gus6464

Finally finished her up and she's a ripper. For reference the tires are 650x2.1. The rear one fit with room to spare. Have another wheelset I'm going to use for slicks. Haven't decided on which slicks yet.

mstateglfr 

Dang that's a lot of rubber! Looks really cool. It's basically the ideal setup for all the singletrack around me that is twisty and river bottom forest.

Why 2 different tires?...tread pattern or what you had on hand?

gus6464

Tread pattern. Decided to try it out mtb style where you want a knobbier tire in the front for grip. The pattern itself is quite similar between the thunder Burt and racing Ralph but the Ralph's just have slightly bigger knobs.

wheelsmcgee

Looks great, love the coordinated headset and seatpost clamps. I have been thinking about buying or doing a build with this years Rove ST, purple frame with gold logo is a nice look. Chris King makes a headset finish called Matte Bourbon that looks like a near perfect match to the Kona gold lettering.

shelbyfv

Looks great but deserves a nicer background

smurfy

Great-looking build and that's what want my bike build to turn out like. I'm doing the gold accents, too, since I'm getting tired of all black stuff all the time.

Marcus_Ti

How does it handle? Have family thinking of getting a Rove ST.

gus6464

Not bad at all. My last gravel bike was carbon so it's less peppy that that but mostly because it's also 4lbs heavier. It's definitely more stable though. Also the bike runs big as the 56cm had numbers closer to my old bike which was a 58cm. Can't complain about the steel fork either, it just soaks up the bumps. After one ride I can't see the steel holding me back in any way.

The build went smoothly and I like that it comes with bolt axles vs the qr ones. Also it can take quite a bit of different size tires. I have a 700c wheelset with 700x40c maxxis ramblers on them and I was very surprised that it fit no problem with more than enough room for mud shedding in the rear. Kona is very conservative with the tire size it lists as compatible.

Oh and also the rear is flat to post mount adapter compatible which is not the norm. A lot of flat mount frames don't have the clearance.

pbass

Wow--looks great! I LOVE my Rove ST, most comfy bike I've ever had. Running WTB Ventures on it now with no complaints, but your tire selection has me thinking . . .

thehammerdog

dude you got the humvee of bikes.
where Do you ride.

MoreLowGears

Sick! What year is this bike? The 2019 model, and my 2018 Rove DL (quick release so it's a slightly different geo) both only claim clearance for 650x47 tires. I wonder if I could get away with doing this on mine.

What's the internal width of your rims?
How much clearance do the tires have?

tdilf

Wait don't put it out with the trash…

gus6464

Wheels are 20mm internal. Side clearance is 5-8mm and front yoke clearance is a boatload. Similar to my Kona XC mtb I would say. I'll take a pic.

Kona is very conservative with tire clearance. The Sutra for example can take a massive 29er tire but only advertises 50mm.

The frame is 2019 model.

gus6464

I like to venture off sometimes on the same singletrack that I ride with my xc bike. You just can't beat a big supple tire on dirt.

biglmbass

What’s the max tire width when using 700c wheels?

EML86

OP,
Thanks for sharing, I’ve been searching for info on max tire size for my 2018 Rove ST and 650bx47mm was all I could come up with. I have WTB Ventures on it now and love them but my longing for bigger rubber had me wondering if I could fit more (rear end was my concern) I’ve been trying to track down WTBs Ranger 27.5x2.0 but they are sold out.
Your post gave me the confidence to go with the thunder burts even at 2.1.
I have Mason X Hunt 650b wheels with 25mm internal. Hoping the extra rubber fits.

I’ll throw up some photos when they arrive next week.

Toadmeister

Got my wife the 2020 purple model, she loves it. Most comfortable bike she’s ridden.

82Aircooled

Hey EML86, I’m looking at doing the the same setup With a 2018 Rove ST. Haw did the 2.1’s work out on the back?

aggiegrads

The Thunder Burt is a great tire. I have them front and rear on my rig and they roll surprisingly well on pavement, especially tubeless.

82Aircooled

Is there enough room in the back for mud? Do you have a photo to share?

gus6464

Based on the tbs I had there is gobs of room for mud in the front of the yolk but not the side.

My Kona Hei Hei XC bike is very similar in that regard. Chainstay room on the side of the tire is not very much but in front of it there's tons. I actually don't think that room on the side is very important when it comes to mud because both my XC and Enduro MTB don't have much.

aggiegrads

I have the Thunder Burt, but I don’t have a Rove. Just commenting on the tire choice.

EML86

It works but it’s tight!
i have about 2.5-3mm of clearance on each side.
Thunder Burt measures 2.08in on a 25mm internal rim.

I love the set up however I’ll probably look for a 2.0in / 50mm when these wear out just for some more piece of mind.

the bike really can rail the corners and I ride it like a Mtb on gravel, dirt, single track you name it! I do get a slight “buzz” when cornering hard on dirt where the tire makes contact with the chainstay. I’m not gonna lose sleep over it for now but it’s why I’ll likely try dropping to a true 2in tire.

Anything out there that people like?! WTB ranger 2.0 looks sweet but they’re on backorder still.

I’ve tried Posting photos but I don’t have enough posts yet (10needed).
Any work around on that?

82Aircooled

I'm also looking at the Vittoria Barzo in a 2.1, thanks for the input, I cant wait for the wheel set to get in now.

the_dpg

Hi all... How are 650b x 2.1’s working on the Roves? Sounds like a few people were trying them out.

gus6464 - are they going ok?

I’m looking at putting 27.5 2.1 Kahva’s on my son’s Rove ST for winter. Measuring them, looks like the front will be fine, but probably tight between the chainstays.