Cinder Cone update:
After the rebuild was finished in September the bike was put into regular service, riding several times a week on local cycle tracks (all flat and smooth surfaces). The bike rode very well and the high-rise Tioga stem made it very comfortable.
At the same time I got a gravel bike and have been doing a lot of off-road rides on that, which has been fantastic. The excitement of riding off-road again made me keen to get the Kona back onto some trails, particularly as there are some technical, twisty trails near me that suit a smaller bike - I can ride those trails on my gravel bike but the 700c wheels makes it less zippy through the tight turns.
So, onto the rough stuff we went, at this point still on the Panaracer Pasela's:
The Kona is great fun to smash around the trails - very nimble.
I decided to make some spec changes to suit the terrain:
1. Get some off-road tyres (amber wall is a must-have)
2. Find and fit a slightly longer, lower reach stem
3. Swap out the Turbo saddle and fit my old Flite (from 1993)
Here are the before and after shots:
Before:
After:
Tyres are Smoke/Dart. I also got a set of Panaracer GravelKing SK that I will try. For the stem, I couldn't find a Tioga T-Bone or similar in the size I needed, so I got a 'zoom' branded stem - it does the job and fits well. The flight saddle is still comfortable and has been tidied up to remove the various scuffs and battle scars.