The trail goes counter clockwise. The first part is pretty flat, it comes quite close to the road at some parts so you can see and hear the cars. When the track turns east it starts to slowly go downhill and when it turns back west we have an uphill segment with an average gradient of 5% (according to Strava).
Walkthrough
The good
Lights, really good light setup all around the track.
Outdoor gym at the start area
A lot of places to sit around the track.
Clear signs for short-cuts and other information
The bad
Partly very close to road 26. At least the first part, a lot of car noises.
The parking space was a little small and had a lot of large holes in it. Luckily I have a larger car, but I think that it might be a problem for smaller cars.
No lights on the dirt road to and from the parking lot. Actually gets pretty dark here.
They found something blocking my bile duct that they think is cancer. After battling acute pancreatitis in the autumn I was to undergo a Whipple surgery in January, during which they found that they can't do that. As the tumor i too locally advanced, meaning that it has grown in to stuff in my case one of the main veins and arteries going to the liver.
So I am back on chemotherapy after a year without. I decided to start a VLOG on YouTube about it if you are interested in following me on the journey. If not, up to you. : )
How it started this time
Last June (2019) I got severe stomach ache and had to go to the ER one day before a planned adventure biking trip. At first they thought that it was bile stones, but nothing showed on CT-scans. On MRI-scan where they did not see any stones but they saw that the bile duct was blocked by something.
Potato quality photo of MRI showing part of bile duct is blocked by unknown mass.Should be white between the red lines.
At this point the talk starts about cancer. Again. In 2018 I was operated twice for bile duct cancer and they ended up removing half of my liver. Followed by a six month chemotherapy with pills. Doctors at my local hospital told me that there would be another surgery to remove this unknown mass and that they would coordinate with the pancreas team in Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska.
Hence began the waiting game.
23rd of June 2019. Still weighing in at 101. 2.5 kg down since ER.
During the coming weeks I did some more MRI-scans as the Pancreas team wanted some more pictures I guess. On July 12th I received the call that I was scheduled for a Whipple surgery and that I should go to Gothenburg and meet with the doctors there. At this point my eyes and skin have started showing a little yellow tint.
14th of July 2019, 98.5 kg. Continuing downward.
We meet with the doctors the coming week and they say that it is a 6 week queue, they also describe the surgery and that it is a major one that will rewire some of my internal organs. At this point it is evident that I am yellow. And I am itching all over my body.
I receive a date for mid August for the Whipple operation.
Acute Pancreatitis
31st of July 2019, unknown weight, probably less then before.
On the 31st of July I had to call the doctors and say that I needed to come in. I couldn't cope with the itching and I was turning really yellow now and also I felt that my body really wasn't picking up any energy from food anymore. They called back and told me to come in, I was scheduled for a surgery the next day for opening up my bile duct.
At this point you might wonder why didn't they do that from the beginning. Open up the bile duct that was blocked with the help of a plastic pipe. That's what I wondered. During the next few days the yellow vanished and itching stopped and everything got better. Until it didn't.
It turns out that there is a ~5% risk of getting acute pancreatitis with this procedure. And that is what I got.
16th of August 2019, 98 kg
At 10th of August I was up to 106 kg. But this time with fluid building up. They fixed that with diuretic medicine to get rid of the excess fluids. And on Wednesday 21st I weigh in at 93 kg. They cut my antibiotics and sent me home (twice that week).
23rd of August, 93 kg. Happy to be home
On 24th I got back in ER and I was in a really bad shape. It hurt everywhere and I received a ton of painkillers.
28th of August 2019, CRP at 338. This is quite high....
The next week I do not remember anything of, I received painkillers intravenously and deteriorated.
1st of September 2019, High fever, 105 kg
On 2nd of September I was sent to the Intensive Care Unit due to signs of bleeding in the cyst that had formed around my pancreas. I received the first painkiller that actually helped in the form of a spinal anesthesia. I weighed 109 kg
The next evening, on the 3rd after a month at the hospital. I was sent to Gothenburg with ambulance for specialist care.
4th of September, 2019. High on medicine and receiving blood. I did not log any weight during September.
During September I don't remember much, other then the low fluid intake scheme that was in place during the first week. I.e. was not allowed to drink more then 500 ml per day. That was hell.
