Unagidon

I have one on order, but it's been about 2 months now, and still waiting for the frameset. In pictures, it looks awesome for the price. Just curious whether anybody has seen one in real life or even test ridden one. Thanks!

exime

It's on my short list but I haven't ridden it. I wouldn't be able to test ride it since nobody stocks it.

2 months? And you only bought a frameset? That sounds kind of crazy. Wasn't feeling the stock build?

Inpd

Kona has a great test ride program in principal. see KONA BIKES | RIDE A KONA | DEMO BIKES USA for shops and call them up to see if they have the roadhouse.

The problem is that some of the LBSs are not so nice to deal with.

Rikkenback

I have an Kona Roadhouse, size 58. Bought one early november. Riding it before the winter complety messed things up here. Waiting now to bring it back on the roads again.

To me it´s a very nice, affordable steel road bike, to ride anywhere. It´s a bit on the heavy side, slighty over 10 kilos as a comlplete bike w/o pedals. But I´m not sure you can expect anything else at this price.

Frame is at about +2400 gram, and fork at -600 gram.

Comfortable and responsive. I´m very happy with it, suits me perfect for my riding.

dr_lha

What do you mean by this? That the frame including the fork is 2400g? If 2400g is the weight of the frame without fork that's pretty stout.

exime

All I know is that the entire bike is 21.91 lbs

Rikkenback

Kona Roadhouse (Modelljahr 2016) bei roadbike.de
Only the frame is w/o fork is 2400 gr. And the fork only about 550. Together ca 3 kilos.Up is an test in german with the measuremts. I have not weighted the fork and frame myself. I have weighted the complete bike and that is correct with the 10,2 kilos, I got 10,3 on mine, so I dont doubt that those for frame and fork are correct.


However even if a bit heavy, great bike

rpenmanparker 

That's crazy. My 1990 531 frame only weighs about 2,150 in a big size 54 (center-to-center so it is really nearly a 55.5 measured as center-to-top the way most folks do these days). I have a 370 g carbon fork on it now so the total comes out to only about 2,520. I actually consider my frame to be heavy since the BB shell is Cinelli investment cast and fairly substantial and the stays aren't so svelte.

The Kona is supposed to have 853 tubes and a carbon fork. Even if yours is bulked up for discs, it should weigh 2 whole pounds less than you are quoting. Are you sure of your numbers?

Rikkenback

The 58cm complete at 10,3 kilos weight is for sure. The frame and fork I am not sure, those are from Kona Roadhouse (Modelljahr 2016) bei roadbike.de

rpenmanparker 

You can get a Ritchey Logic that weighs much less (2 lb less for the frame and fork) for a good price from Adrenaline. No discs however.

exime

yes his numbers are correct. 22 lbs without pedals.

Unagidon

I had parts from another bike, so I just wanted the frameset. Hoping my wheels (Stan's Grail Team) will help lighten up the bike a bit.

MWF78RIDER

Do you have a due date for the frame? I'd really appreciate hearing your impressions after you have ridden it a bit as I'm considering getting one. Also would like to hear all of the components you use and the final all-up weight. Thanks!

exime

Good news. Road.cc is going to be doing a full review! They already have the bike in for testing.

Just in: Kona Roadhouse, £1,699 Reynolds 853 disc-equipped bike arrives for testing | road.cc

They've already featured it in a "Top 15 steel bikes" so I think they really like it.

MWF78RIDER

[QUOTE=exime;18530339]Good news. Road.cc is going to be doing a full review! They already have the bike in for testing.

I saw that and will be looking for it. Hope it comes soon. Thanks for the heads-up.

Unagidon

So frame is in. Only thing I'm waiting for are my front brakes. Post mount hydraulics' don't fit and I had to get the flat mount ones - BR-RS805. Have the rear, waiting for the front that's supposed to arrive on Monday Feb. 15. So if everything goes well, I should be able to pick up the bike Monday afternoon.
Parts list:

Bars - 3T Ergo Nova
Stem - 3T 70mm
Headset - Cane Creek 40
FD - Ultegra 6800 braze on
RD - Ultegra 6800 GS
Brakes - BR RS805
Crank - Sugino ox801d compact plus with 46 / 30 chain rings
Wheelset - No Tubes Stans Grail
Tires - Schwalbe Super Swan 35mm (just fits, according to bike shop)
Seat post - Thomsen Elite 27.2 setback
Seat clamp - Thomsen 29.8mm
Rotors - TBD 140mm, 6-Bolt
Saddle - Charge Spoon
Bar wrap - Fizik
Pedals - Shimano SPD PD M540

I'll take pictures and weigh the bike when I receive it.

