2014 Scott Spark 740 27.5 Review

It was time for the first tune up and brake bleed on my year old Kona. So off to Tennessee Valley Bikes I went.

While giving the bike their thorough top to bottom lube/adjust/clean, the staff felt my rear derailleur was just not up to spec and suggested a new one (a warranted replacement.) Unfortunately they did not have one in stock so another would need to be ordered.

Since I was going to need to wait a week, I was offered a demo bike to ride while mine was out of commission. They had a many options: full suspension, hard tail, rigid… I had my pick of some awesome bikes. But since I had originally considered buying a 27.5, I was really interested in that wheel size. The only 27.5 bike that was in my size was a new Scott Spark 740.

The bike also had another aspect that I was interested in: the tires. I had always heard great things about Schwable Rocket Rons, and many people in our area run them. But at the prices these things go for, I could not risk buying them on a whim.

I really didn't want a full suspension but my son encouraged (hounded) me. I had heard that once I had ridden a squish bike I would never want to go back to a hard tail. What the heck... I took the Scott home.

After what seemed like forever, the winter weather finally cooperated. I was off to Concord Park. Right away I noticed that fork. I gotta say the Fox Float 32 was noticeably smoother than anything I have yet ridden. It featured two settings for dampening: "Trail" and "Descent”, their terms for soft and softer. Of course, it also has a lockout, they call "Climb". The fork was so nice, I simply kept it on Decent. The remote lockout locked both the fork and rear shock.

After riding for about an hour I started analyzing the ride feel. No doubt, it is a great bike, so soft and forgiving. A good fit for bike for an old man like myself. I could ride this bike all day and not feel beaten up.

Strangely I do have to admit I felt my 29er Kona felt faster but the Scott felt as if it held speed better. Why? In the hilly sections of Concord the Kona would race down and crawl up, where the Scott would keep a more consistent speed. And the change in speed of the Kona added a sensation that was not as pronounced on the Scott. I believe this was due to the Fox suspension soaking up the rough stuff so well. I am no expert but believe the forward energy was not wasted transferring the forward inertia through the bike giving the feeling of a "bump." The energy required to move a fork is much less than moving a whole bike. Many of the rooty areas of the park were no longer a challenge. The bike simply smoothed them out.

Tire design has always interested me. The ideal rubber compounds, lug quantity and design are for some reason intriguing. But so many online "reviews" tend to have generic statements like "they are terrible" or "the best tire I have ever ridden." Hardly analytical statements one can feel confident spending $100 on. When picking tires, my practice have been to ask people's opinions of tires that ride the trails that I ride. Around here Rocket Rons can be seen often. Assuming they were the go-to tire, I was excited to feel them for myself.

Sadly, on the damp, rooty trails of Concord, I was not crazy about them. The Maxxis Ignitors that came on the Kona grip much better, especially in the rear. The Rocket Rons felt loose causing the back end to hang out. It was always minor, never scary or unpredictable, just loose. And when going slow the Ignitors pulled right over the slick roots where the Rons would occasionally spin off. Before counting them out completely I really need to try them on the smoother trails of Meads or in the dry.

After the ride I realized I had soaked up many more miles than I normally would have done. The Scott/Fox is a beautiful combination, and worth the money. The 27.5" wheel did feel slightly more nimble compared to the 29" but would probably have been more evident if comparing rigid to rigid.

During the drive home thinking about what I would say about this bike my brain kept getting sidetracked about stepping-up to better bikes in general. Does the removal of trail challenges remove the fun? Areas of the trail I found challenging on the Kona were not a thought on the Scott. What if I owned the Scott and tested my next lust-worthy bike: a Niner Air 9 RDO? Would Concord Park be boring? If anyone would like to help me out with this test, I would love to find out!

A Flat Tire in the Same Place? What are the Odds?

While unloading my bike after the last ride I noticed my rear tire had gone down on the way home. There was a chunk of orange mulch still lodged in the tire. At least it was easy to find.

After pulling the tube out I realized the new puncture was in the same place as the last one! One centimeter from the hole I received two months ago.

This got me thinking about the odds. Rather than waste brain cells doing the math of the surface area of tire and getting an actual number, I ponded on ways that these odds could have happened.

I know what you are thinking "you did not get the splinter out from the last flat!" I thought of that. But here is the evidence, you decide:

1.  If I had left the mulch in from the last flat chances are that I would have had another flat soon... I've been riding for over two months since my last flat. I suppose it is possible.

2. the mulch was the strange oranged color of the mulch on the side of the greenway I rode last. I received the first flat on a trail with no mulch.

3. I have a ritual for changing flats. I remove the original obstruction from the outside of the tire (if it is still there), then visually inspect both the outside and inside of the tire for others. Then I run my fingers around the inside of the tire hoping to feel anything my eyes didn't catch. 

