Kona Ute

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

For anyone interested in using their bike for commuting and shopping, this looks like a pretty cool new utility bike from Kona:
http://www.konaworld.com/08_ute_w.htm

Wish I didn't live at the top of a killer hill- no way I could pull 30 lbs of groceries up it on that Kona. :o
But if you live in an area with only moderate hills, it would be very useful I would think! Leave the damned car home! :)

[Trek420]

if you live in an area with only moderate hills, it would be very useful I would think! Leave the damned car home! :)

Uh oh, Kona, xtracycle built in....Knott will just plotz :rolleyes: :cool: ;)

[Geonz]

Don't assume that it will handle like a regular bike regarding hauling loads :D On the Xtracycle - I think you'd have to set up the Ute carefully to mimic it - the load is low and next to the wheels and this makes it **much** easier to get moving. It would be worth trying ;)

[onimity]

Doesn't that look like a *cool* bike? If I had room for another bike, that would be it. Maybe I'll sell my car. :) I'd bet it's actually pretty easy to haul 30 lbs on... maybe you can test ride one, Lisa. :)

Anne

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Doesn't that look like a *cool* bike? If I had room for another bike, that would be it. Maybe I'll sell my car. :) I'd bet it's actually pretty easy to haul 30 lbs on... maybe you can test ride one, Lisa. :)

Anne

It'd be totally easy for me to haul 30 pounds around town on that bike on moderate rolling terrain. But no way could I get 30 pounds of stuff up my hill and home with that bike and those gears. I can barely get my "body groceries" up that hill even with my super low gear bike. :rolleyes:
But yes I'd be happy to test ride one if you send it to me! :p :p

I love seeing bikes like this being made now. You know what it means? It means that people are starting to use their bikes more for every day living, errands and REAL transportation, rather than just for weekend hobby riding.
Every bike like this that gets used is one less nasty car on the road.

I love it! I also think it's a lovely looking bike. Good for Kona to make a people's bike for real world living. :D
Bikes love to work for us. :)

[7rider]

[QUOTE=Lisa S.H.;264445]It'd be totally easy for me to haul 30 pounds around town on that bike on moderate rolling terrain. But no way could I get 30 pounds of stuff up my hill and home with that bike and those gears. I can barely get my "body groceries" up that hill even with my super low gear bike. :rolleyes:
[QUOTE]

Good heavens, LisaSH....that Kona has a 26:32 low gear (~22 gear inches). What on earth is YOUR low gear on your Ramboullet that makes it easier to get up your hill vs. this (or are you just remarking on the weight of the bike)??? :confused:

That said...someone at the LBS was talking about this bike, I think, on Sunday. He was commenting on a bike with an extra long back end, and I mentioned the Xtracycle that I've seen here (on TE), but he said "No." it was something different. I guess that something was this Kona. Neat.

[emily_in_nc]

Yes, you would be surprised what you can haul with a low-enough gear. Think loaded touring! I have pedaled in rolling hills with thirty pounds of groceries or gear in panniers (including the weight of two racks and four panniers), in my granny gear, and I'm tiny and not particularly strong. I have a 19" granny gear on my Bike Friday -- thank heavens! When we did a self-supported tour in upstate NY, there were some very steep climbs around the Finger Lakes. I walked a couple of the steepest ones, it's true, but not many, and only late in in a 60+ mile day.

The key is -- let your DH carry the heaviest stuff, be it groceries, tools (on a tour), etc.! :D ;) :o :p

Emily

P.S. That's a VERY cool bike!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Good heavens, LisaSH....that Kona has a 26:32 low gear (~22 gear inches). What on earth is YOUR low gear on your Ramboullet that makes it easier to get up your hill vs. this (or are you just remarking on the weight of the bike)??? :confused:

