The 2023 Kona Rove is a gravel bike ready for all-road and mixed terrain day trips and bikepacking alike. It’s stable and graciously handles whatever conditions you’re riding through. Plus, it’s just outright a great looking bike (for those who are into great paint details and components that glint!) For someone just trying all-terrain biking as well as for those who are seasoned veterans, the Rove warrants consideration.
I’m as guilty as the next for coming up with grand illusions around what a bike will feel like given its make, construction, and the “normal” ride aesthetic of the brand. My higher self wants to avoid having that bias, because you can’t judge a bike by it’s cover… or however the saying goes. So, in this review, I’ll use rationalization and aim for a report of my personal experience with the Kona Rove after being gifted the opportunity to ride it for a summer bikepacking trip. Heron Head Bikes, located at 120 Morrell St. in Brantford, offered me the opportunity to test ride it on an excursion to Wilewood in Norfolk County – a forest and farm property offering fresh produce, rustic glamping, artist studios, and dedicated bikepacking sites. Located a stone’s throw from the Trans Canada Trail, my trek would take me along the TH&B rail trail through Mount Pleasant, past Scotland, and into the forested Creekside campsite booked through Hipcamp. Below is a distillation of my notes from this great riding experience.
The Rove handled well along the rail trail, being more of a straight line and typically a flat terrain. The downhill and uphill experiences were few and far between on the way to Wilewood. For my trip back, I rerouted, taking county roads that brought me up over rail overpasses, and along farm fields and merging rural lanes that presented opportunities to shift gears – easily done and well handled by the bike. It did all the work, while I rode almost effortlessly. The Rove was laden with a sleeping bag at the handlebars, a tent along the cross bar, and a dry bag containing clothing and food for my first time bikepacking. I’m not ashamed to say this Kona handled better than its rider did initially. Then, while cruising, it felt very comfortable and I felt confident. Based on my distances, terrain and speeds, I can see how it would be easy to be happy on this bike over long rides.
Overall, for the purposes of my bikepacking trip, I enjoyed the Kona Rove in terms of comfort and utility. There was a slight adjustment for me on the tire pressure I was running and the seat post length was set up on pickup at Heron Head Bikes, where Stan (the owner) not only fitted me for the ride but also provided a multi tool on the off chance something could go awry along the route. It took me a bit of getting used to with respect to the shift mechanism (not altogether unfamiliar to gravel bike enthusiasts but completely new to me,) and it handled well, cooperative with the movements of my body, independent of all terrains.
Taking into account that as consumers we typically want a bike that will feel great on a quick gravel ride while also having the capability to gracefully handle 35lbs. of bikepacking gear through long journeys on varying trails to far off destinations (not asking much are we,) in my opinion, Kona has met the mandate optimally with the 2023 Rove. Its well-rounded drop handlebars lower your centre of gravity as you ride, making you more aerodynamic in the process, and its geometry (frame subtleties, angles, and shapes,) aims at neutral handling with big impact – an aggressive-meets-comfort endurance hybrid of sorts.
I honestly would be hard-pressed to imagine a rider who wouldn’t love this bike. As someone testing it fully loaded for a bikepacking trip, I could appreciate its stability, not to mention its sharp presentation, which garnered primo compliments wherever it went, and even sharper handling. Throughout my test, the 2023 Kona Rove met my adventure expectations while also serving well as a fast-pedaling gravel bike experience in practice rides. If you’re in the market for one to suit your needs, visit Heron Head Bikes in Brantford. The experienced and helpful owner/operator and staff offer sales, service, parts, and an abundance of tours, rentals, and information to support your local or long-range bicycling needs, interests, and passions. Plus, a great local bicycle shop like this is the best kind of support to have in your back pocket for amazingly random bikepacking trips out of the blue!
Uncommonly Grand 