Kona Rove Ti 59 -> Salsa Warbird 2 (a different crack at it) p.7

Re:

Is newer always better?

Not really. This is a boyish racer whereas the ti was a true gentlemen. however, I must admit. Salsa has got their bikes geometry pretty dialled!

Compared to the Kona Rove (59) the Warbird (5 sports a:

+lower BB
+shorter reach
+slacker seattube
+taller headtube
+shorter wheelbase

Other things I like are:

Reversed slot on seattube
full length housing
clutter less bb and down tube

Oh and that Enve CX fork is truly next level.

Too early for a ride review, but the build was pretty effortless & smooth.
What do you guys think? >>

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Short ride review after 2 short (60KM) group/duo rides on the road and 1 long 150km solo off/on road.

First up: The Warbird is one of the raciest gravel racing bikes i've come to know of. I would even argue they perfected the genre well before it became a established market trend. The Warbird is better capable of reaching and maintaining speeds over 35 and 40km than my Ti Rove is. The handling is also quite a bit more neutral for a racer at heart like me. The cornering can be described as point and shoot which is quite a feat for a bike with longer wheelbase and longish rear. The overall wheelbase (on the 5 is 1,5 cm shorter than my rove (at 59) and the bottom bracket is 5mm lower too. Some people might not agree with this bike direct comparison because the warbird has no provisions for racks or even fenders and is arguably less of a touring rig and more of a self-supported big-distance big tire racer. The Ti rove for me was my first venture into off-road and ultra-endurance riding, after being a dedicated roadie for 8 years. I've since realised I wasn't to use it's touring capabilities and fatter than 40mm tires since part of my focus is still of long distance (multi) day trips. I've grown used to and love using removable bike packing equipment for these trips rather than taking racks and fenders on and off after every ride. Using a carbon fork (for weight and ride quality reasons) also limited this use anyways. I've been able to replicate the rather aggressive position (12cm saddle to bar drop) i'm used to and capable of maintaining for many hours. The alloy warbird that i'm riding is not noticeably different in vibration dampening compared to the Ti Kona. This proves the unscientific point i'd like to make that most of our ride quality is decided by our wheels and tires and secondly the construction of the frame rather than the frame material itself. Having said that the alloy Warbird is very smartly shaped with flattened sections on most of it's tubes. Off road the bike needs a little bit more riding input than the Rove to clear ruts and ride rough sections but it's equally capable of rocking the socks of many modest trails. On a final note I grown to love the full length cable housing on both brake and derailleurs. For clean looks they might have opted for internal routing but in terms of maintenance this is a huge improvement to the downtube routed partial housing used on the Rove. I must come at no surprise when I say that i'll be riding the warbird for a while to come. Even though I feel like I committed to the everlasting Ti with the Rove, I think the warbird is a near perfect match to my race inspired riding style and still allow for light touring and ultra-endurance events.

So what about concept of taking a Kona to Kona? :facepalm:

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Another good test ride this weekend @ relaxing Kalmhoutse Heide



I'm wearing an original Roger de Vaeminck, Brooklyn Chewing Gun shirt (!)
which I received as a generous gift from a friend/customer!

Next stop: Tenerife!

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Full build list with road/adventure spec.

Frame: Salsa Warbird 2 size 58 1780gr
Fork: ENVE CX full carbon tapered fork 1 1/8" 1/5" disc 480gr
Expander: alloy sleeve (with fork) 1 1/8" 15 gr
Headset: Cane Creek 40 zs44/ec44 100gr

Seatmast: Ergon cf3 VCLS carbon setback seatpost 200gr
Stem: Ritchey wcs 220 110mm 130gr
Bars: Salsa Cowbell 2 42cm 275gr
Seat: Bontrager Serrano SL ti 200gr
Brakes: TRP Spyre SLC disc front/rear 140gr x2
Brake pads: Koolstop organic Deore mechanical
Discs: Avid HSX 160mm 100gr F/ Avid HSX 140MM 85gr

