Trying to decide between these two bikes:
https://rideonlineca.konaworld.com/road-bikes/platform-libre/2019-libre.html
Price at LBS is basically the same. Interested in mostly gravel riding with some occasional bikepacking. Can’t find many opinions on the libre and since I can’t test ride bikes due to covid 19 I am looking for some input.
I haven’t ridden the Kona, but based on the specs, it seems to lean more towards the bike packing / backwoods setup (650 wheels, more upright position) and the Giant is going to be a more traditional gravel bike that also works well on the road (700c wheels, lower front end).
Substantially different bikes, IMO. Just depends on which better fits your primary need.
Don’t know if you’ve made your choice but I just made this decision, went with the Giant due to the gravel I’m looking at being pretty easy and a fair bit of road connecting it.
Also wasn’t happy the geo of the Kona, that extra 6cm of stack put me off it
I ended up going with the Kona. I have been happy with it so far. It handles well on both the gravel and the road. The geometry works pretty well for me with the extra stack. I am quite tall, but have -2 ape index so sometimes the super aggressive stack doesn’t fit me very well. I did a 200 mile ride on it yesterday, and other than a sore butt it was a very comfortable position over that long of a distance.
Just wanted to add to this, in case anyone has an interest in purchasing a Kona Libre. There aren’t many reviews out there for this bike. I have to say, I’m extremely impressed with my Libre CRDL. The thing is an absolute beast off road. Check out Kerry Werner’s YouTube for his build.