zetty

Hello people,

would appreciate any purchasing advice as I'm finally switching from MTB to Hybrid (long overdue, I moved from rural area to city 6 years ago and have stupidly been riding MTB up till now).. What would you recommend for 25 mile commute twice per week through a busy city (London, UK)?

I've budget up to £500 and at this point have set my sights on Kona Dew and Specialized Sirrus.

Now, is it worth getting Kona Dew Plus 2013 instead Kona Dew 2013 if I have to pay £100 more? Are the difference in components worth it? These bikes seem to be heavily discounted at the moment and I have heard good things about the brand. Unfortunately I am quite ignorant when it comes to components, that's why I'm asking -- don't care much about disc brakes but I'm shifting gears a lot so smooth shifter and derailleurs might make a difference.

Regarding Specialized, I'd perhaps buy Sirrus Elite 2013 if only I wasn't allergic to white bikes.. The 2013 Disc version is black but costs £100 more and just stretches the budget too far.

How does Sirrus 2013, Sport 2013 and Sport 2014 compare to the Konas above? And aren't the Sirruses in general too "roady" for cycling on the often holed London roads and once in a while jumping on/off pavements?

I have also been told B'Twin Fit 7 to be a good option for the price, unfortunately they only have 51cm frames and with me being 190cm (6' 2.8") rider it seems to be a tad small. What is your experience with the frame sizes?

fietsbob

They're just Different Brands of bikes , both targeting the same Purpose.

Test ride Both , they both work . The shop you buy from may be the difference ,
not the logo on the frame.

the web promotes over-thinking and Pre Worrying , It seems ..

if the last years model is discounted , It saves You Money .
and having only 1 left is why they cut the price.

they do that with shoes, when only tiny and huge remain.

no1mad 

Welcome to the Forums

"Stupidly riding mtb" for 6 years in the city is hardly stupid. A lot of people put slick tires on the hardtails and have at it.

As to which bike, get the one that feels the most comfortable while riding it... and having just typed this, I went and followed your links and the decision making process has been simplified somewhat- both of the Kona's are no longer available. That B'Twin shouldn't even be considered due to the fact it is way too small for you.

zetty

Thanks for your input, guys!

You're so right about over-thinking
However I always end up with a good product when I put in some research. It's easy to get lost though, that's why I have narrowed it down to those 2 series quickly and closing in on decision.

Test rides only help as much, I am the kind of person who finds out if they like a particular product only when using it for a while. True not just for bikes but almost everything. Of course that's partially about getting used to it.. Anyway, getting test rides for these models in appropriate sizes is difficult, I have visited my LBS and they only had small frames of Sirrus, and I couldn't find a Kona dealer close to home (although surely there must be some shop stocking it in London).


I thought it's kind of stupid cause I never even switched the suspension on once, neither I see much MTBs at all.. I have been told I'll be much better off on long distances with hybrid or road bike from the start, but somehow kept on using the familiar to me MTB.

Hmm, I was already so relieved but then I went and see that Konas are still available

fietsbob

Component makers offer a year for materials defects . Frames vary from owners original Life, to a fixed number of years ,

Trek Frames is in the lifetime ... QBP , Surly /Salsa less..

service after the sale is the Dealers choices ..

dynaryder

If you're going to ride in the rain,then yes,the discs on the Plus will be worth it. Better stopping,less maintenance,no rim wear,won't care how true your wheels are*. If you're only going to ride in nice weather,then the Plus's upgraded bits will be nicer,but if money's tight,the standard Dew won't suck.

I've owned several models of the Dew family and 3 Sirrus(Sirri? Sirruses?);either will handle city riding. The Dew will take a touch wider tires,the Sirrus will lean you forward a touch more. Whichever fits you best and has the feel you like the most will be the correct choice.

No they're not,they may have the same purpose,but they don't ride the same.

* comparing the Dew's V brakes to the Plus's discs

fietsbob

OK You got a formula to describe the ride differences and Why It so?.

i lump it in with another EZ to ask question ...


ME , neither are sold where I live.. Opine away ..

dynaryder

The Sirrus had slightly quicker handling and put more weight on your wrists. The Dew's were pretty much like rigid MTB's.

