Melbourne by Bike Path – by David Blom
This trail shows the fantastic network of bike trails Melbourne has to offer. What David has worked out is a 600km loop path with no crossovers or up and backs and minimal on-road riding. Its pretty much all bike paths.
I got a new bike, a Kona Rove NRB DL
I managed to buy my bike for only $2,400! This might seem excessive, but it is normally $2,999! I pick it up Friday, June 15
My fifth decade on this earth is approaching and I am getting a little wide in my girth. I have a perfectly good touring bike sitting in the garage, a Bike Friday Pocket Lama:
The only problem is because it is a foldable bike, there is a weight limit for the frame. I am over that limit 🙁
I need a new bike to ride my plus size me and the Kona Rove NRB DL fits the bill.
So why this bike?
The marketing spiel for the bike starts with:
what does a modern road bike look like? If you ask us, it would be quick on the pavement but completely capable of putting in time on a variety of surfaces. Thru-axles, hydraulic brakes, and room for big tires.
SO:
Bikes with these attributes are usually aim at the gravel market. This is for cyclists who like to ride on unpaved roads or even technical single track like a mountain bike.
Bikes in this category are often used for bike packing
The bike I have purchased meets the first five categories, but instead of steel uses aluminium for the frame.
Despite the ease of putting points 6 and 7 on a bike they didn’t do this for my bike.This would be down to two factors, cost and market differentiation.
Bike designed for the bike packing scene have lots of attachments points everywhere. This is incrediably versatile, but a little ugly. An excellent example of this type of bike is the Surly Troll.
While my dream bike entails images of cycling a heavy ladden bike through a desert or mountain pass, reality is moving around quickly, comfortably in a busy city with the occassional foray into the bush.
This is best served by a Road+ bike, which is essentially a comfortable road bike with fat tyres, in my case 47mm 650B (27.5″)
One of the bikes I was considering was the Surly Midnight Special which epitomises the Road+ category. I didn’t get this bike because
On the plus side it did have mounting points on the front fork. I love their marketing spiel which is just as applicable to my Kona Rove NRB DL:
Today’s road bikes are tricky little buggers. Sure, there’s still a place for super narrow, pizza cutter-esque tires that save watts and shave grams or whatever. There’s probably still even a place for a road racing bike. Those places still exist. We just don’t know – or particularly care – where they are. When it comes to road bikes, we just want to toss a few banabikenas into our pockets and see where the road takes us. We seek out varied surfaces on our rides and frequently go from pavement to gravel to shittier pavement.
Enter: The Midnight Special – a Road Plus bike designed to provide comfort and speed on those all-day rides that extend well beyond fresh pavement. It rides like a cloud on smooth pavement. but that’s expected. Any bike can do that. Where it truly shines is on pot-holed, deteriorating pavement and the occasional long stretch of gravel. The Midnight Special’s 650b Road Plus tires eat up road chatter and absorb all the bumps in the road like the champion it was designed to be.
If you’re some masochist who is unfazed by the thought of a bumpy, chattery eight-hour road ride, you should know that the benefits of Road Plus go beyond just comfort. They also create a wider contact patch, thereby increasing your traction. And traction is a good thing. Additionally, higher volume tires allow you to better fine tune your tire pressure on varying surfaces. Let a little out on bumpier roads and pump those suckers up on smooth ones.
Want to know what bike packing is? .. have a look at bikepacking.com for lots of great photos and stories.
