- For comfort, it's the Brooks B67s saddle without a doubt. Especially since it's broken in now. It's so comfortable I hardly notice it.
- For handling, the Misfit FME handlebar is the ticket. It feels better balanced, but I lose some of the sit up riding position.
- For extra speed, the Specialized FatBoy 1.25" tires helps me ride faster with less effort compared to the original tires.
- For utility, the milk crate is hard to beat. It carries more than the front basket, and it can be removed/installed easily.
- The icing on the cake is the Kool Stop Thinline (salmon) brake pads. The improvement is awesome.
The best upgrade of all time is proper bike set-up. Once everything is dialed in, riding feels so much better. I had to ride often, and be self aware to know what needs adjusting/changing.
nice to find another Africa Bike person! I am in Hamilton. Mine has lost its bell, back lock, front fender by the time it became my bike (I am #3 in the ownership lineage!) did not have any brackets on the front for mounting anything like a front basket or lights, so I assume the front basket was also cannibalized. None the less, my bike is so lovely and I am so happy to have this!
ReplyDeleteI am looking for any of these lost parts or suggestions where I can find old parts for a new use on mine. cowallee at univmail.cis. mcmaster.ca
Thanks for the great tip on tires! and brake pads
Hi archival survival!
DeleteI'm glad you found some useful info here. Unfortunately, I don't know where you'll be able to find the original factory parts. You can try contacting Kona directly, but I don't think it'll be cheap if they'll even sell it to you.
If you're okay with any used part, I'd suggest checking out a local community bicycle workshop (New Hope Co-op). I'll email you in a bit with what I have.