[Closed] Barn find: what year? and what to do with it. (retro kona content)

iirc the two tone fade paint job is frmo 92/93 - I had a hahannah from the same time. I would definitely save this one!

looks like a 93.

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Clean it up, and ride it as it is. You might get a few quid for it cleaned up and shining.

The guy said it was once his pride and joy. Said he got it in the early 90s. Any thourghts on what the post might be?

money pit; once you start you won't be able to stop "restoring" it and it will only ever be good enough to go to the pub on...

I've just been gifted an early days Muddy Fox Courier from about 1988??

Needs a fair bit of TLC, so if anyone knows anything about restoration??

you sir, are on a long, dark, slipery slope. 😀

Hijack.
How much is something like that worth?

I saw a bike very similar, with lots of purple bits down the tip the other day, I left it as I had no idea what the frame was as it had been sprayed & was undecaled, & it was pretty rough, I thought better of it went back within 15 mins & it had gone.

It had STX shifters I think, & a few nice looking bits, like the canti's, with lovely booster things, was rigid, but had been outside a long time, wheels needed a re build but could have been saved, had Mavic rims, shimano hubs, I think STX again. I have no idea where STX was in the food chain though.

I kick myself about it still.

I really want that DCD if you want to sell it? Been looking for one for ages.

STX was below Deore.

Del: I know... been looking for one of these for ages.. and this turns up in Topsham of all places...

P'n'M - If i do I will get in touch.

Deore wasn't around during STX. STX was below LX (and STX-RC for a while), above Alivio

First thing to do is tidy your garage up a bit!

wwaswas: hear that. It is in a right state. Bit like your garden in that c456 photo! (iirr) 😉

STX was [s]below[/s] Deore.

well LX was Deore LX wasn't it?

donk - check out my other posts in the FS section if you want them 😉

I love the way the spokes have been crossed. Ride it and tell us how they feel.

Deore wasn't around during STX. STX was below LX (and STX-RC for a while), above Alivio

Clubber speaks the truth.

The stem looks older, TBH. And the forks - Mag 20s or 21s? Proper early 90s.

well LX was Deore LX wasn't it?

always fancied snowflake wheels, bet they're a bugger to true

SS it and maybe stick on some bits from the spares box I say... But don't spend a fortune on "restoration" or paying over the odds for period parts, That's a Mugs game...

I love old steel Konas but they should be working bikes not polished, adorned with sparkly parts from the past and treated like a show pony or something...

Build it up cheap, ride it mean and enjoy...

Nowadays plain old "deore" is below LX (and slx) all very confusing.

They don't have LX "nowadays".
Current list is Deore > SLX > XT > XTR
Below that is the "recreational" MTB stuff topped by Alivio. Back then, the hierarchy went something like:
Alivio > STX > STX-RC > Deore LX > Deore XT > XTR

That Kona is very early 90's, they changed the logo in about 1993/4

deore dx

ah, I'd forgotten Deore DX. I had Alivio/ STX when I was a kid and saved up my paper round money for a DX rear mech.

I'd just clean it up and leave it with it's nice 'patina.'

ah long syncros stems, renthal bars, dia compe (?) brakes and mag21s. The heady days of crap braking noodly suspension and your bars being in a different postcode to your saddle. Good times.

They don't have LX "nowadays".

Build it up cheap, ride it mean and enjoy...

Cookeaa - this is what I will be doing.

ah, I'd forgotten Deore DX

This has got a dx front mech.

I concur with it being a '93 with the two-tone paint. Based on the spec it's also been upgraded back in the day too.

One slight correction the pecking order was Deore LX > Deore DX > Deore XT

garden all sorted now

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I shall expect to see a similar transformation with your garage in due course 😉

Although I'll accept criticism of those brake hose lengths...

It went:

Alivio
STX
STX RC
LX
XT
XTR

STX RC was a slightly shinier finish, from memory - not much more.

Get over to retrobike. And if you fancy splitting, there's some money in some of those parts too.

And everything (well maybe not quite) you wanted to know about retro Shimano... http://www.mombat.org/Shimano.htm and http://datenbanken.freepage.de/cgi-bin/feets/freepage_ext/41030x030A/rewrite/traut/SHIMANO.html

STX RC had a sort of grey chrome finish, whereas std STX was silver.

STX RC was 8 speed and STX 7 speed if my memory serves me right, I had STX RC on my '98 Rockhopper.

