To Retro Kona or Not?

Hi, I may have the chance of an old, steel Kona. It’s the complete bike with a rigid fork. The stickers have been removed from the frame, so I’ve no idea what model or year it is.

Anyway, I’m after an old rigid or hardtail for bikepacking or training on, as I’ve only got a 6″ full-sus these days. The decision I need to make is should I buy the Kona, which will be cheap and then spend whatever’s needed to fettle it up. My other option is to buy a newer frame for more money, but use old parts/spares that I have laying about…these parts include disc brakes, disc wheels, nice bars/stem/seatpost which won’t fit on the Kona.

Of course, my other option is to buy the Kona anyway and sell it on. That might pay for option 2.

I’ve checked it over and it seems sound, with most of the drivetrain being original, although fairly low spec (Deore, although it does have thumbies). Any parts that have been changed are ano purple. The tyres are a Panaracer Dart/Smoke combo. The frame is a pinkish red with a silver fork. It’s got to be early 90’s I would have thought?

Any opinions/help would be appreciated, cheers. (Although, typing this out had made me realise I should buy, split it and sell after realising what modern parts I have laying about!).

Deore wasn’t low spec in those days, the only thing better in the thumbshifter era was Deore XT.

Buy it, try it, resell it if it doesn’t work for you.
Any idea which model?

Cheers for replies so far. I only found out about it an hour or two ago, so haven’t had chance to do any research. If I want it, it has to be tomorrow!

Edit – I left school in ’94 and I remember the purple ano thing and those tyres being all the rage. My own bike was black, so looked good with purple (IMHO, plus I was only a kid too). The Kona on the other hand, looks crap! If I buy and keep it, it will be painted and toned down.

Buy it and leave as is .. Lovely old bikes 🙂 pinkish red could be 1994 AA(but they were alloy) 91/2 cindercone was red

Pics please 🙂

I’d say buy it and use it. If it’s early 90s they ride really well and make great do-it-all bikes. I have a ’93 Cinder Cone which sees more use than all my other bikes bar the commuter.

Steel is real 🙂

Edit: I was going to suggest you have a flick through the catalogs at http://www.konaretro.com/ but it appears to be broken…

Ha, if it didn’t have the purple bits I might agree. It does have a little rust and would look better with at least some downtube stickers.

Buy it and mint it with new parts.

Clicky for how mine was done with other STWers Konas.

^^^ That’s very nice

Thanks for that link Wozza. Some useful info in there. I was only half interested when I saw the bike earlier…thinking it would be too much work, old standards, etc. I’m surprised to find out the headtube will probably be 1.1/8th. I’m not sure on rim brakes, they did look half-decent, although I’ll have to source some new wheels.

Plus one – It’s definitely steel, that’s how I knew it was a Kona. No pics either, as I only decided I was interested after I’d left.

Jeesus man, clean your kitchen! That’s a disgrace.
Nice bike btw

Old Konas FTW.

My bike was the perfect bike in the Surrey hills, only problem was people on modern 29ers slowing me down. 😉

After looking through Google images I now wonder if it’s actually a ’95 Explosif…it looks a similar colour and came with the silver fork too.

If it has an inch steerer it is a fire mountain or hahanna if that’s any use.

Cheers zippykona, I’ve just seen they came in the same colour. I’ll have to get my tape out tomorrow. I know they were the lower end models, do you still think it’ll be worth a punt if that’s what it is?

I think you had an Impact headset from Lava Dome up so if it’s red with a nutted headset I’d say its a fire mountain.

Ignore my last question, the steerer on the fork is 1.1/8″.
Cheers zippy, we must have posted at the same time.

Do it! You won’t regret it.

Sorry to be a pain…I’ve been told the steerer is 1.1/8″, but the headset isn’t an Impact. Could this mean the seller is wrong about the steerer size or did some bikes with that size have a more basic/nutted headset?

I’m currently looking through the old catalogues over on Retrobike, but haven’t found any info yet.

Headset may have been replaced?

After looking through Kona’s old catalogues, I think it can only be a ’94 Fire Mountain. It looks like it’s maybe not what I’m after.

I don’t think rim brakes and/or thumb shifters will work very well with my bar bag either.

Edit: robdob – The headset looks like a plain, unbranded one, so I’m guessing it’s original. Especially as the rest of the cockpit has been upgraded with named parts.

Pinkish-red with a silver fork sounds like a 1994 Kilauea, this had a columbus steel frame, and XT thumbies.

Now I think about it Fire Mountain was 1 1/8 but it didn’t have the impact headset, as I sold my mate the forks off my Lava Dome.

Original frame and fork. Eveyrthing else a bit more modern. Was a fun bike to ride in the twisties.

Only problem with old Konas is their retro rear tyre clearance

If it has an inch steerer it is a fire mountain or hahanna if that’s any use.

I’m pretty sure they just changed steerer size across the whole range one year. My old Cindercone had a 1″ threaded steerer, as did the Lavadome and Explosif that year.

Pinkish-red with a silver fork sounds like a 1994 Kilauea, this had a columbus steel frame, and XT thumbies.

You couldn’t be more wrong. My Kona is a 94 Kilauea and is made of Prestige Concept tubing. Originally specced with XT/sugino, Kona brakes and XCPro thumbshifters.

And was grey all over. 🙂

Only problem with old Konas is their retro rear tyre clearance

I fitted a 2.1 Splashback in with loads of space and they are quite chunky. 2.1 fire XC Pro had even more clearance.

If you can post some pics up I’ll be able to tell you in about 10 seconds what it is!

Very nice Robdob, very nice indeed. Especially the Flite saddle, thumbies, and gumwalls, exactly what I had on my Explosif.

My 93 and 94 lava domes struggled with 2.1s.

Any parts that have been changed are ano purple.

I’ll have ’em

I have old Kona lust.

Now sits and sulks about selling my 92 Explosif. 🙁

Any excuse 😉

95 Cindercone

Yes I’m a long legged freak !!!

[/url]
Untitled[/url] by Plus one2010[/url], on Flickr

A 2.1” Spashback fitted in the back of my 99 Caldera on 717 rim and would be okay in dry conditions but no clearance for mud at all.

My 99 as of a couple of weekend ago:

And being put to use at Long Mynd:

My 93 and 94 lava domes struggled with 2.1s

Same here, i put some old 2 inch maxxis larsens off my xc bike on mine and they only just fit through the brake blocks. Would love to fit a chunkier front tyre but I’d never get the wheel on 😆

I bought this last year as i always wanted one as a teenager but couldn’t afford it on my paper round money!

I’ve also got to finish this soon!

I’ve bought it, it’s nowhere near as nice as any that you lot have posted though!

I’m sure it is only a ’94 Fire Mountain.

That looks alright Dan!

Yes most likely 94 fire mountain .. Good honest bike well worth a bit spit n polish ..

If you drop the front canti hanger to around an inch or so off the tyre the brake will stop you 😉