Cinder Cone memories circa 97

dongward

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So this is where it all started...

...after saving many pennies I upgraded a Saracen Hardtrax to a Kona Cinder Cone back in 1997. I purchased the frame, seatpost, forks and cables from Bothy Bikes in Aviemore and built the bike myself. I remember back then it was the smoothest thing I'd ever ridden and the geometry seemed at home up and down the single track of Ord hill just as much as with the saddle down low at the back of B&Q, trying to bunny hop up stacked up palletes...

..anyway, enough nostalgia: The bike was stolen in Edinburgh, admittedly my own fault as the lock was opportunist proof but not bolt-cutter pro proof. By that point upgrades included Sid forks, carbon bars and hope rear hub - quite devastating. A friend tuned me into Retrobike but it wasn't until a couple of years later that I finally got up the nerve to attempt a re-build... Now it's like crack - the site chould be called retro-crack.

Here's the story so far...
 

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Hope goods!

A set of mint hope wheels from azaro set off the tone - blue and gun-metal grey. Actually, the wheels on the cinder cone were originally red ti hope hub front, bulb rear on Mavic 121 rims - of course, everyone knows red makes you go faster which is probably why I dyed my hair that colour too :oops:. A sturdy wheel set up which lasted a long time and complemented the trails as well as 'how many back wheel bounces can you do in a row' competitions...
 

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Tyres next - a set of period correct Slizer and Grinder ones, which complement the wheels no less. Ace condition from Crantinope...
 

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A 97 cane creek headset in blue - this ones a 'darker' blue though. I seem to remember there being a stand off in blues around this time. X lite had a lovely electric ano blue and a dark blue. USE did a dark blue to match too. Cripes, if it wasn't your clothes you were worrying about, it was whether your latest shiny bit would match or not....

There is a temptation to chuck this in for a King but I think the electric blue ano kings are a little rare...
 

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Well, this turned out to be a spanner in the works...

An AMP F1 fork... very PRE-1997...

I worked as a bike mechanic in Halfords - my first proper job - and a work pal Martin McGrath had a set of F3's on his GT. I remember thinking they were absolute beezers and wondered why no one else made forks like those. I'd never seen anything like them in my life. I also never realised that AMP pioneered the horst link and sold the rights to specialized. Funny how early 1990's biking was so ahead of the game and only recently has the technology been caught up with - cartridge bb bearings on the old pace, disc brakes on Amp's. I guess these forks opened up the mtb scene to me. I know the F3's were the DH version of the F1/F2 but these were so nice I couldn't pass them up.

A quick chat with keepitsteel saw these on their way to me - but with a caveat: 'Do not chop down the 200mm steerer!' :evil: - oo er!
 

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So now things are evolving. I decided the build was no longer 97 specific (why limit oneself?) so things have taken a bit of turn. My fetish for the Middleburn cranks began in the window of the bike shop (the name escapes me) on Castle Street in Inverness. So much so I managed to save up for a set of RS2's, only to see my mate with a spankers set of RS3's... The additional finesse that went into the machining was evident on the flowing curves of the crank arms and the splayed spider... but the RS2's were mine and they were lovely...

So, I found a set of RS3's on ebay (in blue mind) and purchased a Pace middle ring. In way of gears, I've been thinking of a 1x8/9 set up. I tended to find myself using the middle ring most and to keep weight/price down, think omitting a front mech/shifter/granny and outer ring will be a good move for the aesthetic and simplicity of the build. A hope ti bottom bracket is required for this beauty :D
 

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I still don't have a frame yet... A 19 inch Explosif 99 has been kicking about with me - as a hack/commuter bike no less - but it was just that bit too big... Ideally, a 96 Explosif would be the bees knees but again these aren't in great supply.

The controls are beginning to take shape: A set of blue x-lite xc risers from woldranger; a syncros stem from Drapoon, less top cap (I bought another stem to supplement the lack of hat) and a lovely set of Pauls v's from Tizumo.

The crunch: The Amps came with the canti hanger, prompting a brief foray into canti-land, vis a vis, a mint set of curve cantis and levers from Plus one... but they just didn't sit right. The red spring bolts and the black clamp of the levers just jarred with the scheme, so they had to go. Ultimately, I decided upon v's - again, a potential outrage considering the Amps crying out for cantis but it seems this is the retrobike game: unique, independent and thoroughly tailored for one avid biker.
 

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I paid a little over the odds for these :? something which has happened a couple of times now. Generally it seems the way though - I've had my fair share of good deals - the wheels to mention one. Thought these might be ti but not sure and no mmagnet to hand... oh well, would happily sell them if I got hold of any ringle or mark 1 hopes in blue...
 

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ilinks :D

The colour scheme of blue/silver has infiltrated my every pore - I cannot accept anything with black on it.

This has resulted in selling XT v's (brakes and levers), and an XT thumbie which I had laid aside. The trouble is, the build is only as good as its weakest component. When I say weakest, I mean that little achilles heel which you haven't found your ideal replacement for. I remember it was like this back in the day - thinking, 'right, that's that... ...hmmm, though I'm not so sure about that saddle now', etc ad nauseum...

So, this is resulting in some study and financial stretches...

The rasta pauls mech - which also adorned the shop window on Castle Street - was the stuff of dreams: unattainable yet covetted, precision engineering and down right bum spankingly pricey... ...until now.

The eyes are on either a silver precision/pauls rear mech as well as v's - this is pretty much the bulk of the components needed. I sourced a shifter which would fit the Pauls levers perfectly: a rivendell - cue Frodo and Sting...
 

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