10th of September 2019. Upper body does not show any extra weight, more like less weight. But stomach and legs were just huge. Regret that I don't have any photo of my legs.
After a couple of weeks in Gothenburg they put in a pipe from my stomach to the cyst around my pancreas to start shrinking it. And I think that was the turning point of sorts, even though I continued to have fevers for a while everyday and fever chills. Longest was 3 hours of uncontrollable fever chills.
22nd of September, another fever night with no sleep
Turns out I didn't record any weight changes during October either. Must have had other things on my mind. But I think I peaked out at 117.5 kg. Last weight without extra fluids was 83 kg. So 24.5 kg of extra fluids in my body. My legs were like tree-trunks and I had a really hard time walking.
When they finally managed to get me to loose the fluids, (daily process that really went on from day one in Gothenburg). I landed at 80 kg. So 37.5 kg loss from the max weight during this time. I have flames as proof.
2nd of October, got help with washing my hair.
5th of October, first time with a chair bike.
First weeks of October I started to be able to walk a little longer, i.e. not just the corridor outside my room but to other parts of the hospital. Just leaving the surgical department was nice as I've been there for so long at this point. But always with a nurse as damn, can't trust my legs.
October was up and down, when bloods started going the correct way my body decided it was time to go on strike. During September all the lab values were skyrocketing but my body was like, I'm fine.
A lot of nausea, vomiting and finally unable both eat and drink. In the end I think that it was my brain, it wanted to get away. The only medicine that helped against the nausea was a pill against worrying. I.e. one that calmed my brain. When that week was over, or was it 2? Can't remember, they sent me back to my local hospital.
25th of October, feeling OK. Hoping to get closer to home in the next week.
2 months in Gothenburg.
I spent the better part of November at the hospital in Skövde. At the end I only needed to go in for antibiotics (that I've been on since August) and was able to sleep at home. That was a huge relief. Three months, three and a half month in a hospital really takes its toll mentally.
7th of November, up and walking with no help
In the end of November they removed the pipe from my stomach to the cyst that had emptied itself successfully.
19th of November, home at last, 82 kg
I was switched over to antibiotics in pill form but when they ended it took two days until I was back at the ER. Totally crashing.
A few day at the hospital again and back home with new antibiotic pills.
After they ended it took a week, the week before Christmas until I crashed again. The doctors said that I was to be on antibiotics until the Whipple surgery was done, so I was allowed home during the day on Christmas, but New Years Eve I spent at the hospital, if I remember correctly I switched rooms when the bell rang due to faulty ventilation.
The Whipple Surgery
On 8th of January 2020 I they did the Whipple surgery in Gothenburg. Or, well they started to do it. But turns out that they were not able to remove the tumor. And thus did not perform the Whipple at all.
Evidently, if they would have tried to forcibly remove it the risk would have been very high that they could have nicked one of the main arteries going into the liver and I would have died there and then. Fun stuff.
I was a little suspicious when I arrived at Post-Op hours before estimated but as I was high on medicine I didn't pay that much of attention.
The next day, still at Post-Op, the operator that performed the surgery came to visit and told me the news. They were not able to remove it and they could not do anything more surgically.
When I got back to my room he visited again, this time when my wife and sister were present. And pretty much told us that better plan for the worst, there is a miracle chance that it might be operable after a chemo treatment but that the chances are close to none. So basically, I will die of this.
They had also switched the plastic pipe to a metal one in my bile duct, hopefully removing the need for antibiotics as the doctors thought that the plastic pipe might be the source.
12th of January, 2020. After failed Whipple surgery
I was sent back to Skövde for recovery and to start chemotherapy.
23rd of January 2020. New glasses
In the weeks to come after the surgery not much happened, I got the flu, my oncology doctor got the flu. Time passed, but then again I could not start the chemo before my surgical wound was healed so I guess it did not matter.
Chemotherapy
This is where we are now. Started chemo a week ago (7th of February) and received my second treatment yesterday.
My oncology doctor says that there is a real chance that chemotherapy should work. He was a little baffled at how the operating surgeon had presented the chances. So that is what I will focus on from here on. That there is a chance, and 3 months of chemo will be pain but At least then we know if it has effect or not.
