My new commute ride

andrepepe

Hi guys!

After a while commuting with my huge Kona Satori 29er full suspension, I decided to build a proper commute bike, able to do some sportives at weekends as well.

The result was to buy a second hand commute bike frame, the one chosen was the Kona Dew Plus, bought for 22£! I added some CX forks in Alloy and some CX wheels able to receive disc brakes.

I used the the Shimano 105 shifters to give me a clean looking install as the cables run under the handlebar tape. As I'm a heavy guy, the CX wheels with 32 spokes on back and 28 on front helped me to balancing the weight. I was not able to find any pre built wheels with disc and 36 spokes for an accessible price!

The disc brakes were a great choice as it give me much brake power, at least for my weight, then the rim brakes and work as a charm in rainy weather!

The result was this:





Now I just need to find the right panniers and mudguards for the package!

Let me know what do you think!

Thank you,
Andre

The Rookie

Not sure I like the colourscheme, but otherwise it looks good!

andrepepe

The Rookie wrote:

Not sure I like the colourscheme, but otherwise it looks good!

The idea was don't make it attractive... and it looks almost the portuguese flag (my home country) ahhaha!

MichaelW

andrepepe wrote:

build a proper commute bike...

Now I just need to find the right panniers and mudguards for the package!

Are the frame and fork equipped with threaded eyelets. For commuting, you really need to find the right frameset for your rack and mudguards.

andrepepe

Hi,

The frame have eyelets and the fork as well! The only problem is the fork have to much space between the fork end and the tyre, I dont see were I will fix it there. But it does have the middle section hole to pass the screw

jawooga

I really like the colour scheme! May I ask what your total outlay was? I'm curious to build a bike up myself but don't know where to start or how much cash it would cost me.

andrepepe

jawooga wrote:

I really like the colour scheme! May I ask what your total outlay was? I'm curious to build a bike up myself but don't know where to start or how much cash it would cost me.

Sorry for my late reply!

The total bike cost was 456£.

jawooga

andrepepe wrote:

jawooga wrote:

I really like the colour scheme! May I ask what your total outlay was? I'm curious to build a bike up myself but don't know where to start or how much cash it would cost me.

Sorry for my late reply!

The total bike cost was 456£.

Wow, good job! Any lessons learned or things you'd do differently?

anthdci

good job on building it, but the geometry looks odd to me. Kind of a mix of mountain bike with drop bars, I don't know if that is just the angle.

The Rookie

That's probably because the Dew was originally a flat barred bike, flat bar frames have a longer TT than drop bar frames as you run a longer stem and hold the bars further forward with drops...hopefully he's used a smaller frame to shorten it for the drops!

Downward

My 2008 dew deluxe cost around £450 !

The eyelets are crap though rear rack didn't last long, the bolts just threaded after a while. Probably not helped by having to go off-road over a dodgy bridge with a drop twice a day.

andrepepe

jawooga:

I don't think I would do anything different! I'm quite happy with it, it's really what I was looking for! But regarding to keep the cost low, just try to balance the cost of new parts and second hands! Parts with bearings, like Bottom Bracket and headset, I will go for new... as it help to have a great feel on the bike!

anthdci and The Rookie

On first look, the geometry just look wrong, but, at least for me, it's very nice to ride and while riding, doesn't feel odd! The top Tube is 58cm, which is quite short and allow me to feel confy while ride!

The idea to get a upright position it's because it's my commute bike and I will not race with it! The drop bars it more to get more positions for the hand than for aerodynamic position.

The Kona Dew Plus (the model I own) it's flat bar, but this frame have the version with dropbars (Kona Dew Drop).

Downward:

I hope that my eyelets last longer... let's see, for now, I'm just riding with backpack... still waiting for the Rack be delivered... I will let you know as soon as I've more feedback, but thanks for let me know! I will keep an eye on it! Luckly my ride is mostly flat and on road, so, less stress for the eyelets!

Regarding with the price! I know that I ended up with a bike costing the same (or more) that it cost new... but as I've pretty much a new bike (apart the frame) and with higher specs that the factory model! I'm quite happy with it!

Thank's everyone!

andrepepe

This is my bike stock!