Retro Kona – What frame for Sus Forks?

Hi!

With now having a FS bike, I quite fancied a HT, something quick blasts, and maybe racing in the right conditions.

Years ago I bought my first Mountain Bike, a 93 Kona Kilauea (new) which I loved! Unfortunately it got nicked while I was at Uni, never to be seen again.

For a while I’ve been keeping an eye on eBay for Kilauea frame, with the mind to restore it, fit a rear disc boss and rebuild it with suspension forks, something I could never afford to do when i had the original. I got chatting to a guy who was selling a couple of frames I liked, but he mention that the 93 frames would need period forks for them to work properly and also not to bend the frame.

So what I was wondering is what era Kona frame I would need in order to fit fairly modern forks?

Cheers for any help!

Doubt you’ll get modem forks to play nice on any Racelight Kona.

It’s Axle-Crown (AC) that will concern you. Old Konas are 420mm.

Here’s last years’ Fox numbers… http://service.foxracingshox.com/consumers/Content/2013_CD_user_specs.htm

Too long an AC will slacken the bike to comedic proportions.

Also consider head tube welds and shock loading…

100mm seems to be the accepted norm

I’ve got Fox RL80’s on my 1996 cinder cone. The frame is suspension corrected as the P2 rigid forks were the same length as period suspension. Handles the same as when I got it (new!) and the extra 30mm plush travel makes it much nicer to ride.
The Fox’s work a tad better than my old Marzocchi XCR’s…

Have you had a look over on http://www.retrobike.co.uk ?

You’ll find some very knowledgable people there, together with an archive of manufacturer brochures and a classifieds section.

As above, modern forks will have a longer axle to crown measurement, however you may well find the 93 spec Kons’s were suspension corrected for something like 63mm travel, but im guessing there.

Retrobike will be your font of all that you need to know 😀

Yep I think 63mm is what would be correct but 80mm should be fine too.
I used 100mm on my ’98 Caldera with no problem.

I have a nice cindercone frame for sale if interested, 92 vintage!

Thanks for the retro bike link, will check that out!

I’d really like something that can use fairly modern forks, but not bothered about huge travel

I did this to my 1997 Lava Dome. 18″ish frame with 120mm Fox F120s. Rides really well, the extra height slackens the thing out a bit.

I bought it with the disc mount already welded on by argos. Build details with loads of pics and other folks Konas here: Clicky

Cheers wozza, does it work ok with the 120mm travel forks? What travel was the frame designed for?

100mm travel forks are fine on Konas from after 1994. Kona never changed the geometry of their xc hardtails between 1994 and around 2003 if I remember correctly. All they did was shorten the stem length to account for the longer a-c of the suspension fork. Ive had a 100mm travel Fox and Sid on my ’95 Kilauea with no problems.

Cheers Haggis, just what I wanted to know!

If that’s the case then I’d like to source a Kilauea or Explosive frame from 94 on, fit rear disc mounts and respray to 93 Kilauea colours. Then add a 100mm fork

I take it you’ve been on Retrobike? Here’s my Kilauea with a while new rear triangle after it got smashed by a car and resurrected by Argos.

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=45143&hilit=kilauea

What size frame are you ? I’ve got an 18 inch 2006 Explosif frame that I’m reluctantly thinking about selling as it’s a bit too small for me.

On a nineties kona I wouldn’t go any longer than 80mm I’ve tried all sorts of set ups and any longer spoils the frames handling IMO.

Hi Mark, I’m after a 19″ I’m afraid, will prob need to hold on a bit anyway though as we’re just moving so I’ll be skint for a month or two

’98 Kilauea with 100mm Recons. Mines 16″ the only prob s are V brakes n tyre clearance at the rear.
Tried old 80mm Bombers in ’92 Hahanna and it wasn’t nice.

Here’s my ’95 Kilauea, with 120mm Marzocchi Marathons. Other than the fact that I’ve never got round to fitting a rear disc mount (it’s in Greece and I can’t be bothered to bring it back here) and not wonderful rear tyre clearance (the only bad thing about a ’95 Kilauea or Explosif) it’s still a nice bike, apart from the fact that it takes a 27.0mm seatpost, so dropper posts are out.

This is my ’95 Kilauea (it’s been repainted a couple of times, has broken at the DS dropout and been rewelded (like most ’95 Konas broke…) and it’s still going strong.

I’ve ridden it with 105mm travel Marzocchi MXCs which were pretty long for their travel and it did affect the handling but not to the extent that it made it a problem – I did a 12 hr race on it like that no problem.

Ideal is probaby 80mm travel but I’ve got it on 100mm at the moment and that’s working nicely enough.

(and yes, rear tyre clearance is pretty awful – definitely its biggest limitation)

I run Fox F80RLT on one of my bikes and it’s a great fork.
One of those second hand for under £100 then send it to TFtuned and it could be a great addition.

Personally, if I were wanting more travel, I would look at a different frame, mainly because I’m not much of a fan of tall bottom brackets.
ymmv

Ladders – Member
Cheers wozza, does it work ok with the 120mm travel forks? What travel was the frame designed for?

From new I’d be very surprised if it was more than 80mm, probably more like 60mm. Handles well at 120mm, I wasn’t after making it an XC, arse in the air race machine, so the fork suits it for what I wanted.

A mate has a period late 90s Fire Mountain that had a set of 60mm ish set of bombers on to begin with. We fitted it with some 100mm ish Z1s and it rides much much better.

Andy R
it’s still a nice bike, apart from the fact that it takes a 27.0mm seatpost, so dropper posts are out.

Thats not true, it can be done. Mine was a 27.0mm post but I got it reamed to 27.2mm and fitted an X Fusion post in there. You’re right about tyre clearance though. Mine has a 2.0 Mud X and i’m not sure anything bigger will fit.

I’ve also got in the loft (Never to be sold) Kona Roast jump frame in XL. It’s made out of meteorites and concrete based on the weight, but it handles pretty well. From what I remember, in XL it’s a bit more like Cove Stiffee geometry. Loved this bike, it was my brothers for a few years and then I had it to replace a snapped susser frame.

Whatever you get, you’ll be happier on a Kona.

Mine’s supposedly 27.0 but it takes a 27.2 without having to be reamed – IIRC the sizing wasn’t that accurate as I know others that were the same.