Kona Smoke or Trek T30....?
Guys,
am after a commuter style bike to get to work, not far, say 2-3 miles, and some of it along towpath.
Not wanting to spend more than œ250/œ300 really, already have a nice Marin MTB, and want to get a road bike at some point too.
Looking for one with mudguards and one I can stick a rack on.
The 2 in the subject sprang out at me, I think the Trek appears to be the better value bike, but the all black smoke has a certain appeal [8D]
Any opinions you wish to share, or other alternatives I should think of??
Cheers
Dan
am after a commuter style bike to get to work, not far, say 2-3 miles, and some of it along towpath.
Not wanting to spend more than œ250/œ300 really, already have a nice Marin MTB, and want to get a road bike at some point too.
Looking for one with mudguards and one I can stick a rack on.
The 2 in the subject sprang out at me, I think the Trek appears to be the better value bike, but the all black smoke has a certain appeal [8D]
Any opinions you wish to share, or other alternatives I should think of??
Cheers
Dan
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Comments
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If its between these two, its the Kona smoke for me. Trek looks girly in comparison, whereas the Kona has that retro rugged look and feel. I like the clearance on the mudguards and the stealth black paint job.
The Kona was in the top 5 when shopping for my Hybrid. However, the wheels were 26" and quite wide. In the end I opted for the spesh crossroads.
If you already have an MTB, stick some slicks on it. Save the money for a proper road bike [:p]0 -
Thanks for your reply,
Good point about the wheels/tyres, hadn't really noticed they were comparitively wide, and not the 700c (is that what they are called?) ones.
Alas my Marin is in storage, but wouldn;t want to stick slicks on her anyway, and this bike I would also use to go into town, and I wouldn't want to leave my Marin locked up anywhere.
Will investigate the Crossroads.
The stealth black paintjob attracted me too, plus the old school cromoly steel :-)
Cheers
Dan0 -
The crossroads is now replaced by the globe range for 2007. Other bikes to consider may be Halfords carrera subway 1 or 2, or the edinburgh bikes revolution courier.0
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I had a Smoke for about 8-months before my Girlfriend claimed it!
It was a great bike for knocking around town on. The bike shop i got it from swapped the tyres for me from the off , to some decent Conti Slicks.
Coming from an MTB background it suited me down to the ground and as you have both mentioned above the matt black paint and old skool frame appeal was to much to resist.0 -
I've had a Kona Smoke for a little over a year and recommend it highly. Even the very basic/cheap spec wheels ( formula hubs, ss spokes, alex z-1000 rims ) have taken incredible abuse on bad & dirt roads with my 95kg plus extra gear without even the hint of problems. Very understated looks which I love, everythings works well and it was cheap! AUS$550.0
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Nice one, thanks very much for all your replies [:)]
Lukeee, do you know if I could put thinner tyres on that the stock 1.5" ones, it's more speed with some control I am after.
How were the tyres you had put on better than the stock ones, more speed, more grip etc etc?
Do you reckon or know if you could put a set of 1.25" tyres on the wheels??
Cheers
Dan0 -
Daniel B, I put Schwalbe Marathon 1.5s on my Smoke and I know the bloke in my LBS who also has one has Conti Sport Contact 1.3s on his.0
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Thanks Quokka,
is it correct that the smoke has twist grip gear shift?
How do you get on with it, I always assumed this wouldn't be as reliable/nice to use as button shift, and would appreciate your feedback.
Looking at the specs of the 2006 V the 2007 model, would you say it was worth the extra money?
Wiggle also sell the 07 model, but with œ30 of free accessories, so with the postage it only equates to an extra œ25.
2006: http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=60237
2007: http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=70214
Cheers
Dan0 -
Anyone??0
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Yes I recall Kona Smoke is grip shift, another negative in my book. I prefer up/down thumb shifters.0
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Sorry Daniel, off camping for a few days - no internet.
The twist grips were actually pretty good. I've never liked Rapidfire Plus, and although the twistgrips are pretty basic Sram MRX they work fine. I've since replaced mine with old school thumbies which I love, but there's no reason not to just wear all the standard components into the ground before you change or upgrade. I just can't help myself.0 -
Thanks very much guys, I will try and go shopping this weekend. :-)
Dan0 -
Hi everyone,
just though I would give you all a quick update.
Was booked into try out an 18" 06 smoke on Saturday, but Thursday night saw an ad on adtrader for a Carrera Subway one, 2 years old, but had never been used, and had a rear rack fitted as well, original retail price was œ220, but the asking price was only œ85.
Went to see it on Friday, and it was nigh on immaculate, and as he had some new mudguards as well, purchased those for a tenner - he had also got them (Halfords) to conver it to 3 cogs at the front, and fit some nice road tyres, so it is perfect for commuting, and at a serious bargain price, I was truly thrilled with it.
œ95, and it's totally good to go.
After some panniers now, fancy the Brand X ones off CRC, but they are out of stock at the mo:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=13690
What do you think of these from SJC?
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Thro ... ags-(MSRP-œ29.99)-per-pair-12905.htm
Should I plump for the SJ ones, or wait for the CRC ones??
Not heavy duty use, just a shortish ccommute.
Cheers
Dan0 -
Good bargain!0
