Kona pt. 2

Explosif - Kona Explosif, steel since 1988 or so, but now it's a Scandium race bike. This one is beautiful - great forks, Avid brakes, lots of stickers. Top marks.


Chute - This was the first model of Kona's first "Shore" hardtail. A pretty risky move at the time - a hardtail with an overbuilt frame and a dual crown fork. You wouldn't be expected to ride this up hills. This one has Formula discs - good choice.


Blast - The Blast is sort of a budget Shore bike - it has really beefy frame construction, but a cheap fork and pretty weak cable-operated disc brakes. You can get one for free if you buy a Ford Focus - but only in the States. In Canada, Ford sponsors DeVinci. This bike is available here as the Stuff.


SexOne - I thought the Sex (Suspension Experience) bike were all linkage bike just like the Jamis Dakar, but I guess I was wrong. Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of those forks, but this looks like a pretty decent bike.


Stab - Kona's Stab is one of the better complete DH bikes you can buy. I like the 2000 bike better because they got rid of the bent down tube. Take a second to look at that fork... Imagine it on your bike...

Kona

Kona's been making bikes for quite a while, and they have the enviable position of being a fairly big company, but being seen as a small company. I think. They're also the company most likely to be mistaken for a Canadian company. Because they're headquarters is in Washington, and I think one of the founders was Canadian. [edit] after all these years, in my posts, kona will be under-represented. why? because they've made 8 million different bikes over the years. and since i quit doing this so long ago, i don't anything on the newer ones. so the kona posts are definitely a look into the past...

Roast - The Roast is Kona's 2000 model 'Shore' bike. A beastly heavy, and strong, hardtail for extreme ridin'. Because we all want to be just like Shaun, right? Anyway, note the beefy frame tubes, Marzocchi Z.1, and flat, BMX pedals, all sure signs of a Shore wannabe.

Lava Dome - I can't tell you how excited I am about this pic. A 1990 or so Kona Lava Dome. Right before they went to a graphics style that really hasn't changed - just evolved since 1991. This one has a full SunTour group - that's right, SunTour. Go to a bike shop and find somebody that looks old and ask them about SunTour - you'll be amazed.


Kula - Kona Kula hardtail. An excellent raceable bike from 1994 or so. Updated with some V-brakes and a Manitou SX-R. It looks funny though, maybe it's just big...


Hot - This is a pretty sexy, custom painted Hot I must admit. Time to get a new fork though. I know you probably really like your old Mach 5, and it is - was - a good fork, but trust me, the new SX-R's are in a completely different league.


Hei Hei - Can you say money? Titanium frame, Mavic CrossMax UST wheels, RaceFace Next cranks... I guess the rider had nothing left for the brakes though...

Klein pt. 3

** onecow favorite **

Mantra - I'll give you one guess as to why I put this pic here...

Actually, it's a nicely finished bike too.

Adept - Klein's version of the "corporate" FS bike. Short travel and very light and stiff frame make this an outstanding choice for racing.

Klein pt. 2

Pinnacle - A pretty nice pre-Trek Klein. I wonder if the rider knows that the stem has to be inserted into the steerer tube to a pre-determined depth? Because that does not look safe. And I wonder who makes those wheels...


Pinnacle - I love pictures of original, old bikes. This Klein has all the old skool parts - no suspension, one-piece bar/stem combo, cantilever brakes, and standard size chainrings.


Adroit - Was this photo taken with a black-light? I know Kleins are loud, but this is really something else. And those green Michelins are definitely the hot ticket for making your bike look stupid.



Adroit - A nice, pre-Trek bike with a few modern touches like XTR V-brakes. And check the old-skool chain tensioner attached to the derailleur. Made by Bullet Bros. I believe. [edit] had to post this just for that derailleur tensioner - i think one of the cooler inventions that never caught on so much.


Mantra - This is a really well finished Klein with Magura hydraulics and Race Face cranks that match the frame. But I wonder how the 3 inch Marzocchi fork matches with the claimed 7 inches of travel at the rear wheel?

Klein

Time to get back at it - we last saw our hero at KHS, which means Klein is next...

Gary Klein was one of the first guys to really make aluminum work as a mountain bike frame. He was famous for big tubes and smoothed welds, a lot like Cannondale. Klein is now part of the Trek empire, and luckily his bikes haven't really suffered because of it. He still uses some outrageous colors, and big fat aluminum tubes.


Attitude - And this here is the ultimate classic Klein. Notable for it's 1989 paint job, and also for it's one-piece handlebar / stem combo, and it's 1.6 inch sealed bearing headset. How did you adjust it? You didn't, it was loctited in place.


Attitude - Not only does this bike have the pain of zero suspension and stiff aluminum, but it's only got 2 chainrings in the front - ultra punishment!


Rascal - More loud colors on a Klein - but then what would you expect? This bike looks like fun, but I'm not really sure why...



Pulse - Even the Pulse, which is lower down on the Klein totem pole, is worth putting XTR parts on, as this bike shows.


Pinnacle - I don't know if this is actually a Pinnacle or not, but it's a cool old bike, and you know I love those.

Mystery ebay find

Here's a unmarked aluminum bike I noticed on ebay recently;



Of course, I need to figure out what it is. Some companies have easily indentifiable characteristics. GT's Triple Triangle, Cannondale's fat tubes and filed joints, Rocky Mountains' pre-93 wishbone. But this one doesn't show anything really. It's pretty generic; plain dropouts, top mounted cables, and the cable stop on the seatstays make it (roughly) before 1997.



That seatpost bolt is not very common though. That might help ID it.

And then there's this;

What is going on under that BB? Is it an eccentric? Doesn't seem likely on a bike this old. Some sort of press in BB that is held in by those bolts? I think Fisher and Klein both used them, but the rest of the bike doesn't seem to match up with those companies.

I want to say it's an American, but I'll have to research it some more....