Blokes and their hobbies eh? Can't beat a good bit of arguing over pointless semantics 😉
Wasn't stx rc 8spd as opposed to the standard 7? I was still using some shifters till start of this year.

If it is anything like the Kona I used to own it will not have much clearance for a wide tyre at the back. I am sure I was limited to 1.9" or something similar.

still got STX RC v-brakes on one of my bikes. They're rather handsome in an uncomplicated way.

STX RC was a slightly shinier finish, from memory - not much more.

I thought STX was 7 speed, while STX RC was 8 speed, wasn't that the big deal with it at the time? the cheapest group to offer 8 speed...

I only had an STX rear mech...

What about the old "Exage Country" Series... that was even earlier IIRC my first "MTB" A Dawes Tracker in 1986 had Exage Country Trail components...

That Kona is very early 90's, they changed the logo in about 1993/4

But it's not the slick logo of '90 and '91...

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What about the old "Exage Country" Series... that was even earlier IIRC my first "MTB" A Dawes Tracker in 1986 had Exage Country Trail components...

I take your Exage and raise you Mountain LX! (came on my '89 Rockhopper)

😯 thought [i]I[/i] needed to get out more...
😀

If it helps any, original STX-RC (1995) was 7 speed 🙂

(It did have IG shifting though which made sod all difference)

I remember having a Diamond back ascent which I'm sure had "Exage 400EX" or something, and what looked like dinnerplate sized Biopace chainrings, my mate only had "200GX" on his fluro pink Scott I think, no idea what difference this made, it all worked and none of us died...

Sigh.... [/Nostalgia]

You're right about the back tyre - I remember choosing a Marin over a Kona in 1992 purely because of the lack of mud clearance on the Kona.
Oh, the Marin had an alloy stem too, & purple bits as standard. 😀

Don't remember mechs wearing out as quickly as they do now, but wheels certainly needed trueing a lot more often.

And the brakes were pretty awful.

"200GX"

was it not 200GS?

I had a series of 3 Marins Pallisades Trails over 3 years as they kept getting nicked. I think they had 200GS, then Alivio, then STX, unless I upgraded the rear mech the last year.
Do you think there's someone who has one of every Shimano rear mech every made?

LX is very much alive but a touring set up below the XT touring stuff. Cranks look more like road cranks etc.

It was dropped as a MTB line when SLX came out with SLX taking the place of Hone and LX (Hone cranks were LX cranks in black).

Even the new style shimano disc brakes come in LX guise.

But 2007 is as far back as my bike knowledge goes I'm afraid.

What about Alivio SE? I had a bike with 200GS, the shifters were nick named piano keys, due to be black and white.

Hasn't LX moved onto the touring world now?

There's an odd (unusual) mix of graphics there, so there's maybe some history to it.

As far as I recall ... 🙄

Upto and including '91, the seatpost bolt was captive in the seat-tube - for '92 onwards it was a separate clamp - so it's later than '91.

Black was an alternative paint option to the splatter pattern in '91, and for '92 it changed to black or one of several solid colours (depending on the model - The '92 Cinder Cone was red).

Fade options come in in '93.

The 'Joe Murray' sticker and the 'K' on the top of the seat-tube are related in age, and are ok to about '95/96 when the logo changed (but the downtube 'KONA' isn't tho', and actually, doesn't look like any Kona font that I recognize).

It's wearing a mixture of stuff which has been upgraded as needed (or not!) over time, and I'm [finally] coming down to the frame being a 1994.

If it was mine, I'd put it back to fully rigid, SS it using whatever modern stuff you have to hand (or need to get) to make it work, and ride it around for the pleasure of it. They are great to see restored, but I dunno that I'd bother.

(I ride a fully rigid, SS '92 Fire Mountain and it's a great ride).

There's an odd (unusual) mix of graphics there

Can't tell from the pics but doesn't look like an impact headset which AFAIK most of the early 90s stuff came with and were pretty good, a lot less faff than normal headsets.

(brakes on those 94 lava domes were rubbish, levers seemed to be long pull, worked well with V-brakes that I fitted a few years later but bugger all leverage for cantis)

update...

Stripped and cleaned... just got to get it back together with a new chain and bb.

The KONA downtube graphics turned out to be carp copy stickers. Nasty, so they have come off. The K on the headtube (done in the same sticker) was over the top of of another sticker.

The guy who used to own it told me he got it new in 93.