At this point I've also started a VLOG, if you are interested in following it please head over to youtube! I don't know if I will write more about it on this blog though so the VLOG is where I will update on that subject. And the occasional Instagram photo of course.
One thing that has been a thorn in the side of my Kona Sutra experience was the front derailleur. When I had a mountain bike I converted it to a single narrow wide chainring in the front and got rid of the front derailleur completely. It changed my whole mountain biking experience to something more positive, not having to think about when to go to the small chainring, doing that in the wrong section could prevent you from going back to the large for a long time. And the occasional involuntary downshifts that happened were not fun either.
So, after riding quite a bit of roads and trails I decided to upgrade my Kona Sutra to a single chainring system this winter.
Disclaimer I bought this product myself and this is my opinion on them. I am in no way affiliated with the manufacturer of this product. I like to link to other sites and I am not paid for that.
Gears
Before anyone starts commenting on x3 vs x1 setups, I know that this is not ideal for everyone. A lot of touring people seem to favor the 3 chainring design and I am sure that it has its place. Everyone should opt for the bike configuration that they think is the best for their needs, no need to bash others. Now that that is out of the way, lets start to look at the gears of the two drivetrains in question here.
The 2020 Kona Sutra Ltd comes equipped with SRAM Rival x1 drivetrain, the reason I did not want to go that way was because it is only 11 speed and I wanted the 12 speed SRAM Eagle as it is on the market.
A quick comparison on gear range between the current setup and the SRAM Eagle setup
Wheel diameter (m)
0,70
Wheel circumference (m)
2,20
Cadence
90
Large chainring
Small chainring
Large cassette
Small casette
Lowest gear ratio
Highest gear ratio
Lowest km/h
Highest km/h
Shimano Alivio 3x9
48
26
34
11
0,76
4,36
9,08
51,82
SRAM Eagle 1x12
32
50
10
0,64
3,20
7,60
38,00
A visual comparison of the gears between the Kona Sutra original setup and the SRAM Eagle (Click on the picture for a bigger version) (tool used: ritzelrechner.de)
What I am gaining
Even lower climbing gear then the 26/11 on the original setup
What I am loosing:
The going fast gears, but honestly I seldom use those and even less when the bike is fully packed. If it is a downhill section, I tend to rest when the speed starts to get above 30 km/h, so that I can tackle the next uphill that is bound to show up soon.
Longer steps between gears
To clarify the last bullet of longer steps between gears, let's look at another picture to visualize the difference.
Top line, the original 9 speed casette on the Kona Sutra, lower line is the SRAM Eagle cassette (Click on the picture for a bigger version) (tool used: ritzelrechner.de)
The 9 speed 11-34 cassette is able to put the gears in a tighter space (smaller steps between gears) then the SRAM Eagle 10-50 cassette is able to. From what I understand, this seems to be one of the key issues that people have with the current SRAM Eagle.
For my uses, I think that I should be able to live with the difference. The biggest steps seem to be when going to the lowest and highest gear, normal riding is usually done somewhere in the mid-range and the cogs there seem to be better packed. Or, I just have to live with the pain until I get strong enough to handle it.
To convert the Kona Sutra to SRAM Eagle I ended up buying a lot of stuff, and it got a tiny bit more expensive then I originally thought it would be...
I went with the SRAM GX version of the Eagle drivetrain. There was a cheaper one, the NX, but it went from 11-50 and I read some review stating that the cassette was not that high quality, so I got scared and went for the GX that seems to have gotten better reviews. The X01 and XX1 are out of my budget.
As I got the DUB groupset, I also needed a new DUB bottom bracket that fit into the BSA threading of the frame. And a the SRAM Eagle is originally built for mountain biking, I needed to find bar-end shifters that were compatible, and luckily there are, from microSHIFT. They also seem to support other obscure new 12 speed drivetrains like the one from Shimano.
And as I threw the front derailleur in the trash, I needed to plug the bar-end on the left side. I have some nice plugs on my racer with allen-key tightening so I went with similar for the new setup. Works like a charm on the racer and never drops out.
Oh, and don't forget to buy new handlebar tape as you need to remove the old one to get to the cables for the bar-end shifters.