I can think of only two ways this happened: 

Dumb luck (you are right... I did not get the mulch out.) And it was in the tread in a way that it was pushed in (only when coming in contact with a rock) but rebounded back out when not being pushed it in. I wouldn't have seen or felt it inside. AND dumb luck that I had not hit anything that pushed it in for over two months.

OR dumb luck... another simple flat.

Either way, dumb luck played a big part in getting these two flats so close together. Gosh, I can think of better outcomes for being this "lucky!" 

2012 Kona Kahuna 29er Review

I have always loved Kona bicycles. Their brochure was one of the first that I picked up when my I started my love of bikes as an adult…it has been read so many times (by both myself and my son) that it is literally falling apart. So, when I had the opportunity to purchase a new bike, Kona was at the top of my list of bikes to research.

Other than being "my first," Kona is a smaller company compared to the brands often see on the local trails. I always try to help out the little guy if possible. But I was not going to discount the other brands just yet. There are other dream brands on my list too.

Here in Knoxville we are blessed with many bike shops with most major brands. So Saturday morning the son and I headed out. We checked out the Specialized Hardrock. Very nice looking paint scheme but the fork was not great. The Treks' paint was downright tacky. So much so that I didn't even pull one down as sit on it. Next was the Giant Revel 0. The paint scheme was nice (though it was that hard-to-clean flat black.) The small frame size fit me very well. But the brakes were mechanical and the fork only fair. Raleighs seemed much more expensive for the same components.

The last shop we could hit for the day was Tennessee Valley Bikes, home for Kona Bicycles in Knoxville. I did not get my hopes up as the Konas I liked were outside my price range. Their 2013 beginner line had similar components compared as the brands I had already found. But the paint scheme looked well, cheap. So I guess it was time to head back to order the Giant.

Then I saw a black-ish blue bike on the end of the rack. It was a 2012 Kahuna. Beautiful, subtle, good fork, hydraulic disk brakes, and it was in my size! After a small financial discussion with the shop worker I became the owner of a Kona!

And it rides as good as it looks!

The step up to 29 was one that I never thought I would do. How does it feel compared to my 26 wheeled Fuji? Apples to oranges. The 26" wheels are on a larger 17" frame, the 29s are connected to a 16" frame. The Fuji is somewhat lighter than the Kona. The fork of the Kahuna is light years ahead of the Suntour fork on the Nevada. Overall, the Fuji is quick "side to side", the Kona fast... forward. The only way I can describe its feel is - pulling. It was hard to tell if I was going a lot faster, or the added weight of the wheels built up inertia making it reluctant to make turns, or both.

The pros of the Kona: that awesome (to me) fork. The Rock Shox XC/32/TK has none of the slop found in the Suntour. The Sram X5 gear set: having 30 options it seemed I was always in the right gear, awesome! The shifters are going to take a little getting used to for me… the triggers on the Fuji used the forefingers for downshifting, the Kona uses the thumbs. Retraining my brain should take care of this one.

The "yet-to-be-determined" aspects: the handlebars are much wider than I am used to. It meant my hands are constantly bumping the gear levers. Going to do some testing by moving the brakes and shifters a half inch inward before getting out the hack saw. The Avid Elixr 1 brakes: I was really worried about this as they seem to lock up way to easily. But after remembering discussions on bike forums mentioning "one finger braking" I tried it. Really helped modulate better.

The graphics. I believe the art is shared with the King Kahuna that has a lighter colored carbon frame. But the base paint color is so dark that the logo and words were almost invisible. Some like it, others hate it. I lean toward the "like it" side but it could be a little less subtle.

The cons: #1: the price. Of course the Kona was much more expensive than the Fuji. But that was to be expected. #2: the pedals - unbelievably terrible! My feet slipped many times during the first ride. The $15 replacement pedals I threw on held my feet so much better. Just a guess but I think most people change the stock pedals out with clipless pedals as soon as they get the bike home, so Kona put on the cheapest things that can be considered petals.

So, if spending $100 more than I wanted and $15 for new pedals is the only negative things about the Kona, I can live if that!

6 month update -
After riding the Kahuna a few months now I can say this bike has really grown on me. It is much faster than the Fuji. Much like a race car that is difficult to drive in city traffic, when you get going fast, the Kona really comes alive. When riding the Fuji I was probably had it at 9/10s of its skill level. The Kona I feel like it is more like 7/10 meaning I can improve a lot on this bike.

And after the first tune up the brakes pads were moved out a little giving a lot more ability to modulate. Much better! However, the rear brake did get "spongy" requiring a bleed to get it back to normal. And sometimes they would over-pressurize when hot if left on the rack in the hot sun (the fluid would expand with the heat and rear wheel would not turn.) I had this happen a couple times but TVB assured me that it it is due to the fluid absorbing moisture and "overfilling" the system. A simple fluid flush/replace on a consistent basis will keep this from happening.