Wow! For the first time in ages, I’ve purchased a complete bike from a manufacturer.
It’s a surprising fact that this is the first time in 20 years I’ve bought a manufacturer’s complete bike for personal use.
Hello, this is Tanaka.
#MyFirstBike
Thinking back 27 years, the first complete bike I bought with my own money was a Schwinn mountain bike I got while studying abroad in the U.S.
I needed a bike for commuting to school, and it was a polished entry-level mountain bike with a 20% off tag at a local bike shop. Thanks to the environment in Seattle, it served not only as my daily commuter but also as a partner on bike trails, invited by friends I met locally. We shared many precious experiences together in America.
After returning to Japan, like a typical Japanese person, I got obsessed with customization. After experiencing numerous eccentric part swaps, my slow-moving brain finally began to understand the meaning of "complete bike specs," so I returned it to its original state, just like it was when I bought it.
Since then, it was used for commuting for a few years until my father retired, and now it sits proudly on the second floor of Circles as a precious memory.
Because I have such an important early experience with a bicycle, I always keep in mind that a first bike is undoubtedly a special memory for everyone, and I always try to be especially attentive when dealing with first-time customers.
Important things when choosing a bike
After that, I was fortunate to meet various cycling elites with a wealth of experience, and most of the bikes I owned gradually changed to custom handmade bikes made in Japan or the U.S.
However, I can assert that knowing the bicycles proposed by complete bike manufacturers is the quickest and most important way to understand the current state of the cycling world. This time, I’d like to explain how someone buying a bike for the first time should think about choosing one, including an introduction to the bike I just bought.
Personally, there is one thing I always nag everyone about when it comes to choosing a bike.
That is, before "knowing the bike," you must first "know yourself."
Whether you are a customer looking to own your first bike or a confused cyclist having trouble with a bike you already own, I believe it is necessary to ask yourself what you want to do with a bike, or what you wanted to do with it.
Where do you want to go? What is the purpose? How often will you ride per week? What is your physique? What is your personality? What is your favorite color? It is extremely important to have pure feelings about fully utilizing the bike, and I can assert that there is no need to prioritize superfluous knowledge like brand names or part grades at the very beginning.
This applies to more than just bikes, but the reason many people choose the wrong tools is that they cram too much knowledge, listen too much to others' opinions, or try to show off... It’s important to fully use your tools, and there is much you will see only after you have used them up. I recommend you let your imagination run wild about how you will live a richer life using that bike.
If you come to Circles with such a pure image in your head, we will do our best to draw out that information through conversation and provide the best and most "reason-able" bike for each person's feelings. We believe this is the eternal theme and mission of Circles as a bike shop.
I’ve gone off on a tangent, but there are many reasons why Circles chooses not to deal with so-called big-name manufacturers' complete bikes. I’ll leave that aside for now and focus on the story of KONA, a mid-tier manufacturer, and the bike I bought this time.
Meeting KONA
Back in Japan, when I started to get really "hooked" on cycling, I remember being interested in a chromoly hardtail mountain bike model KONA was selling called the "EXPROSIF." I got a complete bike and rode the heck out of it.
The frame had simple XC MTB geometry and used True Temper OX chromoly tubing, which wasn't often adopted by other companies. The first model I bought had Ritchee drop ends on the rear, but as seen in the photo above, later model changes evolved into a sliding end system, which is relatively common for modern chromoly frames. Depending on my mood at the time, I would evolve it? into a pure XC bike, sometimes a suspension-equipped single speed, and finally a full rigid single speed bike, and I played with it as much as I possibly could. Therefore? The frame often developed cracks, and I ended up going through a total of three EXPROSIFs of different model years. My encounter with this bike remains a wonderful memory of my cycling life to this day, and it also serves as a source of reliable experience that will continue into the future.
From the past to the present, almost all the big manufacturers in the world prioritize racing promotions to increase sales, focusing on geometry and specs geared toward winning, and finally, using "cosmetics" painting conscious of trends—much like fashion—to differentiate and promote their products as if they were something completely different. However, I believe the way the market works is changing significantly now due to the movement started by cyclists who loved bikes in a style completely different from the general market's image—that is, the emergence of the "Third Wave" (small-scale enthusiast manufacturers) represented by Surly.
On the other hand, I believe KONA as a brand has been on a slightly different path from the bike philosophies thought up by those big manufacturers since back then. KONA’s core design philosophy is centered on how to make any style of ride a fun experience. This is reflected in their choice of materials that prioritize "durability" over "lightness"—the truly important specs required when amateur cyclists go out and play—(which is also evidenced by the fact that they continue to produce chromoly complete bikes even now, despite being a mass-production manufacturer that needs to produce a certain volume). They also make bold decisions, such as deliberately not manufacturing categories of bikes that fall outside their essence. I have always recognized them as a manufacturer that practices unique, yet essential, craftsmanship that cherishes the basics of how general cyclists use their bikes.
The KONA I bought
And so, for the first time in about 20 years, I finally bought a complete bike from KONA's recent lineup with my own money. It’s the DEW—for a "bike lover," it might be described as an unremarkable entry-level cross bike.
