Early 90's Kona Hot - $350 (Vancouver)

So I was going to buy this myself but once again common sense came into play. It really looks nice. 92 or a 93? Anyhow the guy selling seem to be a nice fellow. Good luck to however gets it.
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bik/1119651102.html

He didn't reply to me :?

I really can't remember what tubeset Hots were made from at what time, but going by the stem and forks, and the fact that the Explosif was made of the same stuff in 95, I'm guessing it's a 95 model.

Anthony?

Geoff":m98sq8ag said:

I really can't remember what tubeset Hots were made from at what time, but going by the stem and forks, and the fact that the Explosif was made of the same stuff in 95, I'm guessing it's a 95 model.
Anthony?

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Well actually Geoff, the Explosif was made of Columbus Max in 1995. I don't know why Tom Teesdale never went over to using Columbus Max on the Hots - it was more expensive than Tange Ultimate, so if Kona used it for the Explosif, why not for the Hot?

I do agree with you though that from what we can see despite the poor photos, the pattern of both the P2s and the Velocity look like the 95 design. Actually if it does have 95 kit and is made of Tange Ultimate, that may be the only evidence that it is a Hot and not a 94 Explosif repainted. The seller offers no evidence for it, and the lack of decals would always make me suspicious.

However, if it has a TET stamp on the bb shell and it's in good condition, $350 seems a very low price. Mind you, it would be even for an Explosif, I've seen 1995 Cinder Cones make more than that in the UK.

Anthony":2p5zi7ct said:

Well actually Geoff, the Explosif was made of Columbus Max in 1995.

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Doh! Must be getting confused. Do I mean they were made of that in 94?

Not sure if it has been sold but here is a photo the seller sent me.

What's with the cable routing? Were other Hots like that? Don't recall seeing it before on a Kona.

I think you are right - something not quite right about the cable routings.

My 94 Hot has the cables on the downtube...

Also seems a bit odd to be built up with LX level gear?!

If you look at Teesdales Brave frames you will see the same type of cable routing. It seem like this could be a very early example of the hot.
The only thing that strikes me as odd is the rack bolt on the drop outs.
Was that common?
As far as LX, that could have been added later. You should have seen what my Hot had on it when I first bought it.

The revised cable routing could have been specified at birth, but could also be consistent with the lack of decals, indicating a respray. If it is a 95 frame though, you might have expected a respray any time from 96 onwards to include provision of a V-cable stop.

Still it is a Kona, size 18, 94-onwards geometry, fluted downtube, 95 P2s and Velocity. So it's either a 94 Explosif or a 94 or 95 Hot, with the latter seeming most likely. It seems to be in good condition, so I still say $350 is very reasonable, especially if it has a TET stamp.