Well, I'll try to explain.
The reason I am not currently able to use this Kona to haul 30 pounds of groceries up my hill and home:
My rambouillet has a 24:34 low gear (19 gear inches) which I need to climb my home hill (and some other big hills around here) with. It is quite hilly where we live, and we were able to outfit my Ramb with the gears that enable me to ride through this beautiful countryside alongside my husband. We love to ride together. I regularly attempt to get up this particular hill in my next-to-lowest gear (which would be a gear fairly similar to the lowest Kona gear), and I have not been able to as yet.
I'm 53 and until 2 years ago never exercised a day in my life. I have ridden 3300 miles so far this year, and I see myself slowly getting stronger each month. I am confident that within another year or two of steady riding and hills I will be able to get up that hill and others just like it without resorting to my lowest gear...but I'm not there just yet. I use my lowest gear on a daily basis, -but never when I don't feel I really need it to make a climb. There are some big hills that I do indeed climb using a higher gear than I did a few months ago...but not that hill yet.
If you threw 30 pounds of cargo on my Rambouillet I doubt I could make it up my hill at all at this point in time, and that's in a lower gear than the Kona has. I'd go from a 2.5 mph climb to going backwards. :eek: I'm working as hard as I can, Regina! :o

[7rider]

Oh, no....Lisa!!! Please don't think I was questioning (or God forbid, slamming) your bike riding or questioning your gear choices! :eek: I've been reading about your riding for the past year and a half or so, and have been amazed and very impressed! I'm just used to a standard triple at 53/42/32, so to see a bike with a 26 (or a 24!) is ... well... it's "wow."
It's just my ignorance showing. Sorry!

[sandra]

May I show MY IGNORANCE? I don't even understand 26:32 or 24:34 or (19 gear inches). What does that mean? How do you know this stuff? Do they tell you when you buy your bike? Can I look at my bike and know?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Oh, no....Lisa!!! Please don't think I was questioning (or God forbid, slamming) your bike riding or questioning your gear choices! :eek: I've been reading about your riding for the past year and a half or so, and have been amazed and very impressed! I'm just used to a standard triple at 53/42/32, so to see a bike with a 26 (or a 24!) is ... well... it's "wow."
It's just my ignorance showing. Sorry!

Oh, no, i was not taking your post in a bad way- don't worry! :p
Most people are amazed at just how low a gearing I have on my bike, and I am used to people wondering why I would need that. ;) They are equally amazed (or maybe appalled) when they find out my average ride speeds. They don't quite get why I'd choose such gears. I take it all in good humor because I know if they were me and in my situation they would understand better and possibly do likewise. ;)
I know you meant nothing at all bad. :) :) But it was very sweet of you to post such a reassurance to make sure i wasn't hurt or upset.
I LIKE talking about all this gear stuff, which I am only beginning to understand now myself! It's a happy learning journey for me which I hope will continue until I die.
I have come to the conclusion that many cyclists I communicate with are younger than me, live in flatter areas, and have been riding years longer than me or have done other sports all their lives. That's OK! I can then be someone that brand new or older riders can be inspired by! :p
It's all so good, and all the women here are so wonderful- including YOU! :D

I bet in a couple more years I'll be spinning groceries up my hill. ;) ....maybe on a single speed (scooter)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

May I show MY IGNORANCE? I don't even understand 26:32 or 24:34 or (19 gear inches). What does that mean? How do you know this stuff? Do they tell you when you buy your bike? Can I look at my bike and know?

Hmmm... the 24:34 means that your smallest front ring has 24 teeth and your largest back gear has 34 teeth.
When you are in your very lowest gear to go up the very steepest hill, then you'd need you chain to be on the smallest ring up front and on the largest gear in the back.
A bike with a smaller smallest front ring (like a 24 instead of a 26) can go up a steeper hill more easily (not talking the rider or muscles here, just gears). If that same bike had a bigger biggest gear in the back (like 34 teeth instead of 32) then that would add even more to the ability to spin up steep hills.
That's why a 24/34 bike would be able to go up steeper hills more easily than a 26:32.
However,to keep things in perspective, both these bikes in question have very low gears good for climbing, compared to road/racing bikes or cruisers.

[sandra]

wow. I learned something by admitting my ignorance. I had no idea! Thank you for the explanation.

[KnottedYet]

Uh oh, Kona, xtracycle built in....Knott will just plotz :rolleyes: :cool: ;)

Nope. I already knew about this one.

It isn't compatible with any of the Xtracycle components, and it only handles little baggies (though it can take two on each side). No passengers, no goodies. I would be going for the Surly Big Dummy (Xtracycle compatible) loooooong before the Kona Ute. http://www.surlybikes.com/new.html (click the Big Dummy frame pic for info, it's a little pop-up window)

Actually, before that I'd be taking an older Kona Smoke (not a 2008) and turning it into an Xtracycle.

