Masi Speciale Strada vs Kona Honky Tonk

Hi guys,

I need your help. I am looking for a steel winter training road bike. I have come across a few good candidates in the Kona honky tonk (2014) and the Masi Speciale strada (2014) - maingly due to the price - I can't afford anything too luxurious. I love the look of the Masi, however, the tubing on the Kona is slightly nicer for a $200 difference (Reynolds 520). They both seem capable of doing the job for winter training, however, I need help deciding. If there is anything else worth looking at don't be afraid to share Which one would you go for, and why?

 

The Kona has slightly better components hung on it.

Both have racy geometry with short head tubes.

The Masi has a shorter wheelbase.

I like the fork on the Masi better.

Any chance at a test ride on the Masi? If it rode the way my Masi's ride...I would buy it and start upgrading a component here and there as time/money allowed.

 

I would personally go for the Kona's Reynolds tubing but have no idea how it rides, however overall I prefer the aesthetic of a horizontal top tube which is lacking on the Kona so would be equally torn.

I had a 2011 Speciale Premio frame which I equipped w/105. It was a decent bike but a little flexy around the BB (I seem to remember there was no chainstay bridge). I don't believe the ride would have resembled that of Dave Cutter's sweet Gran Criterium in Breaking Away but then again I didn't have the pleasure of riding one of the originals so can't say for sure but I did have some steel bikes back in the day that were both stiffer and lighter. I enjoyed riding it but sold it a couple years ago when I needed some cash. I used to think if only they could have put one out with 520 series or 853, and then the Gran Criterium redux came out a couple years later.

 

There isn't really a chance for me to test ride because I cannot find anywhere that currently stocks the Masi. I can easily get access to the Kona though. Getting a store to order in the Masi for a test ride - and potentially not buying it - wouldn't go down well I would imagine.

I'm still torn - I love the way the Masi looks with the horizontal top tube/paint job, but am not sure how their chromoly frame + fork compares to the Kona's Reynolds 520 tubing.

 

I recently confessed this on another thread: I have not test ridden a single bike I have owned, except the very first back in the early 80's. The main reason because that was the only bike I ever purchased (my mom did actually) as a complete bike.

Most every other bike (or more accurately, the combination of frame and parts) I've owned has been chosen based on aesthetic value (the #1 reason), a heavily discounted price, some romantic notion (maybe a pro I followed rode one), or some meaningless review in a bike rag... but ideally some combination of those qualities. Someone more sensible than myself would probably need some more objective criteria.

I fortunately never ended up on a bike I regretted, including my Masi Premio.

Only you however will be able to reflect on the decisions you have made at some point down the road. To be honest I doubt there would be any significant difference in the tubing characteristics between the Masi's generic cromo and the Kona's Reynolds tubing, and any variation of ride quality/characteristics between the two will probably be more attributable to geometry, but please take that with a grain of salt