# Kuota Dealears NJ/NY/PA/CT?



## Pug (Sep 20, 2011)

I'd like to test ride a Kuota K-Factor TT bike. However, none of the dealers near me in Morris County carry them. I tried the dealer search function on Kuota.it and it only returns a company in Quebec, nothing in the U.S.

I'm interested in the K-Factor because I understand it's geometry is favorable to people who aren't as flexible as they once were


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## Tri Slow Poke (Jul 22, 2006)

Good luck with your search. Kuota pretty much pulled out of the North American market several years ago.


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## Tri Slow Poke (Jul 22, 2006)

As a bit of an aside, you don't have to be _that_ flexible to get in an aero tuck. Fit is more about maintaining a powerful hip angle and giving your upper back and neck muscles time to adapt. Instead, talk to a shop that has experience with tri/tt fits and explain your situation. You may be suprised with your set up.

Of course, all this goes out the window if you have some sort of lingering injury. You only mentioned the lack of flexibility, but I'm not sure why. Talk to shop that sells a variety of brands.


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## Pug (Sep 20, 2011)

Tri Slow Poke said:


> Of course, all this goes out the window if you have some sort of lingering injury. You only mentioned the lack of flexibility, but I'm not sure why. Talk to shop that sells a variety of brands.


Thanks for the replies. Turns out R&A in Brooklyn has some Kuotas in stock so I may check them out. However, your comment on them pulling out of NA does explain why it's so hard to find them. I did some other web searching and saw a lot of comments around Kuota being a total PITA with their dealers.

As far as flexibility it comes down to being 45 years old and spending most of the day behind a desk. I spend a lot of time working on my posterior chain because I have a history of hamstring and calve injuries (strains and full tears from running) and I really want to do everything I can to avoid getting another injury. Good point on working with a ship on fit. I'll do some checking on NJ shops that have a good TT bike selection.


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## Tri Slow Poke (Jul 22, 2006)

Ah yes.....R&A Cycles would probably have them. In fact, R&A has EVERYTHING. I've never seen so much bike goodness in one place so be prepared to drool. As a warning, you mentioned you wanted a test ride and I don't think they allow them. They also have a reputation for being short with customers. Check out online reviews for more details.

I spoke with the national guy for Kuota when they first came to the States. He seemed nice enough but a dealer described him as......pushy. I hope they come back soon!

For what it's worth: I owned a K-Factor along with an aluminum Trek E9. I test rode both on the same course on the same day with the same pair of wheels. The result: I put the Kuota on EBay the next day. It was light and the paint job was BEAUTIFUL! However, the horizontal drop outs were a pain when removing/installing the rear wheel. I also didn't get the overall feeling of speed that I got from the Trek.

Check out Cannondale's TT offering. You can probably get one pretty cheap since they are phasing in their newer designs. Trek'sTT bikes also have higher head tube with a wide range of fit options.


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