KONA 2017: Adventures Off the Beaten Path

The New 2017 Line Features Retooled Kona Sutra LTD and Roadhouse Bikes

Last year we traveled to Bellingham, WA to visit Kona’s American headquarters where we sampled the trails, gravel, pavement and shot hoops in the warehouse. This year we ventured due north from Bellingham to Vancouver and the outdoor mecca of Squamish, BC to see what Kona has in store for 2017. As first time visitors to an area we had heard so much about we were excited to see if Squamish lived up to its hype.

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The setting and surrounding of Squamish is pretty breathtaking with its dramatic contrast of sea, thick forest, exposed granite faces, and fjords, all begging visitors to venture off the beaten path. For those that do, they will be met with over 600 different mountain bike trails, one of the largest networks in the world.

Although we weren’t there specifically to ride mountain bikes the industry’s shift to adventure style road bikes and of course Kona’s flare for adventure left us a few good options for getting dusty.

Our two favorite products products for 2017 were the re-tooled Roadhouse and the do-it-all Sutra LTD.

Roadhouse

For 2017 the Roadhouse has a bolstered component package, new finish and cleaned up tooling around the rear stays. The Roadhouse now comes with a complete Shimano Ultegra build, Shimano RS805 flat mount Hydraulic disc brakes and is spec’d with Mavic Ksyrium Elite Disc wheels, which are a big step up from last year’s spec.

The Roadhouse also comes equipped with front and rear 12mm E-Thru axles further solidifying this is the new standard for road disc. Probably the most identifying feature of the Roadhouse is the paint and fillet brazing finish which accents each weld, giving the Roadhouse a unique, classic look that pairs well with its Reynolds 853 steel underbody. The price point also gets a sizable bump this year to $3,800. If the full Roadhouse is too rich for you blood Kona offers a frame set option for $1,400 or check out the Wheelhouse. The Wheelhouse is built on the exact same frame set with a different group and is conservatively priced at $1,600.

Sutra LTD

The Sutra LTD screams Kona more than any other bike in the line and is built to handle everything your two wheel imagination can throw at it. The LTD easily stands out with its bright Kona Orange paint scheme, flared drop bars, fully hydraulic disc brakes and big balloon tires. Our two wheeled dreams are set on a bike packing adventure with the Sutra or Sutra LTD so keep an eye out for a full review down the road. This year’s Sutra LTD will MSRP for $2,000 and comes with WTB Frequency Team i23 TCS wheels, WTB Riddler TCS 700x45c tires, a SRAM Rival drivetrain and RaceFace Aeffect cranks.

Both the Roadhouse and Sutra LTD should be available now at your local Kona dealer. Pick one up and head due north for some adventure!

More: konaworld.com