'98 Teesdale Hot??

Ships to the continental US only :roll:

I don't think thats a Hot and even it it is it is not a TET one.

1991-92 Tom Teesdale, Tange Concept
1993-95 Tom Teesdale, Tange Ultimate
1996-97 Jeff Lindsay/Altitude Cycles/Mountain Goat, Reynolds 853
1997-98 Enigma, Reynolds 853

I think it probably is a Hot actually, although I agree it isn't a Teesdale one.

1. the cable routing, if original, indicates a 1997 frame
2. the top tube is slimmer than the down tube, which indicates Kilauea or higher
3. it isn't made of Columbus Max, so that eliminates the 97 Explosif
4. the top cable stops and the dropouts don't look like a 97 Kilauea
5. so 97 Hot is the only one left standing

However the cable routing is sometimes altered when a frame is repainted, so the 97 dating can't be definite.

In the bad old days before Gil_M, people used to allow their precious decals to be shot-blasted to hell when their frame was repainted, thereby knocking a hole in its value greater than the cost of having the decals copied.

This looks like the same kona that was claimed to be a TET hot a few months back. White powdercoat and all. It didn't have any decals or chainstay marks like I see though. He ended the auction early because he realized it wasn't a Tom Teesdale hot and then relisted it. I think I recall it selling for $71.

This is a email that I got from the seller:

"powder coating has obscured the serial number and it is no longer visible. I am positive this is a Teesdale because I was working for a Kona dealer at the time and sold approximately 5 of these frames the year I got this one. 1998 is an approximation of the age of the frame, it may be a 1997, I just don't remember exactly when I got it."

Not sure what to make of that.

Rally_cat":2l2k1npp said:

This looks like the same kona that was claimed to be a TET hot a few months back. White powdercoat and all. It didn't have any decals or chainstay marks like I see though. He ended the auction early because he realized it wasn't a Tom Teesdale hot and then relisted it. I think I recall it selling for $71.

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Well it was white, but I think that 'Hot' was eventually established to be a 91 Explosif, which has recognisably different geometry to the later bikes, so I don't think this can be the same frame. The seller in that case was a prominent member of another forum, so perhaps better not to delve too deeply.

I like it. Im not willing to go balls out if it only turns out to be an Explosif though, that would be annoying... hmmm.

GearlessinSeattle":3dvo1b1d said:

This is a email that I got from the seller:
"powder coating has obscured the serial number and it is no longer visible. I am positive this is a Teesdale because I was working for a Kona dealer at the time and sold approximately 5 of these frames the year I got this one. 1998 is an approximation of the age of the frame, it may be a 1997, I just don't remember exactly when I got it."
Not sure what to make of that.

Click to expand...

Hmmm, maybe his memory is as bad as mine.

The Hots that Tom Teesdale made never had plain round tubes. Concept is tapered and ovalised, and the Ultimate Ultrastrong downtube is fluted, so a plain round-tubed Hot has to be an 853 Hot, and 853 hadn't even come onto the market when Teesdale was building them.

The photo below strengthens my belief that this is a 1997 853 Hot, because (and I know this getting anal) the top tube cable stops are the same and they are unlike other Konas (my 97 Kilauea has quite different ones).

If either of you is interested in buying it, I would advise asking the seller to make another attempt at reading the serial number and to provide the weight of the frame (the 96 and 97 Hots were lighter than the 853 Explosifs, owing to having slimmer tubes - and presumably also had a livelier ride). Putting investment values aside for a moment, if this is a 1997 853 Hot, it's a great frame.

They all look the same to me :?