The Unit was the first bike I built with an XT 11-speed drivetrain, which to date has performed flawlessly. I have since upgraded two other bikes to 11-speed.
The XT rear derailleur features a clutch to minimize chainslap and dropped chains. The downside is the clutch adds some resistance at the shift lever and slows shifting performance a bit. I don't care for either of these trade-offs since the bike is often on smooth roads. I have yet to use the clutch on this bike, but I have never dropped the chain.
Part of the credit goes to the Race Face narrow-wide chainring. I have these on a few bikes, and they have been excellent at chain retention.
The shifters can be a little stiff and clunky at first. Fear not, they break in after a few rides and produce smooth, effortless shifts.
The TRP Spyke brakes were new to me on this bike. I think they are better at modulation and are much quieter than Avid BB7 brakes. Since both pads move, they are also easier to adjust and center. The downside is the pad adjusters tend to back out over time and require touch-up here and there. Thankfully adjustment is simple.
So far I have put over 3500 miles on this bike, enough to burn through three tires, a set of brake pads and a set of grips. The riding position couldn't be more perfect. I am really comfortable on this bike.
Somewhere along the way I replaced the narrow Mavic TN719 rims with Race Face Arc 35s. The extra width and air volume is a huge plus on a rigid bike.
The frame has three water bottle mounts, which allows me to carry enough water for long rides in the summer. There are also two mounts on the fork.
The frame is 27+ capable, but so far I have only used it in 29er mode.
I only have one complaint about the frame, and that is the ridiculous rear derailleur cable routing. It runs along the downtube, under the bottom bracket, and along the chainstay. I had to zip tie the cable to a water bottle cage to keep it from hitting the chainring. This routing wasn't used on the 2016 version and was quickly scrapped for the 2018 version.
Most bikes have some annoying characteristic that makes me yearn for something better, but the Kona has been a pleasure to ride. It will likely hang on the wall for many years.
Later.