I had a sneaking suspicion, but after taking a good look at it, the bike specs for the DEW were truly impressive.
It features an appropriately lightweight aluminum frame with the durability expected of a daily-use cross bike, paired with an original chromoly fork. In recent years, they deliberately changed the wheel size from 700c to 650b plus-size, and by lengthening the top and head tubes, they adopted a bike geometry that exudes even more of an "earthy" vibe, resulting in a bike design almost identical to the adventure bikes with wide drop bars and dropper posts that many other companies have been releasing lately.
Furthermore, they standard-equipped the frame's top tube and chromoly fork with numerous extra eyelets. In other words, it has transformed into a luxurious, modern "cross bike" that is highly functional and caters to multiple purposes, provided you "know how to use it."
| SIZE | S | M | L | XL | |
| 1 | ST LENGTH | 420 | 470 | 520 | 580 |
| 2 | TT LENGTH | 550 | 597 | 636 | 686 |
| 3 | REACH | 398 | 423 | 439 | 465 |
| 4 | STACK | 569 | 607 | 644 | 682 |
| 5 | STANDOVER | 687 | 722 | 757 | 798 |
| 6 | HT ANGLE | 70.0 | 70.0 | 70.0 | 70.0 |
| 7 | HT LENGTH | 135 | 175 | 215 | 255 |
| 8 | ST ANGLE | 75.0 | 74.0 | 73.0 | 72.0 |
| 9 | CS LENGTH | 450 | 450 | 450 | 450 |
| 10 | BB DROP | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 |
| 11 | BB HEIGHT | 272 | 272 | 272 | 272 |
| 12 | WHEELBASE | 1077 | 1116 | 1146 | 1185 |
| 13 | FRONT CENTER | 636 | 675 | 705 | 744 |
| 14 | FORK LENGTH | 410 | 410 | 410 | 410 |
| 15 | FORK OFFSET | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
Recently, because many complete bikes use disc brakes, the "no-category" trend in sports bikes is advancing, and various crossover frames and complete bikes are appearing on the market one after another.
In the midst of this, this KONA DEW is naturally a great first bike for many beginners because, even if you don’t know what you want to do yet, its deep capacity means you’ll be able to do almost anything in the future, and that includes its price range.
Furthermore, I believe it has the potential to be the best bike even for pure cyclists who have already understood the "essence of riding a bike," "bike design," and even the "freedom a bicycle holds."
BIKE OF MINE
It is very important, so I will state it again here: the true value of a bicycle is something that should be chosen correctly according to one's personal "demands" based on "regionality" and "preferences," and if possible, by actually riding it and "having your own honest impressions." I decided to purchase this DEW to understand the depth of this complete bike and to learn about the current state of complete bikes. I do have my own personal aesthetic, so after staring at the bike specs for a while, I decided to give it my own light custom touch. I would like to introduce that below.
As I mentioned, I have a certain standing, so of course, I want to reflect my own preferences—such as the bike's appearance and usability—correctly onto the bike.
The base components of this DEW are from Shimano, a brand of absolute reliability. I know from my current needs that the original specs will serve me well, so I won't be changing anything for now. (I don't think it’s ever too late to change things after you’ve learned to use it fully and your sensibilities have matured. Or, it's the perfect time to make changes if you get too excited and break something!)
Even more important is correcting my positioning. For that, I’ve added custom touches to the handlebars, stem, seat post, and the wiring—which slightly affects both styling and performance—using SimWorks by NISSEN cables for both decoration and improved sensitivity.
And the Little Nick Alloy, a new product from SimWorks by NITTO, features a handlebar shape that is a long-time favorite of mine, so I made that the centerpiece of the build.
For the stem and seat post, I picked out parts from our ally, Paul Component, even though it was a bit pricey, to bring out the earthy frame design. By choosing the theme color for this year, the Blue Collection, I’m patting myself on the back for having that good old West Coast vibe.
The pedals are TACO PEDALS from SimWorks by MKS, which go well with the earthy vibe. I’m proud to say they are pedals with a wide surface area and great grip.
I’ve been able to take a bit more time off lately, so moving forward, I’m planning on potentially adding bar-end controllers from microShift to keep options open for wide drop bars or even a dropper post, and I’d be happy if I could use this for some light touring.
The best season of the year is starting, so I’m really looking forward to riding in this style, but we always have DEW test bikes available at the store. If you’ve read this blog and are interested, please come by and experience it for yourself!
Not just KONA, but ever since our founding, Circles has chosen products that are inherently excellent to propose to our customers.
From SURLY, CRUST, and recently BIKE FRIDAY and BASSI, to the custom handmade frames that are truly the place you should all eventually arrive at, all these bikes should be chosen according to your regionality, playing style, and usage. We, the people at Circles, always want to help you solve your problems. If you have any concerns, questions, or doubts, we are happy to answer them in the store or via email. I think you’ll find plenty of hints at Circles to make your bike life even better, so I hope you will come visit us.
We are looking forward to your visit.
