I’ve been using the same bike for the last eight years and thought it might be useful to give a rundown on it.
The bike pictured above is a 2016 model Kona Sutra LTD which I’ve been riding since 2017. When I started working on the first edition of Cycling in Ireland I already had a mountain bike and a commuting bike, but needed something that would be able to handle mountain bike trails one day and a road spin the next.
I made a deal with Kona and got a lightly-used Sutra in exchange for some product placement.
At the time gravel wasn’t really a thing and dropbar bikes that were designed for rough trails were rare. Kona was ahead of the curve with the Sutra LTD and the bike has continued to evolve to this day.
In short, the bike in its original form served me really well. However, in the last year I’ve made three relatively subtle adjustments that have really made a huge difference to the bike’s performance, solving some issues and improving some aspects.
Sticky clay on the Barrow towpath
Tyres
The only interface between a bike and the terrain is the tyres, in my mind they are a bike’s defining feature. And given that they are relatively cheap and easy to swap in and out there can be a considerable upside to experimenting with them.
My bike was fitted with Schwalbe Marathon Mondial, an iconic tyre that is the number one choice of most round-the-world cyclists as they are extremely hard-wearing and puncture-resistant. For years they served me well in spite of the fact that they aren’t great in the mud and are pretty heavy. And over 7 years I only ever got one puncture (on the extremely rough gravel in Fermanagh).
However, I recently squeezed on a pair of 2.2 inch Continental Race Kings. Designed as a cross-country mountain bike tyre for fast conditions they have recently been adopted by gravel riders as part of a general trend towards wider tyres and specifically because the Race King is an unnaturally fast tyre, outperforming pretty much every gravel tyre while also offering more grip and comfort.
The 2.2″ version just fit on my bike, and if I were replacing them I would go with 2.0″ just to give them a little more space. They feel pretty quick and are excellent on rough ground, something I would be happy to sacrifice a tiny bit of speed for.
Suspension Seatpost
I bought a cheap suspension seatpost, a Suntour NCX, on a whim two years ago and it was a total game-changer in terms of comfort. When riding gravel you tend to be seated the vast majority of the time which can take its toll. I’ve always have a sore arse after a long, rough bike ride and this seatpost has made a massive difference. I paid about €75 (they seem to have gone up since), which is a bargain considering the increase in comfort, the only downside being that it’s heavy.
Descending the Sklep on the shoulder of Croagh Patrick
Taking a shortcut through the bog hags on Kippure
Stem
With dropbars there is a significant height difference between being on the tops and on the drops. This creates a challenge when fitting your bike. If you raise the bars so that the drops are comfortable will this mean that the tops are too high? You either need to compromise both positions or prioritise one.
In its original state my handlebars were quite a bit below the saddle. This meant that I found the drops quite uncomfortable. As you need to be in the drops to brake this meant that long descents were very tiring. I also found that it took quite an effort to raise my head to scan the ground ahead.
The original stem was very short with zero rise, so I ordered one from Decathlon that was longer (110mm) and angled upwards at 35 degrees. I paid €21 but it’s available now for €13, a bargain.
The swap took a few minutes and I instantly knew that it was going to work really well. I can now ride in the drops for extended pierods and have a lot more control on rough ground.
In Summary
You probably don’t need a new bike and a few cheap and easy upgrades can make a huge difference to how your bike feels and functions. Sorry bike industry.