Hi, and a quick pic of my old Kona bike

fleep

Retro Newbie
Hi all,

I have been lurking about on here and was prompted to get into my garage and pull out my old steed. Its a Kilauea...

(fuzzy) Pics attached...

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I think this is 1996, and perhaps an 18" frame...

Pretty standard apart from the seat which I swapped out for a more comfortable Selle Italia and the brakes which changed from Curve to Deore XT about 10 years ago!

I am going to take this off road tomorrow for the first time in a decade! Hopefully it is not going to fall to bits in a pile of rusty components :)
 
I am going to take this off road tomorrow for the first time in a decade! Hopefully it is not going to fall to bits in a pile of rusty components :)[/quote]

I think you will be pleasantly surprised :)
 
fleep":1hvlr8oy said:
I think this is 1996, and perhaps an 18" frame...
Yes on both counts.

fleep":1hvlr8oy said:
Pretty standard apart from the seat which I swapped out for a more comfortable Selle Italia and the brakes which changed from Curve to Deore XT about 10 years ago!
You've done well to preserve the cranks. It's quite rare to see them survive.

fleep":1hvlr8oy said:
I am going to take this off road tomorrow for the first time in a decade! Hopefully it is not going to fall to bits in a pile of rusty components :)
They usually stand the test of time pretty well, it's the riders whose bits tend to fall off after years of inactivity!
 
2 hours out in the rain and mud and it was a dream! Clearly it needs a good service but held its own against new machinery. Loved it!

With regards to the New 'Old' Konas on here, is it considered 'wrong' to take a fine Kilauea and do 'bad' things to it? I have seen a few powder coated ones which look lovely, but is this destroying the authenticity and appeal of the bike? How much is OK (new decals, repaint in factory colour) and what is considered going too far?
 
Its your bike, you ride it, you love it...
Do what YOU want, as long as you ride it and love it

Some won't like it, and some may even post disparaging comments... but that's just their opinion. As long as it gets ridden and loved, who is anyone else to say otherwise? ;)


G
 
If the paint is in fairly good condition it would be a shame to strip/paint.. The original paint on these older kona's is lovely !! No problem upgrading to newer bits though as these can always be removed and old bits put back on..
Original paint/decals every time .. Just my opinion

Enjoy :)
 
Good feedback. The paint is geberally in very good condition, although there are a couple of bits that are in need of attention (eg near the lowest chain ring). Does anyone make touch up paint for these anymore, or is there an equivalent from Halfords etc? I would need paint for the frame and forks...
 
That colour is absolutely lovely - seems a shame to respray unless you really feel like a change. I just used standard artists acrylic paint to retouch my Explosif - easy to blend to get the correct shade and if the match is not quite right then it's easily wiped clean for another attempt (water soluble but dries to a permanent finish which T-cuts to a lovely shine).
 
fleep":1svd8uaw said:
Good feedback. The paint is geberally in very good condition, although there are a couple of bits that are in need of attention (eg near the lowest chain ring). Does anyone make touch up paint for these anymore, or is there an equivalent from Halfords etc? I would need paint for the frame and forks...
The important thing is to stabilise any surface rust. Remove as much brown as you can (and any bubbles) with a fine craft file, then paint the bare metal with Kurust from Halfords. You can overpaint that if you want, but it dries a blue/black colour and you won't really notice the repairs unless you like to spend your day staring at them. In my view, you would be crazy to lose the original paint and decals.
 
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