[Tri Girl]

The Kona is a pretty bike! Although I just spent an embarrassing amount of time on the Xtracycle site and now I want one of those. Especially because you can transform your own bike to an Xtracycle without buying another bike. That makes tri girl very happy (and makes DH very happy, too :p ). I had seen you ladies with them, but didn't know anything about them- and now I want one. I'd love to go car-free (or at least down to one car for the fam), but cannot do so until I'm able to transfer to a school much closer. 4 hours of commuting a day just isn't possible right now.
Anyhow- I digress.

Thanks for posting this, and for getting me interested in yet ANOTHER bike. :rolleyes: (hee hee, I'm just kidding)

[SouthernBelle]

The 2 bags included are small, but it says it can carry 4. I'd just swap out to some big grocery panniers.

[KnottedYet]

I would love it if the Ute could use Xtracycle bags and braces and decks and expanders and footsies and blender and stoke-monkey and such. Xtracycle has developed some great cargo stuff. http://xtracycle.com/index.php

Where is that picture of SaraLou riding the Xtracycle on the passenger deck with her husband and her dog? (they picked her up at the airport, LouLou was in the basket on the handlebars)

Edit: here it is! scroll down a few posts http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=15381&highlight=footsies

And, oh, the Sacha White Vanilla longtail (Xtracycle goodie compatible) is sooooooo elegant... http://bikeportland.org/2006/10/04/vanilla-goes-long-with-new-xtracycle-frame/#more-2241 Now, *that's* the mixte I REALLY want!

[xeney]

I just found out that the Surly Big Dummy is not compatible with the PeaPod (Xtracycle child seat), so it is out of the running for me. And the Kona doesn't look quite versatile enough.

That Vanilla long-tail just became my number-one object of bike lust, though. Wow. I have never wanted a bike so much!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Nope. I already knew about this one.

It isn't compatible with any of the Xtracycle components, and it only handles little baggies (though it can take two on each side). No passengers, no goodies.

Hi Knot,
But what about the large platform along the top of the back rack on the Kona? There seems to be a piece of something there to create a flat platform deck- isn't that for loading things on top of the rack as well as in the side bags? Surely they didn't create a long flat deck there and not intend it to be used?
The Kona reminds me a bit of the higher end custom Sweet Pea Farmer's Market bike:
http://www.sweetpeabicycles.com/blog/bikes/farmers-market/
(Naturally the Sweet Pea is way more $, plus a long waiting list.)

[margo49]

These remind me of bikes we used to see in news clips from the Vietnam War. Or Red China (as it then was) when western tv was first allowed in there.
And bikes I saw in Asia when I was travelling in my misspent yoof.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Your'e right, Margo,
What's more, people in third world countries would be appalled at the kind of money we might consider spending on a bike to haul groceries home with.
On the other hand- it's less wasteful than buying a huge SUV just to haul groceries home.

[HillSlugger]

May I show MY IGNORANCE? I don't even understand 26:32 or 24:34 or (19 gear inches). What does that mean? How do you know this stuff? Do they tell you when you buy your bike? Can I look at my bike and know?

Sandra, the formula is you take the tooth number of the front chainring and divide it by the tooth number of the back cog to get the gear ratio. You can then multiple that by the diameter of your wheel in inches (generally near 27 for a 700c wheel) to get gear inches.

(24/34) x 27 = 19

I think I learned this last year from Sheldon Brown's website or some other website.

[xeney]

My husband is now pushing for a Yuba Mundo (http://yubaride.com/index.html).

[KnottedYet]

Hi Knot,
But what about the large platform along the top of the back rack on the Kona? There seems to be a piece of something there to create a flat platform deck- isn't that for loading things on top of the rack as well as in the side bags? Surely they didn't create a long flat deck there and not intend it to be used?
The Kona reminds me a bit of the higher end custom Sweet Pea Farmer's Market bike:
http://www.sweetpeabicycles.com/blog/bikes/farmers-market/
(Naturally the Sweet Pea is way more $, plus a long waiting list.)

