1999ish Kona manomano

After a very long break(15yrs) I decided to venture back into bikes, now I didn't want to spend a massive amount until I know I'll stick with it and also have a major car project aswell which in a money pit.
Anyway thought I'd go for a better quality older bike than a cheap new bike so £165 pound later from ebay I've a 1999ish Kona manomano.
Think I may have paid a bit to much but it was local and ending soon so had it.


The bits
Fox Float R rear shock, Shimano stx rear, Shimano LX Deore front, Shimano V Brakes front & back, Shimano pedals, Shimano hubs, STX Special Edition RST Gamma TL forks, Power Pro FSA crank, ORC handle bar stem, Zoom bars.

Not 100% sure what to do with it now though. Might just mod it with some better parts from the same era or just go mad and go the whole hog with fancy parts then eventually reframe.

Any advise would be great as to what to do with it and opinions on what I paid.
Cheers Gary

looks like a bargain. deffo a good platform to add better part to.

That looks a good deal from here mate. I'd only change the forks and then it would be pretty much ideal.

Haven't really done anything to this yet, other than some new tyres and a better used seat.

Now I'm looking at upgrading the forks to something of better quality but still retro, any recomendations? All it gets used for is taking the dog for a run so any type will do as they will get an easy life Don't want to spend a massive amount either as I've been looking at a new bike aswell.

Have a look for some Marzocchi Bomber Z2's

Great forks & the right age for the bike..


Nice bike by the way

That looks pretty tidy and a good place to start.

I'd also suggest looking for a pair of Z3/2's. They shouldn't cost to much either.

I third the recommendation for some Z2s or 3s in black, or you could go for some black sids with 80mm travel, either way lovely bike.

I like the rear shock that you have there my Manomano is 2 years older, I have replaced many parts but at the moment I'm not to sure what to do with it (front mech might need replacement) ...

Couple of upgrades, Maybe not the best but I got them for what i think was not a bad price, paid £95 for the wheels and forks.
Both in really good condition.


Just need to get some brakes now and some new shifters.

You did well. You'll be surprised how well those old Kona's roll stock. I upgraded my old 96 Kona dual suspension with some newer shocks and it went from getting me by to blowing my mind. I have since cracked that frame but took all the parts over to a 07 Kona Kikapu Deluxe frame and man I love it.

I would suggest riding the piss out of it, and upgrading whenever you feel the need to. You can get a new frame and take all the parts over when and if you can break this one. Newer bikes are nice, but with modern properly setup shocks, these old frames can hold their own.

Helluva nice bike & price!