[Closed] 'New' bike - Classic Kona content

Is that the one with the externally butted down tube?

Cut that rear skewer down before you do a mischief.

Lovely.

that's lovely 🙂

Brant, yes, it's sort of 'fluted' externally.

Good idea on the QR! 🙂

awesome!

Fluted! That's the word.
I was a photoshoot rider (not really a test rider) when that model got reviewed in MBUK. Had my wacky 1991 sunglasses on. We were ragging them around peat cloughs up on the moor at the back of Oxenhope.
Lovely lovely frame.

that does look lovely, even if it pre-dates my mtb'ing experiences by 10 years...

That looks well nice Peter. 😀

Ace!

That is very nice indeed.

Cheers guys 🙂

The stem and forks are a bit too 'gold' really, they should have been a champagne colour, but without spending £££££££££££ on a special colour that was as colse as I could find. Looks ace in the sunlight though!

Nice work - almost seems a shame to get it dirty...

That is genuinely lovely Peter - you're going to have to be very careful not to leave it unattended if I'm about ...

nice.
if you ever need a spare set of tioga psychos - think i have some in the shed.

HTTP, I think the Psychos might be for 'display purposes only' to be fair!

ADH - I thought you might like that... You still got yours?

ohh I'm liking that. Classy.

Yup, I still have my '98, still riding it every week. Its looking a bit tatty compared to that mind! I think the only original bit left on it is the seat post collar too 🙂

I did buy a '94 lavadome, but didn't have time or space to restore it. Some very kind soul donated me a '97 Aha!, so that is my summer project.

I'd still like to track down a Kona Hot or something. Or maybe another explosif and keep it retro and tarty, like yours.

me likey muchly, however it only scores a 9.5 because the front needs dishing a tad to the right.

that is so nice. Hat doff'ed sir.

first time i've EVER seen a retro ike that i'd want.

that is proper. absolutely classic, and exactly the era when i first bought magazines and got into riding.

Lovely job done sir. Wish I still had my 97 explosif, a lovely bike.

the front needs dishing a tad to the right.

I see what you mean from the pic. I might be OK and that's just the angle of the pic, it might not. But I'll check it, thanks for pointing it out.
Not quite got the brakes set right yet, either, that might not be helping.

ADH, I saw a Hot last year at a bike jumble. Frame only, origional paint, good but not perfect condition. £250.

The thing is I think they're the same tubeset as the Explosif, just welded in the USA or Canada. Lovely bike for the bling value alone, mind!

I once rode a Hei Hei with Ti P2s, Ti Velocity and Ti Bars on it. Those forks were about £700 at the time, stem £250 IIRC. That was 1993-ish!
Had a visitor at the quarry some years ago, long story short, he had a Diamond Back Team Titanium with Ti P2s on it. Bastard wouldn't sell it to me though, would rather leave it in his shed gathering dust, he'd not ridden it in years apparently. Gahh.

Oh, my (geek alert!) spreadsheet tells me it's cost £750 to build/spray etc. Minus a few, err, traded items, real outlay is around £250...
🙂

that is exactly what a bike should look like

Got to say, that is a beaut.

Out of interest what would the geometry be on that? 93 pre-dates my mtbing by 4 years..

That is Sweet 🙂

I have a '94 Kilauea but with non-retro components.

Have thing about Kona bikes.

Nice. If you want some trustworthy tyres with a retro look, Charge Splashbacks would be good for the summer.

Very nice, I'm a fan of retro Kona's.

Lovely, but needs some Yeti grips. 😉

Oh my, that is quite lovely! My explosif is still sitting in the shed with some original parts on it...Really impressed with the respray, it looks immaculate. Where did you get the stickers from?

stunning, well done!

lovely bike - nice build too. What dogbert said.

That is v nice, I'm very tempted to restore my 93 cinder cone.

Who did your stickers?

My old 95 Kilauea was probably my favourite ever bike. Bloody loved it. I was gutted when it finally succumbed to a broken chainstay. If anyone is after some original threaded p2's, stem and seatpost cable guide then let me know. Think I've still got the flat bars too.

thepodge - when I had my '92 Cinder cone resprayed I got the stickers from Gil M [url= http://www.thecycleshed.co.uk ]The cycleshed[/url] or he can be found on the Retrobike website.

