Your race bike is great for going fast, while your freeride rig is ideal for going downhill. Your fixed-gear bike is fun as long as there are not a lot of steep climbs involved. Want a bike that’s good at doing a little bit of everything? The soon-to-be-released 2010 Kona Sutra might be your ride.
Billed as a touring bike, this category represents the SUVs of the cycling realm. Throw on some panniers and you can carry enough groceries for a small dinner party. You can go off-roading on this bike, or get a road ride in with friends. Of course, you could take off and pedal across the country, too.
Built with butted chromoly steel, a lively material ideal for a do-everything bike, this rig is spec’d well with a mix of Shimano Tiagra and XT parts as well as Kona’s branded gear.
With fenders and racks (front and rear) as standard included equipment, the bike’s spec is thorough — just throw on some pedals and a water bottle cage and you’re ready to go. And the 9-speed cassette mated with a triple crank (including a 30-tooth chainring) makes going uphill almost as fun as going down.
Rounding out the parts mix are Avid BB7 road discs, which add more stopping power — important for fully-loaded touring or returning from a store with stuffed saddle bags.
So if you’re looking for one bike that does a lot, check out the Sutra. It will be available around November 1 and cost a not-too-bad $1,199. (www.konaworld.com)
—Stephen Krcmar