That's all, right? Wrong!
Turns out to be able to fit that huge 10-50 cassette on the back-wheel you need a SRAM XD Freewheel Body. And, as the hubs that are originally on the Kona Sutra are of a brand called Formula, it is almost impossible to find the correct one (if there exists one).
So I ended up buying a new wheelset, something that I thought of doing ever since the 3 day escape we did in May as the front wheel wobbled and it still does even after my local bike-shop tried to fix it and after that I tried to true but the wobbling persisted. All bikes in that price segment ship with shitty wheels, just have to live with it : )
So..
I think the NX would have fitted the Shimano freewheel hub, but well.... I was doing this so I did not want to change to the NX just for this. In the end I would have bought new wheels anyway, it's just the way I tick, I like to upgrade my bikes and enjoy that process almost as much as I enjoy riding them.
Removal of old parts
In this section I'll just go through the things that stopped me for a bit.
Chain
Top: The KMC missing link in its unlocked state. Bottom: My master link tool with dual function, an be used for both unlocking and locking of master links.
To remove the chain, use a master link tool and just open the missing link. I did not have a tool when
I started out so I tried to break the chain but my chain-breaker did not manage to do it.
Had to drive into town and buy a master link tool and the link just opened in less then a second. Well worth the 15€.
Bar-end shifters
For removal of the bar-end shifters:
Put the lever in its down position
Remove the flat-head screw and its nut (on the other side)
Remove the lever
Use an 6mm hex (allen-) key and turn it clockwise to unmount the shifter
Pedals
Pedals usually require a bit of violence to come of the cranks. I use a rubber hammer.
Bottom bracket
Ah, this one beat me. The drive (right) side was quite easy to remove with the help of a rubber hammer on the bottom bracket removal tool. But the left side did not move even with rubber hammer force applied.
Bottom bracket removal kit. A bottom bracket tool and an extension bar
What finally did the trick was.
Apply lubricant that is able to penetrate the threading, I used WD40.
Wait, I went and ate dinner and watched a movie.. 3 hours maybe
Use a cheater bar, or something to extend the tool. I used a long metal pipe. The handle of your tool must be able to fit inside of the pipe.
Place the frame on the floor and stand on it, use one hand to hold the tool in place and the other to apply force on the cheater bar.
Finally the bottom bracket moved
Handlebar tape
Make sure to document where the shifter cable goes through the old handlebar tape as you will have to make sure that it will come through at the same place after you have put in the new 12 speed shifter.
So fingers crossed all this new stuff works together.
Wheels
Ah damn. The body I got was the XD-Race and SRAM Eagle is XD compatible. Luckily the body came with a spacer that made it XD compatible.
Changing the body was a pain, looked through a lot of youtube videos where they just popped the body out. Turns out that's the way to do it, I just was too weak to do it the first 30 times. Just fingers and a long pull on the whole body and it will pop out from the Mavic 360 freehub.
Using torque wrench to tighten the screws that hold the disc on the wheel. In my case it said 10Nm per screw. Make sure that you read you manual for the wheel you use
Switching the old discs from the old wheel-set to the new one was no problem, just unscrew and screw it in place again.
Cassette
Tightening the SRAM Eagle GX Cassette with a normal cassette tool. (Same that I use for Shimano)
No problems here either, once the freehub body was changed and the spacer was popped in there, just sliding the new SRAM Eagle cassette in place was no issue at all.
My torque wrench only goes to 24 Nm, so I had to just tighten it by feel. I.e. as hard as I could get it. This is the same tool I use for Shimano cassettes, so at least they are compatible on that part.
Comparison of SRAM Eagle GX cassette with a Shimano 9 speed cassette. The Eagle is a monster in comparison
Bottom bracket (BB) and crankset
SRAM DUB BSA Compatible Bottom Bracket Tool
This turned out to be a problem, none of my bottom bracket tools fit the new DUB bracket. So I need to drive and visit my local bike shop and see if they have the right tool for sale. They didn't, but they ordered one for me (20€), one for their shop and a couple for sale. Evidently threaded DUB bottom brackets are quite rare.
Almost completely installed SRAM Eagle on a Kona Sutra, only thing left is to install the wire to the rear derailleur.