The Xtracycle has "Footsies" that peg into the lower part of the frame so your passenger can hold themself in place (use a tandem bar for a hand hold if you need it). Since the Ute isn't compatible, you wouldn't be able to use either the wide load braces (like SarahLou is in the pic) or Footsies on the Ute.

Of course Kona intends the deck to be used! My goodness!! But they need to cough up as nice a range of accesories as Xtracycle if they want the Ute to compete! I love Kona (proud owner of a Dew and a Smoke) but I'm a little disappointed in the Ute. Nice deck, groovy. But two little bags per side or use another brand of little pannier, well.... Kona should hire me to help them design a bunch of accessories! (and give me a discount, eh? :D ) They should also hire me to tell them to make the Ute in a steel frame.

I'd turn a steel pre-2008 Smoke into an Xtracycle if I had the $$ or the need. Now I've got a trailer, so my cargo needs (for the moment!) are pretty much met.

[KnottedYet]

Oooh! That Yuba Mundo is cool! I love it that all these longtail cargo bikes are flying around!

I still yearn for a Vanilla longtail. Unfortunately, I think the trailer is gonna do it all for me. <for now! hee hee! ;) >

[xeney]

Yeah, the trailer should do it for me, too, except now that I have actually met my daughter I am pretty sure she is going to hate it! She hates strollers, carseats, cars, and pretty much anything enclosed or confining. She wants to see and she likes to be outside. I'm not crazy about baby seats in general but people who have used them say that the longtail + infant seat setup is more stable than an infant seat on a regular bike.

[KnottedYet]

I would rather have put SKnot in a babyseat on a longtail than in a babyseat on a regular bike. (especially if I could've had a step-though frame)

He got a kick out of the trailer, so there was no issue for him there.

That Sweetpea is cute, like a Long Haul Trucker with a front bracket and basket from Riv or Ant!

[no_expert]

Typically I find these forums to be a great democratic source of information . . . and I try not to read too much into them. However, I really am getting sick of people who act like experts on every subject. I have been in the bike industry for 20 years and have been involved in the design of hundreds of bikes and/or bike products. Yet, I still feel that I have a lot to learn.

These long tail bikes are of keen interest, as I have owned several Xtracycles and think that their design is backwards. Don't get me wrong, the concept and function are great, but could be dramatically improved . . . and bikes like the Ute and Yuba are a first step in the right direction.

I've learned that Kona is working on several different types of bags and load carrying options. I feel that this is the way to go . . . why would Kona design the hardgoods (frame, deck, etc) around another company's soft goods? Also, the Xtracycle bags aren't really all that special in the realm of bags. They aren't waterproof, there are no zippered pockets, mine are chewed up from getting tangled in the drive train, not easy to install/uninstall on the V rack . . . . and so on.

Also, for the Ute, you can simply add your choice aftermarket folding motorcycle pegs . . . instead of the footsies (see bikehugger.com). I think this is a more elegant solution (and less expensive), as I have ripped off 3 of the fragile wood footsies by hitting stuff coming home from the pub.

In any case these things all take time to develop and test. There are complex manufacturer sourcing issues, international economics/communications, patents, materials availability, seasonality, graphics, marketing, pricing . . . all of these things and more have to coordinate precisely to make any product come to fruition. So, you can imagine why I get frustrated and insulted when I constantly read "they should just do this or that" . . . "if they hired me".

Stroke your ego somewhere else . . . it's ruining my reading.



The Xtracycle has "Footsies" that peg into the lower part of the frame so your passenger can hold themself in place (use a tandem bar for a hand hold if you need it). Since the Ute isn't compatible, you wouldn't be able to use either the wide load braces (like SarahLou is in the pic) or Footsies on the Ute.

Of course Kona intends the deck to be used! My goodness!! But they need to cough up as nice a range of accesories as Xtracycle if they want the Ute to compete! I love Kona (proud owner of a Dew and a Smoke) but I'm a little disappointed in the Ute. Nice deck, groovy. But two little bags per side or use another brand of little pannier, well.... Kona should hire me to help them design a bunch of accessories! (and give me a discount, eh? :D ) They should also hire me to tell them to make the Ute in a steel frame.

I'd turn a steel pre-2008 Smoke into an Xtracycle if I had the $$ or the need. Now I've got a trailer, so my cargo needs (for the moment!) are pretty much met.