Steel Kona's from the late-90s

*Konas

Just picked up a 1998, maybe 1999 Lava Dome for £70. I bought it after my other bike was nicked, purely cos a Lava Dome was the first mountain bike I ever rode and hey it seemed in good condition. I think the bike it replaced, an On One Inbred (old design) actually had geometry explicitly based on this bike, albeit with a more reinforced frame and more tyre clearance.

Anyone have experience riding these old Joe Murray-era Konas? I reckon it’s probably only got another year or so in it but hey. At this stage, I’m using it just for getting around London and maybe the occasional XC ride but I don’t want to thrash a bike of this age. I also love that every component on it is something I can strip and fix myself – no fancy schmancy hydraulics…V brakes are $hit though!

I will not be using this bike in Chamonix

I revamped my old similar era Hahanna (first bike I bought myself too!). I had no problems battering it around trail centres, local commute, whatever. My brother now uses it (and he’s “bigger” than me). I loved that bike!

I’ve got one a few years older than that (95 ish I think, and the previous owner knew his bikes) still in regularish service – P2s on the front, sorted. V brakes are divine compared to cantis, though both are more than enough in the dry tbh.

Why not – If its not rusting or cracked go for it… I currently race a 96 Ti Kona hei hei – through choice, my favourite race bike of all time (and yes I have tried the current crop)and have been now for 3 or 4 years…

they’ll last as long as theyre looked after…

I was on the motorway once and a rag and bone man truck went past with a Kona frame in it, . . i was tempted to follow, and if i’d have been alone I would have . . .

It cost less than a tennis raquet 🙂 Thanks

Oooh, get some pics up. I’m currently restoring a tiny 1998 Explosif – the longest (and probably the most cash) I’ve ever spent on a resto – 2 weeks in and it still only looks like this . . . (they’ve usually been built, test-ridden and sold on in that time 😉 )

It was a bit of a wreck – I won’t hijack the thread with the boring details but anyone interested can read more here.

I have a ’96 Cindercone.
Rode it pannier’d up for 8500km around Australia and NZ. Its currently semi built-up (needs wheel rebuilds) as a singlespeed.

Its a truly lovely bike that i don’t think I’ll ever part with.

BTW I think Joe Murray left Kona in the early nineties.
1993 was the start of Voodoo iirc.

I have a lovely 97 blue kona cindercone. It currently is a single speed but I am thinking of converting it back and putting gears back on. I remember it’s excellent single track abilities which have not been matched by any bike since.

Joe Murray-era Konas

Not really – that’s early to maybe mid (since they were basically unchanged) 90s Konas.

Here’s my 95 Kilauea – Still going strong – it has hydraulics (C2s) on though (from ’96 no less!). I quite happily ride it off road too.

Nice

Here it is

So this isn’t a Joe Murray Kona? Oh well, it still rides nice. I think it’s a ’98. I plan to put High Rollers on it and SPDs but leave everything else the same.

If it’s anything like mine you’ll struggle to fit a decent sized tyre in the frame… 2.1 absolute max (and even then a narrow 2.1) on mine without rubbing.

I’ve got a 93 (I think) Cinder Cone. Used to be my commuter but I have to go a bit further now. Love it to pieces and can’t see myself ever getting rid of it. It’s currently fitted with a (LOCT) kiddie seat and gets some mild off road use still.

When I bought it (from ebay) about 8 years ago it was all original except for the saddle, and very low mileage. I’ve replaced a few bits, put some V brakes on when it got converted to child carrying duties as the cantis were awful, but I still have all the original parts (including tyres). One day I hope to return it to it’s former glory, but for now it’s doing a brilliant job.

Keep ’em coming, like it

Yep the tyre clearance is limited for sure

Heh@the Kona website:

“The Future Shock fork is introduced, a leading-link design by Joe Murray. In a very amicable agreement with Specialized, the name is changed to Z-Link. The fork is a total flop, is never safe to ride, and all stock is dumped into the Straight of San Juan de Fuca.”

http://www.konaworld.com/about.cfm

My 94 Cinder Cone has been in pieces since err 2005 when I got an Explosif.

