• Another day, another bike, another pupdate.

    This is my XL Kona Dew SE that i bought last year second hand, at a too good to refuse price. I didn't need this bike, nor did i actively search for it, but it was close to home and my curiosity let me stumble into it.

    Right now i think this is the best bang-for-the-bucks bike you can buy today, if you're fine with the tall headtube aesthetic and the weird (in almost any way) geometry.

    My plan for this bike is to keep it as simple as it can be, since pretty everything on there is bombproof and almost maintenance free. In that regard, i'm planning to change some key components, on which i would like to hear some suggestions:

    • Tyres: being the bottom bracket comically low, i often find myself striking the pedals even in the slightest lean angles. I figured out the cheapest way to improve it is swapping to shorter cranks and bigger tyres. I tried to fit some chonky 2.5 tyres, but they were rubbing on the upper chainstays. I reckon the sweet spot would be around 2.25/2.3", from the stock 1.9". Another option is try to get acquainted with the low bb and put on some Honjo fenders from the spare bin, keeping the 650bx47 tyres that are now on.

    • Shifters: keeping the "simpleness" theme going on, right now the bike is set up with a pair of Shimano 9 speed shifters. Nothing wrong with them, but since it's not a competitive bike and i just happened to buy two Sachs thumb shifters for 8 euros, i wonder how would it be to put them on instead. This might sound as a downgrade for some, but the peace of mind of not having to adjust them anymore and the general vibe are something that i can't keep out of my head.

    • Bars: having already replaced the nonsense stock bars (almost without upsweep and backsweep), i managed to buy a pair of Ritchey Kyiote bars. They're fine, but i would like to stay a little bit more upright and keep the same backsweep. Having a 35mm stem already, i wonder what could be better betweend a Jones H-bar or something more classic like a Nitto Bosco. The former might be more inline with the bike in general, color and usage wise, but how could i ever say no to Nitto? I might get a "fake" Jones bar to try from a friend, but until then i'm still undecided.

    • Chainset: since that 48 teeth chainring is not gonna be used soon, i wonder if it would make sense to swap for a double crankset (this would be easily facilitated by the thumb shifters mentioned above). The only thing stopping me from this is "if it works, why bother?"

    There we are, open to suggestions!

  • That's the vibe i'm after! I always (wrongly) considered Ergotec a brand to "be content of", but they really do have something for everyone's needs! I'll probably order a pair of these in the coming weeks.

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