That looks great, love the colour. But then again my 97 Explosif was resprayed by Mercian in Derby the same colour and now has 96 decals on it.
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when I had my '92 Cinder cone resprayed I got the stickers from Gil M The cycleshed or he can be found on the Retrobike website.

Thats where mine came from! Lots of faffing with proofs (my fault. I wanted it MY WAY!!!) but we got there in the end! His work is top quality, and very good value IMO.

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6560208875_3f6ca3fdf8_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6560208875_3f6ca3fdf8_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_atkin/6560208875/ ]'93 Explosif ~ Peter[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/peter_atkin/ ]PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

therealhoops - Member
me likey muchly, however it only scores a 9.5 because the front needs dishing a tad to the right.

I've just got home and rushed off to check it!

It's actually just about spot on, if anything a tad too far right actually! I reckon that I took the pics in haste and the wheel wasn't straight in the dropouts to be honest. The brake booster does make it look worse, even looking dead on from the front

🙂

Congrats, that looks dead good. The only thing that spoils it is the saddle in my opinion. That brown colour looks **** and oesnt really go with the rest of the bike - I think you should change it to and old selle italia in a colour of your choice.

😆

gil_m did my stickers as well for my '94 Kilauea, a fine job. And Mercian also resprayed mine.

[url= http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6095/6306418555_80fef32e80.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6095/6306418555_80fef32e80.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/12617230@N03/6306418555/ ]IMG_1118[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/12617230@N03/ ]blackhound59[/url], on Flickr

Cheers for the sticker info. I'd found some basic ones but they were missing the Joe Murray and P2 ones.

Even though it doesn't have P2s on it and it's slightly more modern that Explosive also looks very good.

That looks really lovely. Think it's a '94 though if the seat tube's fluted. I had one in that same green & Tange Ultimate tubing. Wish I'd kept it, but sold it on to fund a '98 853 Explosif frame.

Love it, i've just aquired a 92 Cinder Cone frame to bolt my lovely bits on. Im taking inspiration from this, i may well get it resprayed in Post Box Red as mines black. It will have the same period decals on.
I'll be posting pics when its ready 😉

Im also a fan of 90's Kona's- steel is real and you can't get better than a Joe Murray i reckon 😀

Looks gorgeous - I hope its going to be ridden.

I think I've just had a 'moment'...

The only thing that spoils it is the saddle in my opinion

I'll post some more pics when it's got a silver seat post. That'll sort it. 🙂

Looks gorgeous - I hope its going to be ridden.

Yes, but to be fair for Summer trail riding only. I ain't getting it muddy, I've got a plastic On One for that!

This is excellent. Always loved those Sachs wavey shifters. Stil got a pair somewhere....

Nice.

Might have to get my Raleigh Activator done up now.

Class!! '90's steel Konas are the nicest looking bikes ever made.... I had a '96 Kilauea which was a fantastic bike. I should never have sold it.

Might have to get my Raleigh Activator done up now.

I found this over on retro bike, I want one badly.

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lovely looking bikes. Another former Kona owner.. I had a 1992 Explosif.

lovely bikes, particularly loving the maguras, though can't help feeling that the retina burning yellow should be on there for maximum gnar

Skywalker. That is a 95 Cinder Cone I had one in the lovely turquoise colour. Mine didn't have disc brakes though(they weren't invented then)
I just built up a 97 Cinder Cone, rides lovely

Stop tempting me to spend money, I'm happy(ish) with my retro kona as it is.

I do not need more lovely looking examples making me feel bad.

Nice one PP, makes me even sadder that my Principia is dead. (It had those cranks originally). Although that never had the feel of a proper steel Kona 🙂

[i]Out of interest what would the geometry be on that?[/i]
Made me chuckle. There was no such thing as geometry back then 😉

Lots of lovely details - so what BB - Royce or Hope?

I love old konas but as with 70s motorbikes I like them with all the bits we wanted added.
Flite ti, hope wheels, pace forks etc. Oh and definitely those white smoke/dart panaracers.

