ROAD

At Kona, we like to do road a little different. We're not a pro tour bike company, nor do we have a wind tunnel. We do, however, ride a lot of road. We ride it to work, we ride it around mountain ranges, we ride it in the shoulder seasons, and we ride it across massive swaths that span entire countries. We ride road because it helps us go faster on our mountain bikes, and we ride it just for the pure joy of spinning out the most efficient machine ever invented. For 2012, we offer a unique collection of perfectly refined, application-specific road bikes that find beautiful balance between comfort, material, price and aesthetic.

sutra

OVERVIEW

At Kona, we don't like to mess with legends. Truth be told, the Sutra has probably been to more places on this giant blue-green sphere than any other bike currently on the market. For 2012, we keep our legendary, tough-as-nails road-touring bike with a sweet-riding Cromoly steel frame, comfortable geometry, and components that won't let you down. It just feels so good.

DETAILED SPECS

Frame Material Kona Cromoly Butted
Sizes C49, C53, C56, C59, C61cm
Rear Shock N/A
Fork Kona Project Two Touring
Crankarms Shimano Sora
Chainrings 50/39/30
B/B Shimano Sora
Pedals N/A
Chain Shimano HG50
Freewheel Shimano HG50 11-32 9 spd
F/D Shimano Tiagra
R/D Shimano XT Shadow SGS
Shifters Shimano Bar Con
Brake Calipers Avid BB7 Road
Front Brake Rotor Avid G2 Clean Sweep 160mm
Rear Brake Rotor Avid G2 Clean Sweep 160mm
Brake Levers Tektro RL-340
Headset TH 848
Handlebar Kona Deluxe Road Bar
Stem Kona Deluxe Road Stem
Seatpost Kona Double Clamp w/offset
Seat Clamp Kona Clamp
Grips Kona Cork Tape w/gel
Saddle WTB Rocket V Comp
Front Hub Shimano Deore Disc
Rear Hub Shimano Deore Disc
Spokes Sandvik Stainless 14g
Rims Freedom Ryder 21
Front Tire Continental Contact 700x32C
Rear Tire Continental Contact 700x32C
Paint Color Dark Blue Metallic
Extras Fenders, Front and Rear Pannier Racks
UNITS SIZE TTH STA HTA RC FC WB FL OF BBH SO HT BBS FD STACK REACH
mm C49cm 535 74.5° 71° 440 598 1029 392 45 277 728 115 68 28.6 541 383
mm C53cm 550 74° 71° 440 609 1040 392 45 277 758 140 68 28.6 565 387
mm C56cm 565 73.5° 71.5° 440 616 1048 392 45 282 785 160 68 28.6 581 392
mm C59cm 585 73° 71.5° 440 631 1063 392 45 282 808 180 68 28.6 600 401
mm C61cm 605 72.5° 72° 440 641 1073 392 45 282 824 195 68 28.6 616 411
GEOMETRY LEGEND: RC = Chainstay Length BBH = Bottom Bracket Height
FC = Front To Center SO = Standover
TTH = Top Tube Length WB = Wheelbase HT = Head Tube Length
STA = Seat Tube Angle FL = Fork Length BBS = Bottom Bracket Size
HTA = Head Tube Angle OF = Fork Offset FD = Front Derailleur Clamp Size
Note: All Specifications Are Subject To Change Without Notice

TECHNOLOGY

Kona Cromoly

We've never given up on the original mountain bike material. You'll find the simplicity, strength, comfort, resilience and playfulness of Kona Cromoly sprinkled throughout our line of road, asphalt and mountain bikes. Very few materials offer as much shock absorption, durability and supple-ride characteristics as steel. This is the original Long Sweet Ride material.

2012 Kona Cromoly bikes: Downside, Shonky, Steely, Honzo, Band Wagon, Paddy Wagon, Sutra, Honky Tonk, Honky Inc, Roundabout, Unit

Sloping Toptube

Kona recognized the advantages of sloping toptube frame design right from the beginning. Designed by inaugural MTB-Hall-of-Fame legend Joe Murray back in 1988, the very first Konas were some of the first mountain bikes to feature sloping toptubes (STT). As a company we've stayed true to this philosophy, going so far as to pioneer the design in road bikes long before its benefits were understood by most of the industry. Because of the many positives STT design brings to overall bike performance and comfort, you'll find it today throughout our entire line of road, commuter and mountain bikes.

Here's why: Firstly, STT design allows the toptube to be lower, providing more room for correct positioning and free body movement and enabling more standover clearance, which is particularly useful on dual-suspension bikes that have higher bottom brackets. Riders have a more secure riding position, a real benefit when riding downhill sections.

Secondly, a big benefit of STT is a longer and more compliant toptube. As the top and downtube become more parallel, there's less triangulation, resulting in more compliancy. Not only is the frame stronger and more responsive, but it absorbs more shock than frames with horizontal toptubes.

Compact Rear Triangle

Short chainstays and seatstays provide a perfect balance of stability and power transfer when out of the saddle and pedaling hard. Shorter seatstays also have less deflection during braking and accelerate faster than longer stays. The shorter rear triangle also helps the bike to negotiate tight-twisting sections of trail. Our new Entourage short-travel downhill bike is a good example of an incredibly compact rear triangle. Our goal was to create a bike that was easy to jump and trick, and could also corner aggressively. With seatstays measuring just 415mm, we've created one of the most nimble short travel DH bikes in the industry.

Kona Sizing and Fit

Sizing and fit have always been one of the main strengths of the Kona Ride. With more stock sizes available than any other bike company, our size scale is designed to be continuous from platform to platform and is easy to understand from the perspective of the consumer because our simplified system allows easy fine-tuning that creates a perfect marriage of bike and rider.

On our Trail/All-Mountain and XC Race bikes, we feature longer toptubes coupled with shorter stems and slightly shorter headset stack heights. The steps between sizes are at half-inch to one-inch increments, with up to seven sizes that can range from 14 to 22 inches on many models. In the asphalt range, size gaps are at even 15 to 20mm steps. There are still up to six sizes, from 46cm to 61cm on most models.

When it's called for, seat posts are either offset or straight to maximize the reach and power output of the rider. More importantly, our comprehensive bike sizing allows Kona dealers and riders to determine their fit more easily from model to model and category to category.

Lifetime Warranty

Kona warrants to the original owner that their new Kona bicycle frame purchased from an authorized Kona dealer shall be free of defective materials or workmanship for the lifetime of ownership by the original owner. This warranty is limited to five years for carbon fiber frames and three years for electric pedal-assist frames.

During this warranty period, Kona shall repair or replace, at its sole option, the bicycle frame if Kona determines the frame is defective and subject to this limited warranty. The original owner shall pay all labor and shipping charges connected with the repair or replacement of the bicycle frame. Please see the Kona owner's manual, provided with your bicycle, for additional information.

  • Front and back pannier racks
  • Shimano 9-speed Tiagra/Sora drivetrain
  • Avid BB7 Road brakes
  • WTB Freedom Ryder 21 rims
View Kona Road Platform Overview