[Closed] Any Classic Kona experts around?

retrobike is your friend. is it white with splatter? i had the explosif from that era, im trying to buy it back.

Yeah, I'm away at the minute, I shall have to joon Retrobike when I get home

it's actually a plain black one. The splatter paint was 1990.

I've got frame, P2s, Velocity stem, brake cable widget, seat clamp, and the crowning glories - XTR headset and XT sharkfin!! 🙂

I need brakes, wheels and seatpost to get it rolling as a SS....

25.4 maybe? Do you have a vernier caliper?

if it is a 26.8 i have a titec knock rated one.........FOC

This would be a 1990 then?
[img] [/img]

Druid - yes that's no later than 1990

Juan - I've got a vernier at home. I was just idly wondering before I get chance to measure it

Ton, I might take you up on that but I'm in no rush 🙂

that ones pretty minty!

Druidh - '89 I'd reckon because of the U brake.
PP 26.8 as far as I remember.

I have some 94 cinder cone original parts if you want to keep ot relatively old school

tang - Member
that ones pretty minty!

All original parts - except the saddle - and barely used. Check the biopace cranks 😉

my 90 explosif is still local to me occ ridden by some old chap. still got suntour xc pro/comp groupset, track two forks, my girvin flexstem and onza ski barends! i bumped into him randomly last yaer and ive not seen him since. id love to have it back. first really good feeling mtb i owned.

So, I slapped a caliper on it, and it's coming out at 26.5mm.... Maximum....

A quick search reveals there are Konas of that age with 26.6 post, and Sheldon Brown's database sort of agrees too -

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=360468&sid=c6dd1a793ff05314b795e23fc7b8d0a2

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/seatpost-sizes.html#k

Welcome to te fold (Cindercone and Retrobike member)!

If anyone has a spare Velocity stem 110mm centre to centre,pm me please - addy in profile.

Enjoy PP

Yes it's a 89 Kona I know because thats when I had mine. Just about everyone who saw it asked who spilt paint on it. BTW it cost me £400 back then

[i]Check the biopace cranks[/i]

LOL That was the first thing I changed on mine.

The Velocity stem I have is 100mm, but I think it's a shorter one off a lower model (Hahanna?) because I'm sure my first '91 Cindercone that I bought brand new had a longer one, and the sticker doesn't match the one on the Cinder Cone pic on Kona Retro's '91 catalogue. The seller did say he got the brake cable collar from a 93/94 model (It's the metal one, mine was plasic) as well, but I'm fine with that.

After some fishing mine looks like its definately a 91. The 92 had Triple Butted P2s, these are the black DB ones I had on mine. 🙂

This will be reborn as a rideable SS for use on sunny summer evenings. It's too nice and original to kill! 😀

I built a ss with some old biopace cranks...not a smart move to set the chain to the shortest length only to find out your rings are oval

Cool! Be interested to see a pic when you get around to it.

Same here, got a very original 95, still on it's original brake blocks, chain and BB, all in good order too, not sure it's been off road yet! All original except the stem that is! Oh well, one will turn up sooner or later.

Couple of crap pics for you -

[img] [/img]

It certainly doesn't need a respray!

[img] [/img]

Boxed XTR headset... 😀

Looks great, and the stem does look like an early one, with the cable guide part of it. I'm sure you'll make a great build of it.

Here's my '95, almost ready!

[img] [/img]

thepodge - Member
I built a ss with some old biopace cranks...not a smart move to set the chain to the shortest length only to find out your rings are oval

Well actually, you can often run oval chainrings on a SS if you don't run the chain too tight or if the chainring isn't too big - think about it - the chain always covers around half of the chainring which means a fixed number of teeth so it takes the same length of chain - the main variation is in the angle up and down the chain moves due to the elliptical shape and is actually quite a small change - I have made this work on a mate's hack fixie previously so the theory definitely works.

And here's my 95 Kilauea in it's third incarnation (paint-wise), still being used 🙂

[img] [/img]

That looks really good PP. Although I would agree with you about the stem length it'll probably be better with the shorter stem.

IIRC my Kona had a 26.4mm seatpost. Would be best trying before buying I reckon.

Gonna do it up with white bits again??

(I did have a white SI Turbo saddle until recently..)

Here is mine after a refurb

[img] [/img]

In terms of paint/stickers and stem it looks very similar to my '92 Fire Mountain that I had. The downtube sticker looks identical.

As far as I can remember Kona did every model in either a colour or in black.

My '91 Lava Dome ran a 26.6mm post. I know because I managed to break the original!

It wasn't a theoretical post, it was a been there done that post

I reckon that you must have been running the chain on the tight side then - like I said, it can be made to work.

iirc - my fire mountain had a magic ratio of 34:16 which was perfect for where I lived at the time.

Shame I just got rid of a lot of stuff from an Kona. Cantis, a stem like that but marked Joe Murray, Wheels with old old XTR hubs, the 'magic' seatpost, the hard to find rear canti cable guide and all sorts. Shame.

I think mine might have been 36 16 too and yeah its on the tight side

That looks really good PP. Although I would agree with you about the stem length it'll probably be better with the shorter stem.

IIRC my Kona had a 26.4mm seatpost. Would be best trying before buying I reckon.

I've actually made contact with a previous owner of this actual F&F through Retrobike!! He sold it with a post and had confirmed it's a 26.4mm. I've just ordered one off CRC, a 400mm inline, exactly what I wanted. 🙂 I love the internet!

Gonna do it up with white bits again??

(I did have a white SI Turbo saddle until recently..)

Err no. There was a brand new, boxed, white Turbo for sale on Saturday. I was VERY tempeted, let me tell you!

NOTE:
It's been defiately dated as a 1992 frame and forks. You can't believe how much some people know about identifying model years! (1991s had a braze on seatclamp, 1992s didn't. That's the only difference apparently!)

I'm going to do it up as a SS with cheapish modern parts: I just need wheels and V-brakes (Cantis are death traps IMO. Never again!) I have everything else I need either in the garage or on the way. If the bit's I've been offered are decent it'll have cost me £175 for the complete bike. Certainly £200 max otherwise.

It will be ridden, not a perfect retro-bling garage queen! I'll ride it on sunny evenings only though, I don't want to ruin it.

the hard to find rear canti cable guide and all sorts

I've got one of those! A 1993 metal one no less. I won't be using it or selling it though! 8)