I have a revelate terrapin seatpost bag and rack and panniers.
Panniers are far better for my commuter duties. Easy to just dump stuff in and go. Only 4 bolts to take it off or put it back on so a couple of minutes to change setup.
The seatpost butt rocket bag limits what i can take/how i pack, e.g. i cant take a laptop in the saddle bag, or pack both an ipad and my lunchbag.
My brother commuted with a carradice saddle bag for years and loved it.
Hmmmm. Got me thinking now. Cheers for the advice.
i’m much the same as rowan. taking the rear rack off takes two minutes & i use a pannier for my laptop, books, 2 tupperware containers, thermos, and a few other bits & pieces.
it can be a little lopsided sometimes, but you get used to it or split it between panniers. uni has heaps of lockers though, so i dump all the stuff i don’t need there for the day (helmet, tool roll, spare clothes/shoes etc).
i wouldn’t put my laptop in a saddle bag.
Counterpoint: I’ve been carrying my laptop in a saddlebag or rack bag for years with no ill effects.
yeah, fair enough. i’m aware my fear is likely irrational. rear rack and pannier just seems a bit more sturdy and i can cocoon my laptop in there a bit with books and clothes (though probs also possible with saddle bag?).
I rarely need to carry a laptop home, but it is nice to have the extra space for unexpected items, or to throw some groceries in the pannier on the way home. My usual load is just clothes, hoes, tools, rainjacket, and a lock (sometimes left at work). If i could leave shoes at the office, and keep tools separately, I could probably squish everything into a pretty small bag.
In other news… a Kona box has arrived! But I’m stuck at work and can’t build it up yet…
Dammit. Can’t edit once it’s been quoted. Having said that, thanks for taking the classy interpretation.
Lucky you didnt have it on rods bday ride hey 
That sand was pretty soft. 
Put this together last night. Needs a shakedown ride to fine tune positioning of saddle and bars, some new pedals, and probably a steerer trim at some point.
I like that bike, thumbs up.
Pretty pretty good.
Sweet!
Two nice things I hadn’t necessarily counted on coming stock: full length housings, and tubeless valves (in the box). Haven’t checked inside the rim, but even worst case I can have it tubeless with a strip of tape and some sealant.
Looks sweet! Should be a fun ride. Keen to hear how the flat mount Spyre brakes are, considering them for my next bike for $$$ reasons, but not sure if I will be able to live with them after having hydros…
Yeah - me too. Will see how they feel after bedding in and a couple of rides re: overall power and modulation. Not sure what pads they come with either (probably standard organic compound), but i also have some spare sintered pads for mtb that I’m pretty sure are the same shape (std shimano b01s?). So can change it up later if I need to.
If they’re the same as the PM spyre pads, they’re junk. Def swap out for shimano/clarks/nukeproof.
The body holds the pad quite loosely, so there’s slop from the pad sliding around too.
INITIAL REVIEW
So after a couple of rides (strava says 168kms), I’ve got a few general comments on the Rove ST.
Worries about the cable discs are pretty much gone. I would upgrade to hydros for only two reasons at the moment: less adjustment/fiddling, and easier heavy braking (less hand strength to engage brakes fully). I tend to use one finger when on my mtb with hydros, but with these brakes I tend to find two is the minimum from the hoods. This could also be because of less leverage in that position as well though. Brakes were really shit until bedded in [don’t judge brakes before this step]. Also, the shift paddle tends to get stuck to the bars if you pull the RHS lever all the way in. So need to adjust the brakes carefully. This means your range of motion is slightly less than if you were running a single speed setup, or gevenalle shifters / barend etc.
Frame feels really solid. Not a noodley old school steel frame or something with a lot of flex. Steel fork is ok I guess. Nothing to compare it to. But assume maybe crabon might have less road noise?
Sizing - I was tossing up between 54 and 56 based on geometry charts (stack, reach, ST, HT etc). Nervous about it because I had found a great deal on the bike, but hadn’t been able to sit on it. Kona’s size chart said I should be (based on 183cm tall) on 59-61cm for their Road/Rove frames. This seemed way off, and geo charts showed very different numbers based on my current bikes. Ultimately I went with the dealer’s recommendation of a 56 (56 ST, 58 HT), and I’ve found it nicely proportioned.
Clement MSO tyres seem good. Haven’t set them up tubeless yet. Have been running them at around 55-60psi. Was thinking about getting some wide slicks (most of my commute is road, with optional fire trails), but might also just tubelessify the MSO’s and ride them until they die. Definitely not as fast as my 25c Contis, but more comfortable over shitty cycle paths, and can ride down a steep fire trail without feeling like I’ll go OTB or washout the front at the first sign of gravel.
1x Rival is really nice, and a sweet improvement from the old Sora I was on. Double-tap took all of 2 mis-shifts to be second nature. Low gear is enough for most climbs, with only steep rocky fire road being walked. Jumps between cogs can mean you don’t find the ‘perfect’ cadence if on a long straight, but I don’t care too much about this, and have used it as an opportunity to shift up and spin a bit more than I normally would. With the single shifter, I’m also less inclined to just stomp up a rise in the big ring purely because I don’t want to cross chain too much or shift down the front. Sit and spin has become more efficient.
Commute details – I transferred my alloy rack over from the trek and have been using the same DHB pannier bag No butt-rocket yet. Chucked some gaffer tape on the frame where the bag sits to prevent rub. There is a bit more heel clearance to the bag with this frame, so that’s a good thing. I also electrical taped some frame rub spots for cables, and have added my front and rear lights. When running low pressure I get a bit of rear end wag (from the pannier bag I think) if I’m throwing the bike around. But overall has been really solid as a commuter.
That’s enough of an essay for now. If anyone has specific questions because you’re looking at one of these, just let me know.
Set up my tyres tubeless last night. Completely painless. So far didn’t notice any real difference on my commute, but hoping that offroad I can run lower pressures and get some added comfort and grip.
