Kona Sutra LTD vs Surly Grappler
Both published charts held against each other, on the specs that decide what the bike carries.
The short answer
The Grappler is ahead on frame bag space, tire clearance and price. Nothing here goes the other way.
Assembled from the differences below rather than written over them, so it cannot drift from the table. Every figure is the manufacturer's; nobody here has ridden either bike.
Where they differ
4 of the 7 things we can compare come out differently. The rest are close enough not to decide anything.
Frame bag space
136 cm² more on the GrapplerFront-triangle area at the largest size, computed from stack, reach and seat angle. It is what decides how much full-frame bag you can run, and a frame bag is the one place weight sits low and central.
Widest published tire
19mm more on the GrapplerThe frame figure, not the fork's — forks are routinely cut for more rubber than the rear triangle. Loaded, tire width is also seat-pack clearance: a big tire and a sagging pack compete for the same space.
Chainstay
20mm longer on the Sutra LTDThe gap between seat tube and rear axle, which a rack, panniers and your heels all share. Longer is more room for a load; shorter is a more compact bike. Which you want is a preference, not a winner.
From
$650 between themManufacturer's cheapest complete build. Every spec above belongs to the frame and does not change between builds of the same model, so the cheapest build of the right frame is usually the right answer.
Side by side
Including the rows where the two are level, because a spec that doesn't separate them is still a spec you might be checking.
| Kona Sutra LTD | Surly Grappler | |
|---|---|---|
| Frame bag space | 1564 cm² | 1700 cm² |
| Widest published tire | 57mm on 700c / 29in | 64mm on 700c / 29in, 76mm on 650b / 27.5in |
| Rear rack | Not published | Not published |
| Fork cargo mounts | Published | Published |
| Frame bottle positions | 2 | not published as a count |
| Chainstay | 445mm | 425mm |
| From | $2,299 | $1,649 |
| Sizes | 6 | 5 |
| Frame | Kona Cromoly Butted | 4130 Chromoly steel |
Drawn to scale
Largest published size of each, built from the charts rather than illustrated. The front triangle is the part that decides frame bag fit.
