11-50 cassette, and a rear rack to free up the dropper.
Congrats on the new ride! Very cool🤠
That bike looks like a keeper. Thanks for a great review!
Great review. Hope Darin is feeling better. Did you end up swapping out for a 32t Oval? If so I'm very curious to know how it turned out for better or worse.
Thank you! Yes she did and it’s been great! MUCH easier for climbing. Lose a little on the flats but way better for weighted riding
Yes...,go to 32/34, but u might want to add on a top mount chain guide(useful for a smaller 32 up front).....😊👍🚵♂️🍵
WOW that color! Sounds like a really functional bike and a sweet steel build.
The 36t chainring seems to be the standard for the gravel/packing rigs. I am in the same boat as you in debating swapping to a slightly smaller chainring since fully loaded it just doesn't get low enough for me....of course an Eagle cassette could always be an option lol
That's why I don't like 1x on gravel bikes.
@@pingpongballz5998 I prefer 1x especially off road because chain drop is less an issue. I also am more into dropbar MTB so I get into chunky and technical terrain more often than long gravel grinds. For packing I like the simplicity of it. For speed though a 2x is the ticket for sure.
@@PuffinPass too much compromise for a 1x tho
@@pingpongballz5998 There are compromises on both sides of the fence it just depends on what your specific needs are as to which is going to be the better option. Too many variables to say that one is superior to the other.
We’ll let you know how it goes with the 32 oval!
WTB Venture in the 700x50 are a good compromise for road/ light off road use. And really quiet as well. I had a Bombtrack beyond that came with Ranger trail tires and switched to the Venture for road/gravel.
Cool thanks for the tips! Venture was another tire we’ve been looking at 👍
@@radbikeadventure They are a decent snow tire as well. I sold the bike with the stock tires. Now use the Ventures on my commuting bike. A Marin Muirwoods set up as a 38/17 fixed gear with the Rasta green/yellow/red paint.
Hey there, just wondering if you ever changed the front ring? I recently bought a Rove DL 2023, and i can't find anything in the way of a front ring smaller than 40T.
Nice bike Darin. If it feels right it is right. Thanks for sharing.
That bike color is 🔥. The new hair style looks good Ryan👍🤙
Awesome! The Sutra is my dream bike, the ULTD is my fantasy!
Kona bikes are awesome. I live in Bellingham during warmer weather and here in Dana Point the rest of the year. After seeing your Kona bike shop stop in Bellingham, I scored a Kona Libre. (Btw, cool videos...been enjoying watching your Taiwan, NZ, WA to CA coastal rides & OC local ride episodes👍)
I ride a Trek bike here in Dana. I’m not surprised you swapped your Treks to a cooler konas.
Awesome overview. Happy NBD!
Nice work, great review video! TBH I’m a little jelly, I’m looking for a 56 ULTD. Keep the awesome videos coming, looking forward to the long term review.
So good when you really love your new ride!!!!
Looking for a comfortable long ride gravel bike think this would be a great choice to ride at my own pace!
Definitely. If you're not doing more aggressive riding, the Sutra LTD is a great choice too. It climbs a bit better.
Any toe overlap issues with the front tire? Sweet ride. Can one have too many bikes?
N+1 forever! No toe lap that we’ve noticed! The more slack head tube angle helps w that
Great review! You can easily change the chainring, so dropping to a 34 or 32 will possibly get you the gearing you want. I am now looking at this frame, and giving it some serious consideration. For me, I'm thinking a flat bar, and a mountain double, if possible.
Niiiiiice! Love the frame colour and pedals. Purple pedals are the best! IKR!
I really really enjoyed your review of this bike!!!
I wish I could find a 2021 just for the color 😊
I was curious about sizing, I am in the 5'7"-5'8" size, and am leaning towards a 52. It seems like we are close in height and you said the bike is super comfortable and I wasn't sure if I missed what size yours is in the review?
I bought a new 2019 Kona Sutra for a coast to coast bicycling trip with my dog in a dog specific trailer. If the dog wasn't going I would use a Bob trailer. I don't like a lot of weight on the bike. With the dog I will have to use panniers. 😕 I have no plans to ride the Kona off road. I have 3 very good mountain bikes which I sometimes ride on pavement. I have extra wheel sets with different types of tires mounted for pavement or offroad. My favourite tires are Vee Rubber with an inverted tread mounted on Spinergy Xyclone wheels. Sometimes I don't want to take out a road bike & this setup is great for riding on a paved rails to trails trail near where I live. Unlike your bike, mine has 3 chainrings & Schwalbe Marathon tires which are much better for the road. The new Ultra looks like a great bike & very versatile. I suppose mine is too but I don't plan to change anything. Thanks for the review. 👍☮️🌞🚴♀️
Hey Ladies. I had the same thought on the 36 chainring last year on my sutra LTD. I had an older mountain bike with 17 gear inches that helped me a lot. I did a lot of math for technical changes vs budget options and ended up swapping for a 32 to get close to what I had without changing much more to the bike. Now here is the difference and my suggestio: oval. I was skeptical at first but given it wasn't crazy differ on price I gave it a try. Put an absolute black 32 oval and never took it out.
