I’ve recently (for the past year) been in the market for a heavy-duty road bike/touring bicycle. There are a good number of them out there, but a lot of them are made by specialty companies and run in the range of several thousands of dollars. What’s more, local bike shops tend not to stock even the most basic touring bike, such at the Trek 520.
Anyway, Kona and Bianchi both have some interesting options that I asked my friend (who is a bicycle mechanic) to compare. He did a very awesome and very in-depth in his comparison of the ‘05 Sutra and the ‘05 Volpe, so I thought I’d post his thoughts for anyone else that’s interested. The two bikes I’m talking about are available here:
2005 Bianchi Volpe
2005 Kona Sutra
Those two bikes appear to be an interesting comparison. You've
got a more classical design versus a more modern design. So right
off the bat we've got a nice rift between the two.
The first thing I see with both bikes is that the Kona has disc
brakes, and no options for other brakes. I don't see any
cantilever posts, and the fork has the word "disc" in the name, so
I don't expect to find threads to insert any posts if you ever
want to use regular brakes. Disc brakes in my opinion are more of
a headache than they're worth. Plus these particular brakes are
cable drawn, which manufacturers began doing so that disc brakes
would begin to appear on lesser costing bikes. You're not even
getting the full benefit with hydraulics. Now the Bianchi has
cantilever brakes. Nice and strong, they will allow wider tires
than road caliper brakes, and you're left with WHEEL OPTIONS. You
won't be limited to disc-specific hubs. You can build a
superlight wheelset for rallies, or you can run daily beaters
which it comes with. You could even throw some linear pull brakes
on there for more power over the canti's, and even continue using
your standard pull STI brake levers with minimum modification. As
for which is more reliable, disc or rim, I'm not sure. I'd bet
though that there's as much chance of breaking a rim brake arm as
there is braking a disc pad caliper. If you're running for three
weeks across a few states, either carry a few extra brake pads or
a spare rotor. If I were running disc brakes on a touring bike,
they would have to be cable drawn, because bleeding brakes on the
side of the road is just stupid. And a cable drawn disc brake is
stupid. So my personal choice is to stick with rim brakes.
Next I see the differences in the two frame designs. The
Bianchi's geometry is certainly relaxed from a racing bike, but
not quite as upright as the Kona. The Kona has an extrememly
sloping top tube, and the cranks appear to be kicked a little
further out. That's all good and fine for comfort, but I would
think it gives you less control. I would wager that the Bianchi
probably rides more like a road bike, the Kona more like a
mountain bike. In a perfect world there's a shop in Austin
carrying both Bianchi and Kona. If so, go ride them both, one for
as long as they'll let you, and then the other for as long as
they'll let you. See how they both feel, but try not to just
coast at five miles per hour doing quick turns in the parking
lot. Although that may be your only option.
Those are the two most obvious concerns that stand out to me.
Frame design, because that determins what kind of bike you have,
and how it will handle undernieth you. Then brakes. Not becuase
brakes are so important, but because they affect the wheels. And
wheels are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. Plus the ease of regular
maintenance, and more critcally, roadside-friendly repairs.
Aside from that I'd sum up the rest of the two bikes as the Kona
utilizing the most modern components, the Bianchi sticking to
classic work horse components. That GXP crank on the Kona is
Truvativ's answer to Shimano's external bottom bracket setup.
Notice that it's hollow, you can see straight through it. It
pushes the crank arms further away from the frame, which will
increase stability (great for off-road), but it's main goal is to
be lightweight. Plus the design is brand new. It has yet to
become a standard, or to flop. The Bianchi has lower gearing on
the crank, and a very wide range cassette. It is certainly more
cargo and touring friendly, and without bling-factor. The only
thing I could set next to the bling category on the Bianchi would
be that suspension seat post. I would trade it out for a regular
seat post. The Kona has 105 shifters, the Bianchi has Tiagra.
Honestly, the Tiagra shifters are keeping the cost of the Bianchi
down. The 105's are better, but you'll still get years out of
those Tiagras. Maybe not as many as the 105's, but certainly your
money's worth. And if you have a "new rider wreck" that will
graduate you into "experienced rider" (doesn't happen to many
people, but we see it with road bikes often enough), and you total
your shifters, you're breaking less, and possibly replacing it
with more. Also, the Bianchi comes with clipless pedals, the Kona
does not. They appear to be SPD style mountain pedals, but that's
okay. Trade them out for some road pedals, or throw them on your
mountain bike.
If I had to choose one of these two bikes, based on package only,
no money concerns, you can probably deduce from my comparison
which it would be. If not, good. That means my personal opionion
won't be contributing in any way to your method of balancing what
you think about the two versus what I think about the two.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention wheelbase. I couldn't find a
geometry chart for the Kona that included wheelbase, if you do
email me a link. The Bianchi does give wheelbase, and yes, it's
nice and long. The Kona probably builds its long wheelbase with
that sloping top tube. You'd ride a bigger number frame for the
Kona than you would the Bianchi, because the standover is so short
on the Kona. You might ride the 55cm Bianchi, but a 58cm Kona.
Both will probably have a wheelbase about the same. Unless Kona
is crazy and puts a short wheelbase on that bike.
