For a number of years I have always had the mindset of getting a new bike and/or frame annually to change things up and try something new. However, this past year I was riding a Kona Entourage in a number of locations and of all the bikes I have previously owned not one has been so versatile. So for this year I abandoned my previous way of thinking and decided to make a few small changes to the bike that would make me feel like I was riding something brand new.
Said bike circa April 2012
One thing that always bugged me about the bike was the colour. I have always been a fan of stealth bikes and decided that this would be the biggest detail I would address in the remodel. I got the frame painted at Dynapro Coatings which is located in the North Richmond region and the whole thing cost approx. $150 which included sandblasting the old paint. I would highly recommend these guys to anyone looking to get their frame powder coated. They were easy to deal with, professional and the overall job looked great.
After the paint was laid.
I changed a few small details in the part spec as well including some RaceFace Atlas Cranks for some weight savings, a Rock Shox turncoat for a cleaner cockpit and the added ability to barspin and a Bontrager G5 tire in the rear which replaced a High Roller as the price was right. Which can be seen below.
Bike as is.
The build comes in at exactly 35 pounds on the nose for now and sometime when I am not so lazy I will probably run it tubeless. Until then I am more than happy with how the bike turned out and look forward to riding it for another season.
Photo cred to my iPhone, Instagram and Morgan Taylor.