Senson

Martin_H

Hey!
New member from Sweden here. Was the clearance and chain rub issue the same without regard to hub/wheel? Im in the process of finding out if a frameset on "crags list" has got the same fault.
Thanks, Martin

FlimFlamvanHam

thee

I have the same problem with my red 2016 Roadhouse.


I still have valid warranty on the frame. Sent the necessary paperwork to Kona through LBS. When they came back they suggested that some wheels require a 0.5mm spacer between the hub and the dropout. The people at the LBS found this solution a bit odd. Anyway, I ordered a pair of DT SWISS ER-1600's as replacement wheels and will try them on to see what happens. If the rubbing is significant and the spacer solution is unworkable I'll get back to them. They say 0.5mm is not a problem since it falls within frame tolerances but it sounds a bit iffy to me nevertheless.


Insisting on a new frame is not a straightforward solution either since the model has long been discontinued. Potential cosmetic differences aside, some of the new kit I've since purchased may be incompatible with it.

FlimFlamvanHam

thee, the drive side seat stay is not flattened (to the inside) where it meets the drop out? It's not simply chain rub if it is not flattened: the chain will not go into smallest cog at all.

And your frame was not used prior? Just asking because seems unlikely this issue would come up now on a 6 year old frame.

Also, 0.5mm would not have solved the unflattened aspect of the seat stay problem that I experienced.

thee

It’s not flattened.
The frame has been ridden extensively since purchase. The rub has been very minor, only some paint had been peeled off. In fact I handn’t even noticed it until now. The problem became acute when the freewheel of the rear hub became worn out and as it was not possible to be serviced, the entire wheel had to be replaced. The LBS put in WH-RS370-TL only to find it the cassette was about 0.5mm further outboard compared to the old wheelset. The result was a rub while on the smallest cog. They couldn’t figure out a solution so the old wheel was put back in.
As the freehub measurements don’t comprehensive specify the cassette offset, apparently the only way to see if there’s a problem is to get a new wheel and try it.

FlimFlamvanHam

Interesting. Sounds like that 0.5mm might just do it based on what you've advised.

Personally, because I feel the Roadhouse is such a rad frameset (it being a bit of a tank aside), i'd be inclined to take it to a local steel framebuilder to flatten that seat stay aspect (since Kona cannot warranty with a like replacement) if any other solution failed.

thee

I agree. It’s a cool frame and I’m very fond of it.

thee

Just finished trying the new wheels on. The rubbing is pretty severe and not only that, when shifting from the smallest cog to the second smallest, the chain gets jammed between the seatstay and second smallest cog. The spacer will not solve the issue because there's actually more need for space above the cassette than to the side. Filing would solve the problem but the amount of filing required would penetrate the seatstay tube. I guess that could still work as I'm pretty light rider and if not some reinforcement could be welded on the other side.

FlimFlamvanHam

Yeah, frankly I have no idea how it was ever functional with any wheelset. You'd have to file out a small section of the seat stay tube there and, really, that seems like a bit of a janky fix unless you knew it would be the right fix. I'd still take it to a local frame builder and if not one close, emailing one for advice. Maybe even put up a new post in the forums here looking for a frame builder's advice. Good luck.

thee

My guess is that they used a special order hub from Joytech to circumvent the problem.

I don’t see any solution to the problem that doesn’t start with filing away the offending material, so I went ahead and did it. There is now a 3-4mm wide hole at the bottom end of the seatstay.
Next I’ll look for a skilled welder to fill in the hole.

Surprisingly, none of the bike shops I’ve talked to have any expertise or advice on welding. No one does it or know anyone that does. Frame building shops simply don’t exist in my country.

Also, once the LBS found about the filing they - as expected - said the warranty is now void.