I've owned both,that's why I commented and corrected you.

teicher

I have the 2013 Dew Plus and purposely chose it over the Dew. The shifters, brakes and rear derailleur on the Plus were the key upgrades for me, I much preferred the Tektro hydraulic brakes and the Shimano Deore rear derailleur.

I love this bike. It fits great, rides great, and looks great. I paid full price for mine, no regrets.

zetty

Thanks for your input, Dynarider & Teicher.

I'm set for Dew Plus at this point as it seems to be most value for money, also I think switchover from MTB will probably be smoother, I can always change to full road in a couple of years time if I feel like going there.

Question about sizing: I'm 190cm (6' 2.8") and my inside leg is 85cm (33.5"), now it looks like I'd need a 59cm (23") frame for my height, however I am worried about reach as I want to be able to maintain upright riding position, e.g. when I am exploring unknown parts of the city which I do a lot (always traveling with my bike). Do you find the Dew frames to be on the big side? Would I be right to chose one size down in my case? Or is it possible to measure optimal reach individually, and if so then how? They don't have any extra large frames at my LBS (and no Konas at all) so can't check it out like that..

Here are the sizing details of Dew Plus 2013:

teicher

The Kona Dew Plus worked for me because it was offered in 6 frame sizes (instead of the usual 4 or 5 by other manf) and the effective top tube and reach was shorter than my previous bike, a Giant. More sizes helped reduce the difference between each and with the shorter top tube I felt less stretched out on the Dew Plus than I did on many of the other brands I test rode. I could be wrong, but I think the Kona Dew's are on the smaller side.

You're gonna have to test ride one to know if it fits. For reference, I'm 5'9" with slightly longer arms and legs and I ride a 53 cm.

zetty

Yeah, as much as I gather from some further research, 59cm should be the best for me both in terms of height and reach.
Here are some interesting techniques of determining the right size illustrated: https://www.wikihow.com/Size-a-Road-Bike

Unfortunately no shop I know of carries any large-framed Kona Dew, the only option to try it out seems to be pre-ordering, and that's only 2014 model. Too much hassle, and not the best price I can get so I guess I'll just bite the bullet and order it online.. I can always return it if it's really no fit which is highly unlikely.

dynaryder

This. Dew sizing is kind of odd. My '05 and former '08 Deluxes were different sizes,but both fit me. The '05 is a bit more leaned forward,the '08 was pretty upright,but they both were still comfortable.

Wanderer

At your height, similar to mine, I think that larger would be too long, unless you want to really be stretched out, and the 56 would be too small. I think you are right in your choice of the 59.

zetty

Cheers Wanderer,

that's exactly what I ordered. Had to ask for a pricematch to get the cheapest price for the size of frame I needed and then discovered that on one site for the Kona Dew Plus 2013 shifters are listed as EZ51, and on the other as Rapidfire. Maybe that's why the first one was cheaper?

Will report back on how do I find the size and the bike itself..

zetty

So I have received Kona Dew Plus and to be honest I am somewhat disappointed.

Few of the issues:
* Front disc brake fit the wrong way
* Tyre also fit the wrong way (thread points backwards)
* Deep scratch on the seatpost that won't let it to go into frame tube
* Extremely long brake cable on the front which also makes a rigid gigantic loop which I can't get straight
* Stem is not sitting straight
* No usable instructions how to assemble it

Now, I am not big on the technical side and prefer my bike to be serviced (I wouldn't mind doing it on my own but I am really busy and don't trust I will get it right unless I devote lots of time to it). I tried my best assembling it today but just couldn't get the disc brake right on the front, the wheel turns a half of revolution and then stops. I did check online videos explaining how to assemble bike from box and adjust disc brake but it doesn't help. I don't know if it's defect or that's me.

So all in all I think quality control isn't that great. I expect to be able to assemble a bike served for the end customer easily, it shouldn't be necessary to have a mechanic do it. Having said that, I did not try it yet, maybe it's a great ride if put together nicely. But I don't know how do I fix the front wheel in place though.. Can't get it to bike shop either as don' have a car. Not decided yet but quite probably returning it.

dynaryder

First,you didn't buy this from Kona,you bought it from a distributor. Bikes are pretty much slapped together at the factories,then shipped to the bike shops which do all the setup,adjustments,and wheel tension/trueing. Kona doesn't sell direct to the consumer,so I wouldn't expect a bike purchased mail order to be ready out of the box,unless it came from a bike shop.