I paid £350 for a set of Manitou Mach 5 elastomer forks which had about 1″ of usable travel. – I presume you can’t get elastomers etc any more?

Biggest upgrade was a set of XT v brakes in 97 which meant the thing finally stopped!

I should rebuild it with the original P2 fork etc but not enough time / inclination

Yep, it’s a ’98. Nice find! 😛 – looks in great condition too.

I had a 91 Lava Dome in Purple with black P2 forks..

Was gutted when some scrote nicked it. 😈

Got a 91 Cindercone frame with all sorts of odd stuff on it. Lovely frame makes a great SS bike will keep going for years.

There was a big thread on old Konas a wee while back.

My 1990 Lava Dome is still going strong as a tourer and occasional drop bar rigid MTB. I find it to be excellent at both.

I think the bike it replaced, an On One Inbred (old design) actually had geometry explicitly based on this bike, albeit with a more reinforced frame and more tyre clearance.

No

That is lovely mama – though your projects always are!

I thought it had been resprayed – awesome touch-up work (I just had mine sprayed!)

I think the bike it replaced, an On One Inbred (old design) actually had geometry explicitly based on this bike, albeit with a more reinforced frame and more tyre clearance.

No

S’funny I always wondered that about my ’93 Kileaua.

Indys? on an explodif? I think you misspelled desecration as restoration.

97 Fire Mountain. Rigid and SS £50 got me the frame an orbit headset and some ahead fitting, disc compatible P2s… can’t say fairer than that.
might get a rear disc tab welded on next year if it lasts another winter (which it will)…

Ok, a bit earlier but here’s (yet another picture of my) ’92 Fire Mountain – in regular use as a SS back-country lanes bike. Owned from new, and rides better now than it ever did.

It’s way past anything like even being close to original condition …

Indys? on an explodif? I think you misspelled desecration as restoration.

I think you misspelled Explosif 😆 – read the link in my post above – the bike was desecrated long before it came into my hands.

Cheers adh! It’s been a really enjoyable project so far 🙂

I can’t spell projedt2, either.

😉 Yeh, it’ll be P2s or Bombers when funds allow but for the time being I’m quite looking forward to being reacquainted with Indys for old times sake at least.

I have a 1998/9 (I think) cindercone in the depths of the shed that I’ve been meaning to get round to restoring for years, that and umpteen other ” projects”

Still riding my 99 explosif. Just thrashed it on the commute home this evening. No qualms about taking it offroad still.
Got the original z2 atom bombs fork in a cupboard if anyone’s interested for a restoration. Would need new seals and probably a respray but I think the stantions are in good nick.

Raced my ’97 Explosif at FNSS last Friday, I think it’s probably over 10 years since I last raced it!

Still riding this ’95ish cinder cone for commuting:

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Getting lost on the commute[/url] by Stuart Marshall[/url], on Flickr

Recently fitted a single pannier and the whole thing is flexing a scary amount 🙂 Hope it doesn’t snap!

And regarding Chamonix I actually took this bike there in 1996 for a mtbing holiday! Seems bit a crazy now

Bigdawg pics please

I gave my 94 lava dome a fresh look for this year, had to drop the forks down to 80mm to keep it handling OK. Its great fun on single tracks.

I like the old ones with new bits on. No one ever kept their bike standard you were always after better kit much like today.
Ps its only old konas that look good (obviously you’ve got kleins etc)old specializeds just look fit for the tip.

dvatcmark

Where did you get your adapter?

I’ve got a explosif I want to put disks on and ss.

What year and model cindercone I think had the speckled paint job. Would love to see a picture of one of them, my dream bike back int day.must have been around that era?

still ride my 1995/6 Joe Murray era Voodoo off orad regular
I trust it to carry the little one in her Wee Ride seat too, still the best hardtail Ive ever owned

I think the splatters were 88-90, you can always nip over to retrobike. They’ll have loads of pics and will know erverrrrrrything about old Konas.

Here’s an 89 to whet your appetite.

Edit There’s one for sale here