This was quite easy. Just bolt it in place just like the old Shimano mech was there.
After that, install the chain. You will need a chain breaker. Be sure to look at MTB and Road Cassette and Chains PDF linked below to find out how to measure the chain correctly before you use the chain breaker.
When you have the correct length, install it on the 10 cog on the cassette and through the rear derailleur and install the power lock.
At this point it is good to measure the length of the chain so that you can check it for wear later. 11 of links on my chain was 132 mm. SRAM recommends that you change the chain when it is 0.8% elongated. In my case 1 mm. If in doubt use a longer bit of chain to measure.
For adjusting the rear derailleur, I'll just link to Park Tools, they have a nice guide on how to do it. Be sure to use the SRAM Eagle mounting guide that was in the nice SRAM Eagle box, the red plastic one to make sure that the distance is correct between the cassette and the first guide pulley in the derailleur.
Bar end shifter
The new microSHIFT bar end shifter was pretty much identical to the old Shimano ones, meaning that you just put it in the bar end and tighten it by counter-clockwise with an hex key.
Wrapping new bar tape
Before you start, make sure that the cable housings are taped to the the bars, I use electric tape. The original tape was not that good and I ended up redoing it all.
After that, just wrap the tape. Begin at the bar-ends and work your way inward.
Make sure you check if you bar end tape has a preferred wrapping direction, I didn't and did it the wrong way. Total failure and as I was too confident I didn't test without removing the plastic cover of the glue.. Long story short, had to order another roll to cover that mistake.
I usually tape the start and end of the bar-tape with electric tape just to make sure that it doesn't start to unravel.
That's it!
There were quite a lot of stuff to install but I think I've covered the bits that stopped me in some way or the other. I.e. bits that I did not find straight forward.
Weight
One of my goals with this was also to get rid of some weight. With all the stuff on the bike, lock, surly front rack, pedals etc the bike weighted in on excessive 16 kg before doing the upgrade. Only the front wheel with tyre was 1.9 kg.
So, with all other stuff still on the bike, the number to beat with the new components listed above is 16 kg.
Total weight before upgrade: 16 kg
Total weight after upgrade: 14.9 kg
Total change: 1.1 kg
Front wheel with tyre before upgrade: 1.9 kg
Front wheel with tyre after upgrade: 1.6 kg
Front wheel change: 0.3 kg
I guess the majority of the weight loss comes from the new wheel-set.
Test ride
As I am not 100% fit at the moment due to a longer hospital stay this fall and failed Whipple surgery 3 weeks ago that still bugs me, I will not do any long test ride at this point. I mean, I've lost all my muscles and it will be a long process to get back in shape.
But, a ride around the block should be possible and encouraged by my doctor so that is what I'll do.
In total 4 km flat, 1.5 km on asphalt and the rest on dirt roads.
The bike handles very nice, pedaling is smooth and switching gear works good.
Can't really comment on the bike weight as I have lost 25 kg myself since last outdoor cycling, but the wheels were straight and didn't wobble as the original ones did.
And do I love the freewheel sound of the Mavic 360 hub? Yes, yes I do!
Thoughts and conclusions
To my surprise the SRAM Eagle was quite easy to install, once you have all the tools (that I did not have when starting out).
I really like the SRAM PowerLocks compared to the Shimano pins that you have to install using a chain-breaker. It's such a pain to do.
Note for future is to get another torque wrench for the high torque bits like the cassette installation or the bottom bracket and crankset. At the moment I just figured that 50 nm is me using what force I can muster and when it stops it stops. Getting a torque wrench that goes from 20 nm and up to at least 60 nm would be a nice complement to my current torque wrench that goes from 2 nm to 24 nm.
It took me 2 months to complete the upgrade, but mostly as I really don't have the strength to work in longer stretches at the moment and the fact that I have been at the hospital quite a lot during that time. In real time, it might have taken a couple of days. So maybe a little big of a project for one weekend but maybe OK for two?
Would buy again.
Disclaimer I bought these products myself and this is my opinion on them. I am in no way affiliated with the manufacturer of this product. I like to link to other sites and I am not paid for that. Feel free to share on social media if you found anything in this post helpful! That would mean a lot for me!