Can you post pics of the issues? We might then be able to help,or at least get the bike to where you can ride it to a shop. I would highly recommend having a shop go over the bike if for no other reason than to ensure the wheels have been properly tensioned.

zetty

I knew I'll have to do some assembly but didn't realized I'll get something put together this sloppily for a product at this price, especially when going to bike shop for a checkover/adjustments means another £50 here in London. I have been changing tubes on my MTB regularly, and I think I would be able to tension all right with the QR levers just all right but that's it, definitely have no skills to adjust the whole bike.

So this is pretty normal for all bike manufacturers? I have only previously been buying from bike shops, this is my first big online purchase.

I can post the pics tomorrow, thanks for the support. I'll also contact the dealer tomorrow and enquire about the return policy, just in case.

teicher

Yeah, I think that's the norm for all manf. I didn't have any such problems with my Dew Plus, I bought it from our bikeshop that sells Kona and it was in tip top shape when I picked it up. Might want to check on the warranty and see if Kona will honor if when purchased the way you did.

Having a shop assemble it would be the best route, I don't know how much the return shipping costs would be but seems like they'd be expensive.

badger1

Given the information you've (OP) have provided, there's no way anyone here can provide constructive comment.

First, it's clear you've bought from some kind of online re-seller. Any 'quality control' issues are theirs, not Kona's.

Second, if this online re-seller is not some kind of 'authorized' (by Kona UK) dealer, Kona has no responsibility to you whatsoever; for all we know, this re-seller may be dealing in 'grey goods' or whatever.

Third, you repeatedly admit to limited-to-no skills when it comes to bicycle assembly, yet you chose to purchase from an on-line re-seller for price reasons. That's ok, but in my opinion you 'got what you paid for', i.e. a mess -- too bad, but there it is. Part of the price of a bicycle purchased from an LBS includes the LBS's responsibility to set things up correctly; that includes checking for and rectifying any issues that originated in the factory. True, there are 'bad' LBSs, but by and large they try to do right by their customers -- that's how they stay in business.

Good luck to you in getting any redress; if this online re-seller is an authorized Kona 'dealer', then you might have some success. If not, you're s.o.l. unless the re-seller in question will volunteer to put things right or provide a refund should you return the bike to them.

zetty

Badger, you're totally right, my bad for not researching this further. Somehow I assumed all I'll have to do is to fit the front wheel and turn the handlebars really, and to my surprise I never seen any assembly warnings presented anywhere on the online stores I have been checking.

I'll give it another try tonight and if I can't fix the wheel in place I will probably return the bike at my cost as the shop seem to accept returns as long as the bike is not used on the road yet.

badger1

I agree in fact that fit the front wheel etc. is all you should have to do; unfortunately online retailing does seem hit and miss! There are some very good e-tailers out there -- you appear to have had bad luck. I hope you can get a full refund if necessary -- good luck either way.

dynaryder

Yup. That's why Bikes Direct is so cheap;they bypass the LBS and sell directly to the consumer.

That's an idea.

Some companies that sell online do go over their bikes so that you just need to put the front wheel on,but you should always ask the question first. And if it makes you feel any better,I had a client come to my bike clinic with a $3k+ Rivendell that wasn't right;the front brake wasn't set up properly,and it appeared to have too short of a derailleur hanger.

cbr9927

OP, just get your money back and try to get a 2013 Sirrus but the Limited edition only. It is the lightest hybrid from the big 4 makers for 2013 and it feels so quick on its feet that its really a joy to own and no bias in saying that. As many of you guys know I'll bought sold returned many bikes lately and I can say I will never sell the Sirrus LTD.

badger1

Ummm ... you did read the OP's original post, yes? ... a 'budget up to £500' (UK pounds) is not going to purchase anything like a '13 Sirrus Ltd in the UK, were one even available.