Kona’s titanium Rove cyclocross & gravel bike seen at Sea Otter 2014. Frame only is $2000. © Cyclocross Magazine
Kona is no stranger to titanium, having made titanium hardtail mountain bikes starting in the ’90s, so with the ti market for ’cross and gravel—think bombproof bikes that can withstand almost anything—growing, the company decided it was time to get utilize the super metal to create a new gravel bike in the form of the titanium Rove.
Kona’s titanium Rove cyclocross & gravel bike seen at Sea Otter 2014. © Cyclocross Magazine
The Rove isn’t new to the lineup, as Kona launched the model back in 2013 with a steel frame and fork. Designed for ride-anywhere cyclists and gravel racers, not necessarily cyclocross purists, the geometry is similar to Kona’s Jake series cyclocross geometry, but with a 5mm lower bottom bracket and 5mm longer chainstays.
TRP’s HY/RD hydraulic disc brake, titanium dropouts with IS disc brake mounts and fender mounts. © Cyclocross Magazine
Of course, Kona isn’t a stranger to cyclocross, and the high-end carbon Super Jake was just reviewed as one of our favorite bikes in Issue 24—it also won one of the Editors’ Choice Awards for high-end race bike in the same issue. The one complaint we had on the Super Jake was that the bottom bracket was a bit high, so for those in agreement with our tester, the Rove might be a better option with its 6.5cm drop that hits the sweet spot.
Full rack mounts on Kona’s titanium Rove cyclocross & gravel bike seen at Sea Otter 2014. © Cyclocross Magazine
The titanium version of the Rove will be available as frame only for $2000, and those of you familiar with titanium will know the name of the company tasked with making the frames: the Rove will be made in Tennessee by Lynskey. The full carbon disc fork from Kona will also be available at only $400.
We’re hoping to put this update of the Rove through the cyclocross (and gravel) paces soon. With the line between cyclocross and gravel racing bikes being blurry if not invisible, finding a bike that can do both well is a fun goal for the or cyclist who tackles both.
Check out the slideshow below for more details on the 2015 titanium Kona Rove.
Kona 2015 Titanium Rove Gravel / Cyclocross Bike Photo Gallery:
[Gallery not found]Check out all of our tech goodies from Sea Otter 2014, and keep checking as we start to get rolling into the long weekend.
