'13 Kos Kruiser

[BDC]

Went out for a skid and a few hops on the Kos earlier tonight. The Hookworms are great tyres. They work well on or off pavement and for such big balloons the bike turns really quickly. They are made for the big hits too.

So far changed Handlebars, saddle, seat post, chain wheel, chain, grips, tyres, added chain tensioners, and a bunch of stickers.
The lights are LED with rubber strap mount for whatever bike I'm using that night. It's a fun ride that can take a bit of abuse.

This is it in Track Mode with pads, plate and Halo H Block rubber - which I like and are are good for dirt and off road. Too buzzy for much pavement use though.

And Stock - The day I bought it with quite aggressive knobbies that I ended up putting on my MTB for off roading.

Stock Specs:

Frame: 26" Kruiser 100% 4130 Chromoly Double-Butted 22.75" Top Tube

Fork: Full Chromoly Kruiser, 1 1/8"

Crank: Full Chromoly 48-spline 3-piece tubular 175mm

Bottom Bracket: Sealed, Euro, 19mm

Cog Set: ACS Crossfire Chromoly 18t freewheel

Chain: KMC Z510HX

Front Derailleur: N/A

Rear Derailleur: N/A

Wheels Size: 928

Rims: Sun Rhyno Lite XL doublewall 36 Hole

Hubs: Pro-Class "Son-Lite" Alloy with 3/8" chromoly axle, sealed bearing, 36 Hole

Rear Hub: Pro-Class "Son-Lite" Alloy with 3/8" chromoly axle, sealed bearing, 36 Hole

Tires: Carlisle Aggressor 26 x 2.5 (F) 26 x 2.1 (R) (Which is not what it came with - both were 2.5")

Pedals: Alloy DX Platform

Brake: Avid Single Digit 3 V-Brake

Handlebar: Full Chromoly 7.1" Rise

Stem: Top Load double-clamp 50mm reach

Headset: Tange Threadless integrated sealed, 1 1/8"

Brake Levers: F&R Avid FR5

Crankset Chainwheel: 40t alloy _Motomag_ design

Spokes: 14G Stainless

Grips: BMX Products mongoose "Factory Grips", mongoose Californian Padset

Saddle: Viscount Padded

Seat Post: Chromoly, 27.2 x 350

Headtube angle:
69.5
Seattube angle:
70
Toptube length:
22.75
Headtube size:
1-1/8"

 

[RustyGold]

Good looking KOS! I'm partial to your 'track mode'...looks great.

Jason

 

[HOOSIERCYCLES]

Beautiful Job! I wish they produce another run of these desirable Cruiser!

 

[gowjobs]

Good looking KOS! I'm partial to your 'track mode'...looks great.

Jason

x2. White Halos on black wheels looks like business.

 

[BDC]

Yeah - I know - the Halos look great - my preference looks-wise too. But at the moment I ride it off tarmac very little and I'm a bit spoiled by the Thick Slicks on my STR and the Halo H-Blocks that I currently have on the Kona conversion. Both are very smooth rolling rubber like the Hookworms. Going back to a knobby on the bike paths feels a lot more 'buzzy' than it normally would after time on the slicks and road oriented rubber.

 

[BDC]

I had a slow leak in the front (Maxxis hookworm) tyre.
I really like the way the Hookworms ride, they are very smooth rollers with great feel, but boy, that big wire bead is a ^@%# to break for fixing a puncture etc.
I busted two plastic tyre levers getting the front off and had to resort to my metal motorcycle levers - which aren't kind to the painted rims - to get the repair job done.

So I ordered some Halo Twin Rail rubber like I have on my Kona MTB convert.
They are similar looking to the white H-blocks that I had on this bike previously - but they are a more road oriented tyre that rolls almost as smoothly as the Hookworms - but still has a deeper side tread for when you do go off pavement. They are an excellent compromise - with a puncture resistant layer too.

 

[RustyGold]

Love the Halos! They are getting very hard to get in the States. I'll probably be ordering through the UK (or Aus... Depending on exchange rates and shipping ).

Jason

 

[BDC]

Love the Halos! They are getting very hard to get in the States. I'll probably be ordering through the UK (or Aus... Depending on exchange rates and shipping ).

Jason

I get mine from chainreactioncycles.com. 4 days to deliver - Northern Ireland to Aus. Usually quicker than a local online store.

 

[RustyGold]

I've ordered from them as well...weird that I can get parts from them shipped from the UK cheaper than I can get the same parts from Stateside shops/sites. I ain't complaining...just strange .

Jason