The Purchase

I pulled some reviews from the internet and read up on what the industry thought about the Ute when it was introduced.  Here are some of those reviews; Gear Junkie, Dirt Rag, Bike Hugger, and Bike Radar. After reading the comments I am convinced that I am on the right track.

I did an quick search on Craigslist and found exactly one Kona Ute, a 2009 model two and a half hours away.  After some back and forth with the seller I decided it was worth a look.  Tuesday I drove up and several miles and $460 later I am the proud owner of this bike.

Completely stock 2009 Kona Ute with two exceptions; the handlebar grips have been replaced and several reflective stickers (penguins and polar bears) have been added. The Ritchie grips are OK, but the stickers have to go.  A little Goo Gone will fix those.

The deal included two Kona panniers made for this bike.

When I got home from work on Wednesday I went for a spin.  I was giggling like a little girl before I got around the corner (well, at least on the inside)!  I had completely forgotten what it is like to ride upright actually looking at the world around you. Sweet!

Research

I experienced pulling my kids in a trailer on several occasions when they were small and I knew that I was not fond of dragging an anchor. I followed a link from the Pebble Pedalers blog to Xtracycle and entered the world of the cargo bike.

Over the next two evenings I looked at the Yuba Mundo, Xtracycle Cargo Joe, Surly Big Dummy and some others that turned out to be commercial/industrial types. They seemed overkill for what I have in mind (I have never carried 300+ pounds of camping gear for myself).

Then I ran across the Kona Ute.  This looks more like a one person camper!

The Decision

My 49th birthday brought on a small bit of introspection and I took some time trying to decide how to celebrate my 50th. I soon decided to go on a long-ish bike ride combining it with my love of camping. And that gives me an excuse to really get my geek on putting together a bike that can carry me and my gear and maybe have some mercy on my body.

I had not really considered bicycle camping until I followed the Pebble Pedalers as they made their way from Alaska to Argentina (I was living in Peru at the time) and was captivated by their choice of bikes for the journey (Surly Big Dummy).

Putting the two together I recently started searching for a long tail that might fit what I want to do :)