We haven't had the pleasure of testing a Kona road bike before so had a totally open mind when the Lisa Supreme RD landed on the doorstep, a bit of a treat since we were expecting the lower priced, but still very desirable Lisa RD!

Kona are not known firstly for their road bikes, but with subsequent testing and some very pleasurable riding we're now thinking perhaps they should be! We showed the Lisa Supreme off to our mountain bike and roadie friends and all but the die-hard roadie traditionalists liked the modern looks and styling of the frame.

According to the Kona website the Lisa road bikes are “Ridden by the Northern California all women's race team, Velo Bella, the Lisa RD Supreme is our focus in getting women on a design that compliments their natural form and position. By using lightweight Dedacciai Hydroform Aluminum with Carbon seat stays, these bikes are specifically designed for women's road racing.” We haven't seen the team in action, although a trip to California is a damn fine idea, we can see why the bikes were a good choice for the team.

Frame

The frame has tubing of varying shapes and sizes thanks to the Dedacciai Hydroform Aluminum tubes. They are tapered and butted to reduce weight and enhance the feel of the ride, plus the down tube is more angular and shaped like you'd find on some modern road bikes now. With carbon seat and chain stays the damping from road noise is great and there's a nice snappy feel to the ride when you put power down too. The combination of alu and carbon provides a ride that combines the best of both worlds without compromising on weight or feel.

FSA crankset and note the down tube shape

We've already commented on the styling and looks of the Lisa Supreme RD and to some it isn't a traditional looking road bike, the tubing is shaped in a way that's reminiscent of mountain bike styling yet the rear stays are beautifully sculptured and match the forks in their sweeping nature. A nice mix of modern and traditional shapes and styling that works well.

Components

With everything to do with road bikes the more you pay the lighter and better the components are, same goes for the frame too, the components here are well suited to a £2300 bike and were ready for race action. Certainly corners have not been cut by adding cheap or no-name components, everything spec'd on the Lisa Supreme RD is race worthy and totally reliable. There's hardly anything we'd think to change on this bike were we to own it, which is a rare situation should the truth be told.

Everything from the Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheelset to the Shimano Ultegra derailleurs, brakes and shifters is totally reliable and pretty lightweight too, so you won't be let down on the final sprint to the line or on a long training ride miles from home.

Probably our favourite component on the Lisa Supreme is the sexy looking FSA SLK Carbon Compact MegaExo crankset, weighing in at 780g including the bottom bracket. We relish the compact sizing of the chainrings (34/50) which are 100% CNC machined 7075, just what you need for a good cadence whether your on home roads or in the Alps.

Carbon seat and chain stays

Back to the wheelset for a second, the Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels are solid and no nonsense wheels, we've had a pair for years and they've withstood winter training, numerous pothole incidents and town riding disasters too. Considering that and the weight, not seriously lightweight but a respectable 845g for the front and 995g for rear, you'd have to really want to splash some cash to upgrade to any higher priced Mavic wheelsets for a reduction of 250-300g for the wheelset, it's almost a £1 spend per 1g saving. So in conclusion the Ksyrium Equipe are a very good choice and reliable too, great for training and racing unless you're an Elite rider who needs every weight saving advantage on offer.

Finishing kit is interesting too, mostly FSA in terms of seat post, stem and handlebars. You can read more about the FSA Wing Pro Shallow bars and the subtle wing profile for comfort on the 'tops' and reduced fatigue whilst on the drops here. A brief run down is that they have a much shallower drop than standard bars and the ones spec'd on the Lisa Supreme are pretty narrow too.

In fact we found the 36cm (centre to centre) a bit too narrow in general, and particularly when climbing out of the saddle. Not all girls like narrow bars or have busts that accommodate a narrow bar, but this is a very personal preference just like saddles. In that department the saddle is a good choice, many women like the Selle Italia Lady SE saddle. Both saddles and handlebar width are things you can change pretty easily at the bike shop upon purchase so we tend not to get put off by contact points that might not be to our exact preference. Kona should however be complimented on the attention to detail in this area, as the saddle is a good choice for women riders and so are the shallow drop bars which aid small hands reaching for levers.

Ride

Our 51cm frame fitted us pretty well, being a bright colour it looked larger than it's measurements actually are, the length was good and we noticed we rode on the drops much more than usual. The bar height was quite high but there was room to lower it should you want a more streamlined position, plus thanks to the bars and drops being a more shallow profile we noticed less shoulder ache and fatigue. Our hands also felt less battered on really long rides and reach for the bars is easier too. Note that the Shimano Ultegra levers fitted were not the adjustable reach variety ( proving that bar shape can reduce reach too.

The frame felt really comfortable to ride, the carbon providing damping from road buzz and the forks matched the feeling for the front end too. Geometry is good, giving a stable and responsive ride with a good turning circle too. The general handling felt regular and precise and once we were used to the narrow bars we enjoyed climbing too, one point we did like about the narrow bars was that turning and tight cornering was easier due to less stretch with the outward arm.

Descending was really fun on the Lisa Supreme, the bike glides along at top speed and feels solid and confidence inspiring, whilst on the drops we felt really stable and well balanced too. Often descending and cornering on the drops can be daunting to riders who haven't had years of experience but we think the Lisa will change that.

The more we rode the Lisa the more we enjoyed it, with a slightly wider pair of bars (although we wouldn't move away from the FSA Wing Pro's and their shallow drop) to suit our preference we really can't pick fault with the bike or price. We can understand that the looks and colour choice may not be everyone's cup of tea, but when a bike rides this good we put that first any day. And to be fair most riders looking at a Kona may well be mountain bikers and, like us, find the looks and paint job highly refreshing!

Verdict A thoroughly enjoyable ride with great spec and a good weight. A ready to race bike that really is ready for the start line. Nice to see there are no cheap parts hidden away or any corners cut by Kona. We liked the rider position and felt it offered plenty of adjustability for whatever riding you're into. The frame is lightweight and responsive, when you need to put the power down the results are pretty instant, yet comfort is not overlooked. Price: £2300 Website: www.konabikes.co.uk Weight: Frame: Dedacciai Hydroform Aluminum w/Carbon Stays Fork: Dedacciai Black Force 4 Handlebar: FSA Wing Pro Shallow OS (Short Reach) Stem: FSA OS-150XT Seatpost: FSA SL-280 Saddle: Selle Italia Lady SE Crankset: FSA SLK Carbon Compact MegaExo (34/50) BBset: Shimano Ultegra Rear derailleur: Shimano Ultegra Front derailleur: Shimano Ultegra Brake: Shimano 105 Brake lever/shifters Shimano Ultegra 10 Cassette Sprocket: Shimano Ultegra 10 Chain: Shimano Ultegra 10 Wheelset: Mavic Ksyrium Equipe Tyres:Continental UltraRace FB 700x23C Colour: Orange/Carbon Size: 44, 46, 49, 51, 53cm (we tested 51cm, perfect for 5'5” rider) Photo Gallery FSA Wing Pro Shallow OS bar Dedacciai Black Force 4 carbon fork in Kona colours to match the frame