I had some other upgrades, tires etc happy to share if you'd like. But since this was the major note of first impressions figure id let you know what I did on this end.
Great bike and best of luck.
We ordered the absolute black 32 oval! Thank you for the suggestions. Can’t wait to give it a go
Great Review and beautiful bike. I bought the Kona Rove this year and did a Trip from Germany to Greece with it. It was awesome!!! I want to Ride the Baja California from la Paz to San Diego this Winter and if the border is Open again I might start the southern thier to Florida from there. Hope to See you in the south West :-)
Great review. Great bike. Take care and stay safe, Al
That is one SWEET bike. LOVE that color. 🤘🏼RAD ON🤘🏼
Yeeeee!!!
Rad bike! Any thoughts about switching to a rear rack system that attaches to the fixed bottom part of the dropper post so you can use the dropper feature on unexpected gnarly descents? Tailfin would look killer on that bike.
I'm simply jealous beyond words! Ha! Beautiful bike and riding the most comfortable saddle ever.... Great!! Love you guys!
Very nice bike! Love the color!
Us tooo
You said you're 5'7. What frame size is the bike? I'm 5'9 but have a 29 inseam. The sloped tube seems nice. A 54 or 52 might work.
It’s a size 50 but as Darin said in the video, she has short legs and short arms.
Nice. Good review. I did look at the Sutra, but went Surly Bridge Club for dirt and two track. Main reason was alt bars and stance. And 27.5. I do have love for Kona. Eight year old Splice that is getting new brakes and Jones H bar.
Niiice. Bridge Club is an awesome bike. Ooh Jones bar will be fun on the Splice too!
Sick bike, Brooke saddles is the bomb!!! What’s your doggies names, they’re so adorable
Mia & Sofia!
Hey girls loving the new bike wish it was mine, great review and digging the short hair, looks good x
Hi. Ladies when you cycle with dropbars, are you comfortable observing around?
Great review!! Just subscribed
“Done a weekend trip, loaded” 🤣🤣🥃
Lol
Awesome looking bike. Looks amazing.
picking mine up tomorrow
hell yea. enjoy!
How does it ride? Are you still loving it?
Yea, still loving it. Took it for a long road ride and Darin said it was super comfortable (we put 47mm tires on) and said it would work as her road touring bike too. Would probably get a separate wheel set for that tho as the wide rims can't go any smaller with tire size for road riding. Then might do ANOTHER wheel set of 27.5 x 2.8 for sandy desert riding. Definitely a good all rounder bike!
Books saddle looks awesome pops on that bike ❤️
Right?!
I got the 2021 Sutra Ltd and put a 32 oval ring on the front. Rode the river trails and timber trails in New Zealand. You shouldn't need less than a 32.
I'm in Nelson, NZ. The hills are steep here I put a 30t on which is as small as the crank can fit. Not ideal with the loss of the top end. The other thing I found inadequate are the flat mount 160 brakes, on long steep descents they are pretty much gone half way down. Roady brakes aren't up to it. Roady gearing isn't up to it. Apart from that I love its competent handling.
@@fettlingcodgercyclist8482 have a look at the Hope RX4 calipers. Not easy to find but they look promising.
Thanks will have a look .Apparently Sram have a fix coming with an adapter.
We’re gonna try a 32 oval 👍. Will be curious to see about the breaks because it is very hilly where we live too
What about switching to a 34T oval, which should “feel” like a 36 on the flats and 32 on the climb.
Just ordered a 32 oval excited to get it and try it out! Since I've had 2 knee surgeries I'm happy to have an easier time on the climbs and lose some push on the flats.
@@radbikeadventure
another vote for oval.
I am using 42t +- 3 oval (39t - 45t) LitePro on my 20 inch fold bike to challenge my hilly neighbourhood in Bogor, Indonesia.
It helps smoothen my pedalling and eliminate "empties", resulting in better climbs.
Will replace my 28t - 13t sprocket to 36t - 11t sprocket to further improve my bike climbing ability.
(´ ∀ ` *)
Fantastic setup 😁👍
I'm surprised that a 36 tooth 1x crank and a 42 tooth granny gear (cog) isn't good enough for climbing. I just wonder if switching to a 32 tooth crank will take away from high end when road biking.
It really isn’t enough when you consider having weight on the bike and steep grades on off-road terrain. We’ll definitely lose some on high end but will mainly be riding on trails for now
@@radbikeadventure no biggie if that gear doesn't do the trick just try another , nice bike .
It's personal. In my case, my rationale was make easier on uphill when loaded and per my math I'd be maxing out at bit over 40km/h which is more than I need for my stress relief / non competitive bikepacking rides.