MWF78RIDER

The finished bike should be outstanding. Looking forward to pictures and a ride report!

GeoKrpan

Good looking bike, very appealing to me.

Unagidon

Took my bike out for it's maiden voyage today. Only 6.5 miles of mixed pavement since I took it out after my Saturday morning road ride.

My main purpose for the bike - to replace two bikes. I had a late 90's Ritchey Road Logic and a 2006 Litespeed Blue Ridge that I rode for a number of years as my gravel bike. Last year, I purchased a 2014 Giant TCX Advanced, thinking to use it as my main gravel bike. With a proprietary seat tube that had too much set-back, I simply couldn't get it to fit me properly. And I wanted something with a lower bottom bracket for a more stable feel.

So...first impressions: on pavement, the bike felt awesome. A very stable, yet responsive geometry. The bike is not light (21.6lbs with pedals and no bar tape) but it didn't feel sluggish. I'm glad I built it with my own wheels (Stan's Grail Team - around 1630g I think) because I'm sure stock wheels would really drag it down.

On gravel, the bike felt more stable than the Giant and definitely stiffer than I expected for a steel bike. I first started with 55psi tire pressure in the back and 50psi in the front (I weigh 163lb) and after my bottle fell out while going down a gravel hill, I released some air. My guess, pressure of around 45psi back and 40psi front. Felt much better at that pressure.

With 35mm tire, it barely fits. Fine to ride gravel on dry roads, but definitely no enough room is there is mud. So a 32mm tire is probably as wide as it can take for all conditions. At the bike shop, I tried putting on 650b wheels with 40mm tires to see fit. Lots of room in the back I stupidly didn't try out the front. Keep in mind, 650b tires with 42mm will have a total diameter equivalent to 700c with 23mm tires. So a few mm on gravel probably wouldn't be a bad thing anyway with 40mm tires.

If you buy this bike, keep the following in mind:

• Only flat mount disc brakes will fit the frame. I bought the Shimano RS685 shifter / brake kit from Competitive Cyclist last thanks giving and the back brakes didn't fit into the rear triangle. Maybe on a larger frame it might, but definitely not on a 49cm. So I ended up being a pair of the flat mount BR-805's.
• Tires - again, my 35mm just fits. There's actually more room in the rear than in the front. The 35mm is a pretty tight squeeze into the fork with maybe 2mm room left on each side.
• Front derailleur is a braze on. I assumed 28.6 clamp given it's steel, and I was wrong.
• Hydraulic shift levers have a longer reach than regular shifters - at least 1cm longer. So keep this in mind as you're selecting stem and bars. Because of this, I had to purchase shorter reach bars so I haven't put on any bar tape yet - should arrive next Wednesday.

My opinion, for the money, it's a pretty impressive frame. The paint looks better in person than in pictures. The welds are pretty tight, and I really like the thru-axle front & rear. Maybe I should get a set of light carbon wheels and mount some 25mm road tires on for a faster road ride.

Anyway, here's a pic. Like many crazy cycling fanatics, I'm sure I'll love it for at least a year.

MWF78RIDER

[QUOTE=Unagidon;18569845]Took my bike out for it's maiden voyage today. Only 6.5 miles of mixed pavement since I took it out after my Saturday morning road ride.





That is a SWEET looking bike! I'm drooling.

Thanks for the pic and for sharing at length your first ride impressions plus information about wheels and tire sizes, pressures and disc brake fit. Very kind of you.

I'll keep checking back in for more news. Happy riding.

exime

Road.cc review is up: Review: Kona Roadhouse | road.cc

kmv2

sorry to bump, but what brand/model thru axles did you get for it? Got a frame and fork and that's something I'll need to get, I know its 142x12 and 15x100 but also aware that aside from that there appears to be no standard for thread, etc.

Unagidon

The frame comes with Maxle thru-axles, both front and back. So no need to spend the money!

kmv2

Not from Kona.
Maybe your shop threw in the t/a's?
Received the frame in box, comes w/frame and fork only.

Roadrat71

I have 56cm roadhouse, which i got back February. I have had more expensive bikes in the past, but find this bike very sure footed on fast decents. The thru axles do make a difference & it's a fun bike to ride. I will get another custom set wheels for summer use & the originals for the winter. But i can recommend this bike for anyone thinking of buy one.