Q: what to do with the mag forks? do people restore these? funny thing is they still work!

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There may be an interest in Mag21s on retrobike. I doubt spares are available, but if they're not corroded nor worn, should still work.

If they are corrded under the paint (I can't tell) not a lot you can do with the magnesium.

Hard to believe that people thought that snowflake lacing pattern looked good or was a good idea (even for just the short fad period it went through) - especially for a rear wheel!

Upto and including '91, the seatpost bolt was captive in the seat-tube - for '92 onwards it was a separate clamp - so it's later than '91.

Correct. 🙂

Black was an alternative paint option to the splatter pattern in '91, and for '92 it changed to black or one of several solid colours (depending on the model - The '92 Cinder Cone was red).

Partially incorrect. 91/92 bikes had a solid colour or black option. Black was pretty popular.
Earlier 89/90 bikes were splatter paint or nowt!

The bike in question is '93. No doubt there
But it's fairly scabby. Best splitting it to sell.
Roughly:
Frame and P2s £80
XT rear mech £20
Bars £15
Forks £30

And, seriously, if that's a nice Kona O-Beam 27.0mm seatpost, PLEASE EMAIL ME! If its in nice nick I'm very interested! 🙂

If that's a full set of Dia Compe 986 cantis there's a few quid in those
Stem maybe £10-15

Flite saddle??

Pik n Mix - Member

I really want that DCD if you want to sell it? Been looking for one for ages.

got one in the shed somewhere, black iirc

PP thanks for the info and yep it is an orignal flight ti saddle. no cover or foam tho.

As for the post. Not sure, it has been cut down so dosnt have any markings... ~300mm now... hense the question at the start of the thread. Do you have a pick of the one you want... I'm not fussy so if it it would finish your build off you are welcome to it.

Neil.

Ahh. No, not really interested in that case then. I need it to be nice, and long, for my Explosif.
WHich, as you can see, is rather niiiiiiiice! 😉

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_atkin/6888240674/ ]IMG_3493[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/peter_atkin/ ]PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6952003965_2fcbd6eff4_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6952003965_2fcbd6eff4_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
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I alway wonder if I should do up my 92 cinder cone

was it not 200GS?

It was.

If it was mine, I'd put it back to fully rigid, SS it using whatever modern stuff you have to hand (or need to get) to make it work, and ride it around for the pleasure of it. They are great to see restored, but I dunno that I'd bother.

Me too. I'd also sell the forks, bar and stem on Retrobike - I certainly wouldn't trust the bar to ride on.

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_atkin/6888240674/ ]IMG_3493[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/peter_atkin/ ]PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

That's beautiful!

Cheers. 🙂

It was my dream bike 20 years ago. Now I have one. I was lucky with some
Of the parts (wheels, brakes especially) and put some needless bling on it too (Royce BB, Ringle cage) and the paint and frame mods cost a fortune, but I'm very very happy with it
After a lot of buying and selling it owes me in the region of £550

Since the pic it's got a silver seatpost and I have some XT thumbies waiting to go on too.

Dunno if it helps at all, but my '93 Hahanna seatpost is a 26.6...

Yeah, they had different sizes. Most of the older Konas at the top of the range were 27.0mm

I have a possibility of buying my old 1990 splatter paint explosif....I dont think I could let myself do a restoration job! I know the fever could set in. Might just have to be a case of hang the frame and matching track two forks on the wall of the bike room!

Here it is, new bb and chain, ready to role.

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Bit tatty, but mechanically spot on. I am even starting to like the 'rat' look.

I used to have an Explosif 'Pro', think was a '93 - I would go silly money to have one again, in any nick.

Re gearing from this era; wasn't it:

200GS
Altus C20
Altus A10
Deore DX (which went all 'cool' weirdly)
Deore LX
XT
XTR

I seem to remeber something else used the A10 & C20 suffix - Exage?

STX was some jumped-up newboy; merely elevating LX to a superior status.

Shimano; they knew what they were doing.

Sorry, waffling.

For the mag 21s if you need spares or servicing try Coombes cycles in Hereford mark was one of the original service agents and has the workshop tool set

rOcKeTdOg - Member

got one in the shed somewhere, black iirc

Would love one again.

I had a GT from that era (93 or 94) and it had Exage ES, there was another Exage group (EX?) Which seemed to have a different finish not much else. IIRC STX and STX RC replaced these as sub-LX, don't think they were about at same time.