The Rove Ltd and Sutra Ltd bikes are big-time staff favorite bikes here at Kona. I mean they are built to OUR dream spec basically. So we really, really love seeing just how customers make them their own. Zach Wist AKA The Bearded Bike Packer, has changed pretty much every component on his stock Rove Ltd,  as he’s built his own Kona Dream Build, I think that rear mech might be original? We reached out to Zach to see what he had to say about the bike and his motivation for building it.

Inspiration for this build was absolute flexibility, with where I can ride while taking advantage of multiple cycling disciplines. The Rove LTD is everything I need to succeed in commuting, bike touring and bike packing, and is completely capable for cyclocross and blasting through single-track. I come from a predominantly mountain biking background, to keep happy on the road, I also want to be able to leave it!

The Rove LTD is a steel frame with a carbon fork, so I decided I would keep the two very polar components as part of the theme. A steel frame with carbon everywhere else for weight savings and to help minimize chatter. While I’m on the subject of chatter, this is a grand opportunity to talk about 650B road. It’s amazing. My forty mile commute days have become completely ironed out. There are areas on my commute where I used to grin and grip, now they’ve become much more tolerable, in fact, they aren’t even a problem anymore. The higher volume tires allow me to roll over every imperfection without feeling much at the bars.

I chose FSA products because the US office is based out of Mukilteo, WA and I have a thing about supporting as local as I can get. Their components are top notch and their customer service is stellar, Kona is based just up the road as well.

FSA’s New AGX (Adventure Gravel Cross) line falls under the road category. With that comes the new FSA K-Wing AGX handlebar which is incredibly ergonomic. It’s full carbon with a slight flare in the drops, perfect for managing the bike on single-track mountain bike trails.

From head to toe:
FSA K-Wing AGX handlebar w/ FSA powergrip tape
FSA K-Force Stem
FSA SL-K Wheelset
FSA SL-K Modular road crank, hacked with the 34T FSA Afterburner modular chainring
FSA K-Force Light Chain
FSA K-Force Light seatpost
Brooks B17 Imperial Saddle
WTB Byway tires
Crank Brothers Candy Pedals

Luggage and extras:
Ortlieb Handlebar bag w/ accessory bag
Ortlieb frame bag
Ortlieb Seatpost bag
Ellum Bagworks Hitchhiker Stem bag
Planet Bike fenders, because PNW.
Two Fish stap-on bottle cages w/steel bottles