Kona Kilauea 1997

Back in 1997 when looking for a new bike after one crash too many left my Parkpre Sceptor Comp with a damaged headtube, my bike of choice would have been a '97 Kilauea after reading a review in Mountain Bike World. I still have the mag and it is posted on here somewhere. Sadly funds would not allow so ended up with a Merlin Malt which I still had a lot of fun on and have just brought back to life after 6 years in a garage.

After moving to Edinburgh I needed a second bike for the commute and occasional off road duties. My first thoughts was a Kilauea. After some forum searches I found one and despite the ad being months old it was still for sale.

Here it is when I bought it


my kona by Ian Dyson, on Flickr

Then I found retrobike and I began picking up original bits for it and by chance ended up with some mint Z1's (100mm). Other changes included Avid Arch Rival brakes, Flite saddle and some retro tyres (Kona Sniff & IRC Mythos). I also went for riser bar and short stem.


Picture 102 by Ian Dyson, on Flickr

It has had the occasional rigid moment such as on the Glasgow to Edinburgh charity ride when "borrowed" by my wife.

2012-08-10 17.40.54 by Ian Dyson, on Flickr

And here it is recently with a fairly settled spec

2012-12-18 12.30.15 by Ian Dyson, on Flickr

However the Edinburgh winters have been pretty harsh and some rust has started bubbling up, so as reluctant as I am it is time for a respray. Henderson's have recommended a two pack job rather than powder coat. So now it is all ready for a fresh paint job and no it wont be white but the same deep metallic blue. Although Yamaha R1 blue as ratbane's resto a while back may be an option. I have some new decals but noticed the head badge is different. Anyone know where I can get something without 'Kona' and just the 'K'?


2013-03-06 18.58.46 by Ian Dyson, on Flickr

So there we go so far. This bike is so much fun, I could go on for ages about it (already have I think).

Hope to have regular updates on the rebuild. Spec will be staying the same except for original LX cranks (polished), Avid SD7 brakes & cane Creek 40 headset, LX m570 shifters in purple blue (to match the hubs, front mech and frame) and maybe some different tyres.

But any ideas on a stem/riser combo in black would be good. Maybe Ritchey but not too modern

Hope you all enjoy reading this and apologies that is a bit non standard. Don't think it will be as good as many of the rebuilds on here but will keep me going for many more years I hope.

Thank you for posting this, such a shame the original paint has to go but she's been used and loved so that's all that matters. As for the decals, have a chat with Konaben82 - he sorted me out a treat (check out my 97 Explosif thread for my decal woes )

Is the rust that bad? Can't you just rub down the bad area's with wet n dry and kurust then touch in with model paint? '97 Kila's seem a bit thin on the ground seems a shame to lose the original paint

Thanks Al, really like your explosif and share your thoughts on repro decals.

In terms of rust I will post pics later of the worst areas and paint damage. I was almost going to drop the frame off today but thought twice if I could somehow keep the original paint

Well worth keeping original paint.. I understand why some repaint/new decals but leaves it soulless in my book :cry:

Good clean/rub down affected areas/treat rust.. I use my local car parts supplier for paint I take frame in and spend ages looking through colour cards for decent match..

All those scrapes tell a story

Hendersons did do fork/stem for my cindercone .. Link below(only cause I gave up trying to get matching pair) :roll:


They done a sterling job long wait though .


viewtopic.php?f=6&t=212720

Col

There's been a few threads on here concerning repairing Kona paint, this one is probably the most extreme salvage job but the results look great using artists acrylic paint

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=208468

That was a good example but it's all about the preparation and treatment beforehand otherwise it'll soon look shoddy. Furthermore and I'm sure many of us can testify, the original paint on this range has a depth and lustre to it that you can't replicate from a spray can or tin pot. On the small areas it's absolutely fine, anything bigger and in an obvious location can start to make any repair look botched (even when it isn't). I totally understand Dyson's dilema! Let's hope the damage isn't too severe, the depth of the blue on these is wonderful - like a really good old dark blue ink - and, as experienced, re-creating the decals is a nightmare - there're never quite right no matter how hard you or the designers try.

Col, your cinder cone is awesome! The colour details make it. Glad you had positive words about Hendersons. When I talked to them they good advice about powdercoating vs two pack and appreciated that they went through the best option for me.

In terms of saving the paint Ill post the worst bits later. I dont mind a slightly different colour but the decals really are different.

Yep, the devil is in the detail, the N and A and the width of the outline are often wrong. Also, the sizing is unique to each frame size, so 18" decals, especially the on the downtube, are smaller than a 19". Pretty obvious when you think about it but often over-looked.

here is some of the worst areas of rust, chainstay bridge and cable stops at the rear are worse. Chainstays are bad too for paint. Apologies for crap pics. The rust is only in about three areas. But overall paint has alot of chips and marks

Was thinking though to first wet and dry to get rid of the rust, then treat it, a good all over the clean, t-cut, touch up and perhaps a new clearcoat.

Cheaper then a full respray too.