outside of the information on the net…anyone have an opinion on this bike? any first hand experience? Thanks
It is named after me, but they did not spell my last name right.
It is Herbert Krabel 
I haven’t ridden one for an extended period of time yet but I do know that the Kebel is lighter than the same sized Kredo. We’ve sold a couple of them and people seem to be happy with them. These were people who had the opportunity to ride both the Kharma and KOM bikes too before deciding they liked the Kebel best.
I apologze for taking this totally off topic. Darrell, thanks again for your rec to contact the Stanford masters group. I traded emails with the head coach - who put up with me changig my plans like 6 times! - and he invited me to come to any of the workouts. I made it last night before a flight back home, and what an incredible place to swim! thanks again
interesting as I thought the KOM was alot lighter. I have to admit I love the bent look of the Kredo but it seems like the Kebel would fit me needs the best. any idea as to built up weight? whats availability like? Thanks again.
If I had known I would have definitely been at the pool last night to swim. I usually swim on Monday nights as it is the social swim of the night where people go to dinner afterwards. I didn’t go though because it has been crowded lately with all the summer camps and with the warm weather the pool would have had a few more people in it too. So I swam in the morning instead. The guy who coaches Monday nights, Paul, is a good friend.
Hopefully you had fun and come back to swim sometime.
I had every intention of making the Monday AM class. I got to Palo Alto about 1 am, and was up at 4:45. I then realized I lost my directions to the pool, and went to get coffee instead. The evening class was a zoo. 5 or so lanes with about 8 or more in a lane. Plus, i don’t (can’t) do any IM stuff, so I tried to stay out of the way for that. Regardless, an incredibly beautiful pool with a great backdrop. Nice folks too! Your frined Paul was “out” with a nasty case of poison oak, apparently. Stephanie was filling in. She was very kind to strangers. Hope to be back a couple times this month for work, and will definitely try to make it back out. If I do, I’ll try to hook up with you or others for some running as well
I’m going to post about a Kouta Kebel if that won’t interrupt the swim workout talk too much :-).
I have about 300 mile on mine. I love it!!! It’s light and very responsive. I don’t know what other bikes you are considering, but I can’t imagine that you’ll be disappointed if you buy a Kebel.
The KOM frame is definitely the lightest one in Kuota’s line. We haven’t compared the weights of all of the different models in the exact same size but it is the lightest. The KOM frame in a size Large weighs in at 970 grams.
While I have nothing to offer to the swim segment of this post, I can fill you in on this bike. Before I do, I wan’t to clraify that I work with KUOTA.
I have had all of our bikes, minus the Kharma. The Kebel and KOM are designed will the same geometries. THe KOM is made with a higher modulous carbon, which is lighter and gives more of a stiff ride. I have been riding this bike for the last 5 months, and the same one I laid lown on the mountain last week!
I also recieved a KEBEL a few months back. If I were an individual that did not have the privelage of having a garage full of bikes, and could only have one KUOTA road bike, I would choose the KEBEL- hands down. This bike is as comfortable as the KAHN, light as the KREDO, and retails for $2999 with full Ultegra. The comfort factor is the most powerful element of this frame. To have a bike as light as this one, you would expect a rigid ride. I used to say the KAHN is my bike of choice if I were to log tons of miles. THe KAHN is as scomfortable as a bike you can get (comes in 14 sizes) but the KEBEL frame in $1000 less expensive, while giving a very similar ride.
The only personal draw back I have, is the top tube length. At 6 fet and 1/2 inch, my perfect tt length is 57.00cm. The Kebel and KOM’s XL measures a 57.5 cm tt. While I not particular about many things, I am extremely anal when it comes to how my bike fits. In the meanwhile, I am looking for a 115mm stem to shorten up the cock pit.
The Kebel is a bike that offers:
Stiffenss where needed
Weight (approx 1050gms for a med)
Comfort, so you can ride all day
Beauty that would make you guess this to be a $4000 frame.
As the offer always stands, if you are 6 feet or so, feel free to contact me to ride any of the bikes I have in the garage. I can only ride one at a time!
Paul,
Thanks for your insite. I have owned a K-Factor and loved it…sold it though and actually made a few dollars on the sale. I am looking for a road bike that I can use in the occassional tri also…just don’t feel a tri bike at my level is going to be a huge advantage and I find them, except for the K-Factor, to be uncomfortable…(I have owned three tri bikes in two years) It could just be me but either way, like the idea of having a nice road bike. From all the comments, I have determined the KEBEL is at least worth a good hard look. It has come down to basically the Aegis Victory and the Kuota Kebel. Decision coming soon.
Thanks again.