ben.ellenson

Does anyone have any sizing suggestions on the 2019 Rove ST for me at 6'0" on a good day? Having a hard time deciding between the 54 or 56.

pbass

I'm often between sizes too (in everything from bikes to clothes) and I tested both a 50 and a 52. They both felt good, but I sized down, largely because my last two bikes I sized up and never got things quite right--was always just a little too stretched out, etc. FWIW I'm very happy I went with the smaller size with the Rove. Admittedly I ride mine more often like a mountain bike than a road bike, so I like the tighter cockpit and handing of the smaller size.

Cyclist0108

Sunlight vs. artificial studio lighting?

Cyclist0108

I just went through the sizing and Kona's 52 looks like the Domane 54.

I would buy the Reynolds 853 Butted Cromoly LTD frame and build that thing up myself, if I were to rob a bank or win the lottery.

dromond56

Has anyone run wider tires than the stock 47mm ones and had sufficient clearance? Also, does anyone know the stock weight of this bike?

Mountmoriyya

Not sure about wider tires on the 650, I aswell am trying to figure how wide I can go with 700c kn the frame.

I'm 6' 3" and have the 2019 rove st with 58mm frame weights in at 26.3 lb.

gus6464

Does anyone know if the Rove ST 2019 frame can do 700c? I am thinking of selling my stigmata frame as I barely ride it because I got bit by the XC MTB bug and have been riding and racing the crap out of my Hei Hei. Thinking I could sell my Stig frame and buy the Rove ST and recoup some funds.

Basically wanting to run it in 2 configs:

700x32 GP5000s for road only
650x47 Sendero/Venture for gravel rides

Mountmoriyya

Yes the 2019 Kona Rove ST will fit 700c.
The wides you can go in the rear is 700x43mm.
In the front there's plenty room for more tire.
Your configuration should work.

gus6464

Ahh ok cool. Thinking 700x32 shouldn't jack with the bb height too much since 650x47 circumference is almost equal to 700x32.

So what exactly is the difference between the rove and sutra st frames? They look identical.

Mountmoriyya

Complete correction, got my note mixed up re-read.
Kona uses a thicker cromoly steel tube for the Sutra and Rove ST. This includes the forks. (P2)
The rear frame on the Sutra is opened up for wider tire clearance.
The BB channel diameter is larger on the sutra frame.
All in all the Sutra frame is a tad less in length/height compared to the Rove ST I would think for a more demanding and responsive ride quality.
Keep in mind these are millimeters of difference in measurements.

gus6464

Just got back from the shop and I must say the paint job on the sutra st frame is absolutely gorgeous. The rove and sutra look identical side by side honestly. Other than the extra bosses on the fork of the sutra I couldn't tell a difference. Paint job is way cooler on the sutra though.

jwalther

I ride 700x38 in addition to my 650s.

gus6464

Welp I talked to Kona. The main difference between the Rove and Sutra is:

Max single chainring on the Sutra is 38T.

Other than that the Sutra can take a much bigger tire of course. Not sure I want to limit myself to 38T max so decided on the Rove but then they said the Rove is out of stock for the year. No new Rove frames until 2020 version is out late fall

pbass

Nice. My Rove ST has Ventures on it, but I could see having a second wheelset with more road-oriented tires for sure. I love the 650B size--I ride mostly off-road--but I just took my 700c bike out recently and was reminded of how nice that is on the road.

gus6464

So does anyone have a lead on a 2019 Rove ST frame in size 56? LBS verified Kona is completely out.

Mountmoriyya

Joe-bike.com

Tennessee valley bicycles

These two places have some Rove ST's in that size.

gus6464

Welp lbs was able to source me one somehow. Will be here next week.

pbass

Did you order just the frame or the whole enchilada?

gus6464

Just the frame. I am transferring all the parts from my other gravel bike which is rival 1. Hopefully I can use my post mount rival hrd caliper on the rear with the adapter. Not sure if the Rove is one of those frames where the flat mount holes are way too close to the chainstay triangle.

pbass

Here's a pic of mine if that's helpful.

gus6464

Ohh that's plenty of clearance, thanks for the pic. On my old Slate the flat mount holes were right up on the chainstay triangle so you were screwed trying to use the post mount adapter. I dig that Kona includes threaded thru bolts for the axle vs the quick release thru axle.

gus6464

Came in today. The color looks so awesome with a glittery finish on it. Paint shouldn't be this nice on a $600 frame. I will weigh the frame once I take it fully out of the box when it's ready to be built. Still have to order a headset and bottom bracket. Thinking I will go with Hope seatclamp, bb, and headset in orange to kinda match the gold lettering.

I also have to decide what tires combos to go with. Have 2 sets of 650b wheels and a 700c set for this bike.

All-in 650b
Road - Horizon f/r
Gravel - Sendero f/Venture r

650b/700c
Road - GP5000 700x32c
Gravel - Sendero f/Venture r




Every manufacturer should do this and it baffles me why they don't. Kona gives you all the info you need for parts. My Hei Hei which you can see in the background even gives you the bearing sizes for the pivots.

gus6464

Got my dt swiss 12x100 endcaps so got to test fork clearance.

Thunder Burt 650x2.1. As you can see gobs of clearance. I'm thinking a 2.25 can also fit no problem.

pbass

Those 'Burts look cool - never saw them up-close before. The wide-spaced tread is interesting.

gus6464

They are a great gravel tire. Rolling resistance is not bad and it gets good grip and you can run some pretty low PSI. I'm intrigued now if they will fit in the rear as well. I'll fit the tire on the rear wheel tomorrow and check. I'm thinking a racing Ralph 650x2.0 might fit in the rear.

I can weigh the frame and fork tomorrow. Frame has a wheels mfg bsa 30 bb which is now coming out because my stupid sram rival bb30 crank's spindle is 3mm too short. Trying to find a cheap gxp rival or force crank now. I could just go Shimano but I have a spendy wolftooth direct mount chainring I don't wanna waste.