Shifters: Sram Rival 320gr
Crankset: Sram Red22 with Wickwerx 38/46 172,5mm 575gr
Bottom Bracket: Shimano 6800 85gr
Front derailleur: Shimano cx-70 TP 34.9 90gr
Rear Derailleur: Sram x9 type 2.1 short cage 249gr
Cassette (road): Shimano ultegra 11/28 225gr
Chain: Connex 10s1 stainless!! 235gr 110 links

Wheelset 1 (off-road)

Rims: Stan ZTR Iron Cross 32h x2 385gr
Spokes: DT competition silver 64 290/292mm= 310gr
Hubs: Hope Pro II evo qr 100 185gr/ Hope Pro II Evo qr 135 gunsmoke 309gr
Tires: Bontrager CX0 38mm 385gr x2
Rimtape: stan notubes yellow tape 20gr
Tubes: Schwalbe sv16 140gr x2
Skewers: Hope stainless steel 120gr
Rotors: AVID HSX 160mm 100gr F/ TRP 140 75gr R

Wheelset 2 (road)

Rims: Stan ZTR Grail 28h x2 460gr
Spokes: DT Aerolite black and pro lock brass nipples = 245gr
Hubs: White Industries CLD F 145gr/ White Industries CLD R 245gr
Tires Road: Schwalbe ONE tubeless 622-28 380 x2
Rimtape: stan notubes yellow tape 20gr
Skewers: tune am14 20gr & 27gr
Rotors: AVID HSX-CL 160mm 100gr F/ AVID HSX-CL 140mm 85gr R

Bottle Cages: Lezyne Alloy Cage black 38gr
Frame Pump: Lezyne Road Drive black M 96gr
Bartape: Lizard Skins DSP 2.5 black 50gr
Cables & Ferrules: Jagwire Racer kit xl black 250gr
Parts Screws and grease: 50gr
Bike Packing: Revelate Designs Tangle L 255 gr
Bike Computer: Garmin 810 on K-edge XL out-front mount
Pedals: Shimano XT pd-770 325gr

8.8KG geared for road, 11,5 fully loaded

Ooooh!
Warbird is an amazing bike!!!
I've tried one vith Sram cx1 groupset and AmericanClassic carbon tubolar 46mm wheelset and I was remained so enthusiastic about the weight!
How are the behaviour of the hope/ztr wheels after a year? I would buy a pair for my new bike, but probably with ZTR Alpha340 (or 430?) rims...
thanks!

mattiamerca":3udry3h9 said:

How are the behaviour of the hope/ztr wheels after a year? I would buy a pair for my new bike, but probably with ZTR Alpha340 (or 430?) rims...
thanks!

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all is true what they say about hope's being good. I'd prefer them over boutique hubs for their ability to remain unperturbed by natures mud and dirt.

I'd like myself a stiffer rim than the alpha 340 or Iron cross (even though im a lightweight) for it's robustness and even superior acceleration. Depending on the width of your tire i'd heartily recommend ZTR Grail rims or Velocity Aileron. They are really very good.

I used lighter spokes (dt aerolite) on my grail build (with WI CLD hubs) which makes both wheel sets weigh the same at 1600gr approx. without rotors.

Good luck with your beautiful build! If you ever need a wheel builder, let me know

Funny, to bump into this topic ... i bought a Kona Rove Ti last week in the Antwerp Area last week, you might recognize it Parfumisme

lemant":3bw0yx4k said:

Funny, to bump into this topic ... i bought a Kona Rove Ti last week in the Antwerp Area last week, you might recognize it Parfumisme

Click to expand...

Did you buy second hand, frame only or you had our shop build it up for you?

parfumisme":cdrblcpa said:

Did you buy second hand, frame only or you had our shop build it up for you?

Click to expand...

No, I bought it as a complete bike. However the previous owner built it up and got the frame (and parts?) @Ibike
Up to me now to make a few changes

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good luck! make it your own