BTW my sutra LTD and it's a 10-42. I believe the ultd is 11-42
On a 26 inch or 700C wheel I think this gearing would be fine, however I believe the ULTD is on 29 inch wheels so the gearing is effectively higher - each turn of that 42 tooth cog takes you ~ 10% further than a 26 inch wheel.
Do you have any thoughts on using the base sutra as an all-rounder for road and double track?
awesome bike!!! its that a bad religion shirt you have on Darin rock on!!!!!
Very nice bike!
Such a great looking bike! Can’t wait to see you riding it into new adventures!
Agree those tyres look more mtb than road, I’ve got some WTB Venture TCS 650b x 47 tyres that seem to have a good balance for off road and road :) I have heard the WTB Raddlers are great for gravel bikes, but they don’t do it in a 650b, but they’d fit your 29ers! :)
Thanks Emma, us too! Ha we were just looking at the Raddlers! Thinking a set of 45 or 47 tires would be nice to have for it
Could change to a garbaruk mod to get 50t cassette with the stock chainring. Also if you want stronger brakes Hope RX4 caliper works with the sram brifters.
you tink for 167 cm 50 size frame is be fine ?
Have a Salsa Fargo with a 32 chain ring. Small is good!
We ordered a 32 oval!
Beautiful bike I want one!
Yea, we fight over it haha
Slippy down slopes❤️ Do not change!
Nice review! 👍
Hi, Great review. Thanks.
I'm after a drop bar gravel type bike for on and off road but would like to run traditional front and rear panniers and bar bag. Was looking at the various Sutras and also the fargo. Do you think that would work with the Ltd or ultd?
Thanks😊🖒
If you want to go traditional setup I would get either the LTD or the regular Sutra! (the latter comes with fenders and a rack and a wider gear range too. And since it's the same exact frame as the LTD you can always change it later to be a more svelte setup)
What size of your bike.?
This bike seems so awesome.I’m a nerd so I’ll put a rear rack on mine
Whats your largest rear cog?
Love ya content girls. What ya think ist the best way to put a sleeping back on ya gravel bike? Which products you can recommend?
Greetings from Germany.
Why is a picture of a TV on the box?
How is the ability to mount a racks (front / back) for touring? PS. Nice video 😁👍
Yes you can do! We’re going to try it out so will report back!
I've got a 32t on my 12sp Trek. I want a 36t... Actually spend more time on my Opus Zermatt
What happened to the Trek 520? Do you prefer the ULTD?
Really a much different bike. We still have it and have been cruising around town pulling the Burly trailer with it! ULTD better for bikepacking tho
Good VIDEO ALWAYS
Thanks mate!
Keep the chainring and go e thirteen 9-46 on the back. No need to change derailleur either.
This channel rules
🤘🤘🤘
What do u think abt the women’s Liv Giant ? I just got one About a month ago 😁
Liv makes great bikes. What did you get? What matters most is how it fits/feels for YOU!
@@radbikeadventure I got the Women’s Giant Liv 4 and I have one sticker so far, and it’s the pride sticker that I got from RBA!!🤩👏 I’m gonna be placing another order soon! I rode my 20mls today and played your videos the whole hr and a half! I’m 50yrs old and You both inspire me to get out every day for stress and depression. Thank you so much. ❤️
How much did it weigh as it came out of box?
We didn't weigh it but i've seen it listed as 28lbs for larger size
I have not wanted a Kona so badly since the first 29er Unit 10 years ago... and that paint...
Good video, really enjoyed it. Love NBD! I agree about the gearing. I have the same NX crank and I change it to a 30T as needed . I also can changed out the 11-42 cassette to a 11-46 and didn’t have to change the rear derailleur cage, although I have an APEX groupset. It does however require a longer chain than the standard issue 114 links....I’m gonna copy where you put the light as I’ve run out of room on my my bars too.
Thanks for the tips Joe! Yea we were thinking of changing the cassette too. We’ll see if the chain ring is enough. Enjoy the sweet riiiide!
@@radbikeadventure How did you mount the light to the fork?
Guys, which bolt on light bracket do you use on the fork there ?
It’s the Origin 8 one
ULTD or LTD?
Decisions decisions. Depends on how you plan to use it. both great bikes
Nice!
Been on a long ride yet?
Awesome!
It's only on screen for about three frames but I spotted the bass at 0:17 :D
Tell us about your bass!
It’s a G&L, beautiful color and I’m so-so at playing it 😆
@@radbikeadventure nice
What size is that ULTD ?
50cm
Is it a Small or XS?
Size 50cm 👍(smallest size in the ULTD is a 48 and largest is a 58)
lol I only knew it was a ,matter of time before you got upgraded from the trek for a decent thing of beauty! lol
Me again...,if u do use a 32?...,use a Wolf Tooth 32,(chains don't fly off those chainrings if u don't want to use a top mounted chain guide....😊🚴☕
I think folks have said it’s better with the oval? We shall see