Out of interest what would the geometry be on that?
Made me chuckle. There was no such thing as geometry back then 😉

yeah fair dos Dez 🙂

they look bloody lovely, the picture skywalker posted, very nice. Might, just might, have to have a look at doing something like for a change 😀

Rossi46
This was my '92 Cinder cone after it had been resprayed by Argos and with Gil's stickers. Argos did a great job as the original seatpost was stuck fast 🙁

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My Kona at the moment.

Love it..!

My (purple, natch) 92 Lava Dome is almost intact. Only non original items are bars, grips, rear wheel, rear tyre.

It's currently SS'd, but to be re-geared next week as a baby-trailer towing machine. Sacrilege, I know..!

I'm on the look out for one for the Mrs (me really, just an excuse to buy one). My first "proper bike" was a 14" 1995 Kona Lava Dome at the age of 12. I loved that thing.

I had one like the OP. It now lives in a friend's garage. Probably rotting away.

I think it's still equipped with a USE seatpost, x-lite barends and ringle bottle cage.

I sat on it a bit ago and was really taken aback by how long it was! I was proper uncomfy on it.

and my Kilauea 🙂

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Amazing work peter. Fantastic bike, as usual you did a great job :D. It's putting my last restoration to shame.

For anyone looking for a 90's kona, my LBS owner is going to sell his wife's cinder cone. All with custom bits from the 90's (marzocchi forks etc etc).
if some are interested I can get him to do some pictures and ask for details.

I still ride my '93 Cindercone, it is pretty much restricted to fine day rides with my son on his Islabike. He says that it's not fair to ride with springs.
It's mostly original but a bit tatty, I often wonder about restoring it, but then I think that I'd lose the history, the scratches and scrapes, and the original 90's Mint Sauce stickers.

Juan, what year and size is the Cindercone please, I am interested.

as we are all showing of nice Kona's here is mine 🙂
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Still trying to buy back my 1990 explosif with track 2 forks and the splatter paint job/ suntour xc pro. Its local and some old guy rides it on the roads but not selling. That will teach me to get interested in aluminium!

Lots of lovely details - so what BB - Royce or Hope?

Hope? None of their tat on that bike. That's Royce, m'boy, Royce. Should last well enough to give away in my will. 😉

There was no such thing as geometry back then

I know that was said in jest, but the geometry of these old Konas is spot on. They were built to race, really, so they are very direct by modern standards, but I defy anyone ride one and not be amazed by they climb and flick around, seemingly by telepathy alone. That's why they are still such collectable bikes 🙂

More Kona porn courtesy of the web

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That is one [i]hawt[/i] hot 😀

What a peach! My number one frame, the Explosif... Well done sir! 😀

Just put some springy forks on my old Hahanna intending to give it to pass it onto our lad, although now thinking of a new paint job & keeping it for myself!

My old 1996 Fire Mountain (nicked by a lowlife chav scumbag piece of excrement last November). The frame was extensively reworked by Mercian Cycles in Derby, shaving the rear canti bosses, brazing on an IS disc mount, adding in a strut to brace the disc, standard brake hose guides replaced with larger items to accommodate hydraulic hoses, Crud Catcher bosses under the down tube and then stove enamelled white.

I kitted it out with a full (brand new at the time) 2005 XT groupset, Fox F80 RLT forks, Hope Mono M4 front and Mono Mini rear brakes and floating rotors, Hope headset, stem, XC hubs, ti skewers and seat QR, Easton EC70 flat bar, X-Lite Enduro Stubbie bar ends and a USE Alien carbon post.

I absolutely adored this bike and never felt the need to change anything on it from the day of it's makeover, it rode beautifully and, after so long with it, I knew every nuance of it's handling, it was like an extension of my body. Having it nicked actually brought me close to tears.

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Those Hots look incredible. I've seen pics of a couple, probably the best looking MTB ever made IMO.

Tat Fire Mountain is sweet too. I can imagine how gutted you were when it was nicked. 🙁

PP - lovely looking bike, seeing the old stem etc reminds me of my first bikes. Aaah brake boosters and Dart/Smokes.......
I reckon Sanderson make the closest modern equivalent to 90's Konas.