'New' bike – Classic Kona content

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

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IMG_1118[/url] by 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.

No, don’t.

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

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 🙂

Out of interest what would the geometry be on that?
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 🙁

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 🙂

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 🙂

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

That is one hawt 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.

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.