Will's Custom Kona Rove

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About the bike.

Today's build is a little different from the other FC Black bikes of late. It's not a purpose-built race bike, nor is it made entirely of carbon fiber.

The bike above is a staple of the gravel and do-it-all bike world: the Kona Rove. The Rove is a steed that has been in Kona's stable for a long time now. Originally launched in 2013, it's responsible for spurring countless riders to skip the pavement and venture off the beaten path. This bike is one of the OG pioneers of the gravel category that we now see almost every brand offering.

Something we love about the Rove is its range of builds. It can be found specced as a complete bike (with an aluminum frame) for only $999, as a steel complete starting at $2,199, or you can snag a frameset with a carbon fork for $1,099 and build it into your dream bike. Based on the photo above, you may be able to guess what Will chose to do...

With my Rove love letter out of the way, we can get into the meat and potatoes of this custom build.

Will's been lucky enough to see many a Rove roll through the shop, so when he decided to build up a gravel bike, he was pretty sure what he'd pick. Then, when he saw the new color, it sealed the deal. He originally wasn't aiming for the full dreamy bling build, but after some deliberation, he decided to go all out. And for that, we thank him... what a gorgeous build!

Moving on to the specs, needless to say, it's pretty fancy, with a set of Woven G45 carbon wheels, a SRAM Red AXS 12-speed drivetrain, and some comfy René Herse Hatcher Pass 700x48 Extralight tires adorn the chromoly steel frame. Those expensive parts all create a fantastic ride feel and foundation, but I think the genius of this build lies in the minutiae.

Take a close look at the White Industries crank bolts. Now look at the White Industries headset. Now the valve caps. Yep, they're color-matched to the frame accents! Will's even in the process of sourcing a pink seatpost clamp and rotor lockrings to really top it all off.

The use of an all-silver finishing kit makes this bike shine even brighter, and let's not forget the Cane Creek Hellbender bottom bracket, which is sure to run smoothly for a very long time.

This build was a real blast to see come to fruition, and Will says, "It's the smoothest yet most responsive bike I've ever ridden." Coming from him, that's high praise!

If you're still curious about the rest of the components that adorn this build, have a look below at the spec list. And if Will's bike inspired you to create your own dream build, you can reach out or snag your own 2025 Kona Rove LTD Frameset.