Yesterday I got myself a Kona Major One for commuting to work on. The commute will take on some wide firetrail and being Canberra, pretty loose and dry at times. I have been told the brakes suck so they may be what will be on the upgrade list straight up.
Specs on the bike can be found here konaworld
Any help + info will be welcomed!
Go ride it first, then start the upgrades. Tyres are probably a good move, but your particular terrain will determine your needs. The brakes are likely fine, but get some good pads (KS Salmon / Swisstop) and get them setup right.
Later on: WI freewheel if you’re riding in mud a lot. Wheels, once you abuse those ones into the ground. (Rolf SSCX are totally sweet!! (But overkill for a SS specific frame))
Yeah, once I ride it I will make a decision on the brakes and tyres, once they are rundown I will start the upgrading. The first bits are some bottle cages and the saddle I like. I have been told my brakes can be made a little user friendly with a pad change too. The freewheel cog apparently is not the best once it gets wet.
Thanks Blakey.
Upgrade your seatpost first!
mega lolz
I don’t rate those FSA Gossamer cranks much, one of mine cracked.
Buy a new bike?
I just took the bike out for it’s first ride around Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. A pretty easy 26kms and all well under an hour which I don’t think is too bad after 3 weeks off a bike due to injury. It felt pretty good. I will need to make a few tweaks to it, shorten the stem… and that seat has to go.
have sold many bikes equipped with them, and owned them briefly on one bike of mine. Never had or heard of an issue with them.
I heard Cancellara chose them over the Carbon SLK models when his then current team was under license to use FSA cranks…
Threadjack - what’s a good reliable ss cx wheelset for a heavier gent? I was thinking about open pro’s laced to phil wood low flange hubs, 32h, thoughts?
haha I’m telling you!!
Just the same as a good reliable road wheelset for a heavier gent.
IMO you can’t go wrong with decent hubs and 32H Open Pros. Maybe 36H if you’re Giant Haystacks.
personal jokes?
Anyway, here is a video of me out on my first ride yesterday. Am I doing it right?
pretty sure i’m not a fat bastard but i got dan to make some of these for me and i had to get the rear trued a number of time in the first few months. i do crash often though
Continuing threadjack:
Phil Wood & Open Pro & 33.3mm tyre & rocky downhill = pinch flat (I counted 10 separate snakebites) & many dents.
One of many dents by ah_blake, on Flickr
So, we had lunch at COG, and fixed it.
Bending the dents out of the rim by ah_blake, on Flickr
Just like a new one!:
Rim after bending the dents out by ah_blake, on Flickr
Time for some disc brakes?
Hmmmmm is there a cyclocross specific rim?
The DT Swiss TK 540 rim is 23.6mm width and pretty durable. Good for cyclocross, they say.
Blakey- did this happen to Angry’s wheel in one ride??
There a various circles of riders all getting keen on starting up some regular CX races here in Canberra, all with some very interesting courses in mind!!
I reckon the major one is awesome mate. Stuff just breaks/gets damaged when riding hard with relatively skinny tires.
Please tell me you had some 20c coins between the rim and the pliers?!