| FRAME MATERIAL | Kona 6061 Aluminum Butted |
| SIZE | 56 |
| REAR SHOCK | n/a |
| FORK | Kona Full Carbon Flat mount CX Race Disc |
| CRANKARMS | Shimano RS510 |
| CHAINRINGS | 34/50t |
| B/B | Shimano 68mm |
| PEDALS | n/a |
| CHAIN | KMC X11 |
| FREEWHEEL | Shimano 105 11-32t 11spd |
| CHAINGUIDE | n/a |
| F/D | Shimano 105 |
| R/D | Shimano Ultegra |
| SHIFTERS | Shimano 105 |
| BRAKE CALIPERS | Shimano Hydraulic Flat Mount |
| FRONT BRAKE ROTOR | Shimano RT54 160mm (centerlock) |
| REAR BRAKE ROTOR | Shimano RT54 160mm (centerlock) |
| BRAKE LEVERS | Shimano Hydraulic |
| HEADSET | FSA No. 57SC |
| STEM | Kona Road Deluxe |
| SEATPOST | Kona Deluxe Thumb w/Offset 31.6mm |
| SEAT CLAMP | Kona Clamp |
| GRIPS | Kona Cork Tape |
| SADDLE | WTB Volt Comp |
| FRONT HUB | Formula 100x12mm (centerlock) |
| REAR HUB | Formula 142x12mm (centerlock) |
| SPOKES | Stainless Black 14g |
| RIMS | WTB Asym i23 TCS |
| FRONT TIRE | WTB Horizon Road Plus TCS 650x47c (650x40c size 46) |
| REAR TIRE | WTB Horizon Road Plus TCS 650x47c (650x40c size 46) |
| PAINT COLOR | Matt Metallic Sand w/ Charcoal & Red Decals |
| mm | inches | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ST LENGTH | 560 | 22.0 |
| 2 | TT LENGTH | 579 | 22.8 |
| 3 | REACH | 392 | 15.4 |
| 4 | STACK | 610 | 24.0 |
| 5 | STANDOVER | 803 | 31.6 |
| 6 | HT ANGLE | 71.5 | 71.5 |
| 7 | HT LENGTH | 186.6 | 7.3 |
| 8 | ST ANGLE | 73.0 | 17.1 |
| 9 | CS LENGTH | 435 | 17.1 |
| 10 | BB DROP | 70 | 2.8 |
| 11 | BB HEIGHT | 273 | 10.7 |
| 12 | WHEELBASE | 1050 | 41.3 |
| 13 | FRONT CENTER | 624 | 24.6 |
| 14 | FORK LENGTH | 395 | 15.6 |
| 15 | FORK OFFSET | 45 | 1.8 |
References
KONA’S VERSATILE ROVE LINE EXPANDS WITH 650B, REYNOLDS 853 – ROVE LTD, ROVE NRB DL, ROVE NRB
Riding the new Kona Rove NRB gravel bike in southern Spain
pelotonmagazine article
Riding Gravel Forum Post
2018-06-14-Kona-ROVE-NRB-DL
I purchased a new bike on Saturday, went a little over budget so I walked into the city (8km), picked it up and was riding home and I got a bloody nail through the tyre, so another 4 km walking 🙁
So far, I like it. It is very responsive, easy to accelerate.
My goal with the bike is to lose 20kg over the Australian summer and build a good physical base.
The second day of my cycle tour involved a few hill climbs. I imaged cycling to the top and then having a rest.
In reality I walked to the top and had a rest or two.
Looking back at my lunch stop
The panniers and backpack weigh around 10 kgs, the bike about 14.5kg, so in total about 25kg !
This is going to hurt when I hit the mountains.
On Friday, my Pocket Llama from Bike Friday arrived.
Once I get some better photos I will post them up on the blog.
I went to Cycle Science, the bike Friday dealer in Melbourne to collect the bike on Saturday.
I folded the bike and put it in the back seat of the car, but I forgot to put a blanket between the two parts of the folded frame … result: the Bike Friday logo is slightly scratched and there the top layer of the paint on that side (left) is scratched 🙁
All this before I even go for a big ride.
Today, Sunday I rode into the city.
Verdict: I love it, I expected to feel all the bumps with the small 20″ wheels on the bike, but nothing, it was OK.
Not long ago I said I wanted a new bike, well it’s nearly here now
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Nice Bike … one day I want one.
Because it is a foldable bike, it needs small wheels (20″) if you want it to be able to fold it up into a small space This means you need a long seat post and handlebar post then on a normal bike.
Compare the 700c road bike frame size versus the Bike Friday
Today I purchased my new bike. It’s a 2008 Giant CRX City Pro. What’s special about it is that it does not use a derailleur , it instead uses an 8 speed internal hub (Shimano Nexus)
My impressions based on one short ride home?
– The steering is twitchy! why? short wheelbase make turning easier, but high speed stability is lessen by this.
– Had some problems changing gears. Not totally unexpected, new bike, new problems – the gear still has to run in. But there are some funny sounds when using 3rd gear
– When you are pedalling it sounds like you are coasting on a derailleur normal bike
– Not sure if I like the handlebars, but I need more time to tell
– The tyres are are 700c (good) and inflate up to 120psi (my poor bum!, you really feel the bumps).. So not so good for going over curves.
It will be interesting one the bike runs in and I get used to riding it. It should be a fast bike
