Kona Geometry through the years

elPedro666

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Sure there must be a thread on this that I'm missing...

So I've heard it said that there are basically two types of Kona - pre '95 Joe Murray, and post '95 suspension corrected. Then all that happened is forks got longer and stems shorter. I'm imagining very early models were slightly different too and at some point - 2000ish? - this must have changed again. Also there must have been some variation across the range, or were Lava Domes getting the same angles as Explosifs the whole time?

Is there a simple timeline of what did/didn't change that my searches have missed? A thread like this which already has the answers?

I'd also like a timeline of the Explosif's evolution, as I'm seriously considering spending too much on a midernish (sorry) 853 (probably) version.


Not asking for much today, eh? :LOL:

Hope they exist already else I'll be spending a lot of time in the archives trawling the brochures!
 
1994 was the switch to suspension corrected. They're also a little longer in the top tube from 1994 on

this design continued in use on some bikes until the mid 2000s!
 
On the ball this morning, cheers! So that ties up with what I've heard - although I thought '95 was the first year of longer tt and suspension corrected. Are they really the same across the whole range for all that time too? So a 2000 Explosif is identical to a '95 Hahana apart from the tube quality?
 
elPedro666":21zhkala said:
On the ball this morning, cheers! So that ties up with what I've heard - although I thought '95 was the first year of longer tt and suspension corrected. Are they really the same across the whole range for all that time too? So a 2000 Explosif is identical to a '95 Hahana apart from the tube quality?


Not quite

Hahannas and fire mountains kept a shorter top tube to make them more recreational friendly, some years they also had a differently raked P2

but a 1994 Lava Dome should have the same basic geo as a 1999 explosif - there are charts in the catalogues that list which frames use which geo
 
Thanks, I'm sure I will end up going cross-eyed trawling all the catalogues at some point, just hoped there might already be an timeline of sorts out there somewhere...
 
Timeline is the archive... or PM Anthony
853 started 1998 unless it was the Hot.

If you need to go into the 00's for some funny reason where it all get messed up with Alu, back to Steel, funny dropouts and categorised bikes I can drag some of it up but I think I placed some in the archive for the 98+ lot.

anyway I have to work. One of the catalogues mention the geometry changes and why.
 
FluffyChicken":1bh17n5p said:
anyway I have to work. One of the catalogues mention the geometry changes and why.

Commiserations and thanks, that'll hopefully save me a lot of searching!
 
Easiest way I try and remember is that up to 1995 it was the "old way". After that till the mid 2000's it was the "new way". All geometry was pretty much the same in both apart from the Fire Mountain and Hahanna's (as and when they were produced); these had a more "slack" and "upright" geometry (exceptions being the late 80's FM that had the same).

I know that's not accurate, but it works for me :)

As for stems and the like it get's complicated eg: for 1997, they vary based on the model and the size of the frame.
 
Crazy that all but two frames in the range have exactly the same shape frame as each other and it's unchanged for nigh-on ten years!

This is what I thought I knew, but when said out loud it just sounded absurd! So to see if a 2000 Explosif suits me, I can ride a '95 Dome and it'll be the identical shape.

Well, if it ain't broke as they say!

Thanks for the confirmation guys, much appreciated - and look: a Kona thread that hasn't needed The Grand Oracle :LOL:
 
It was definitely 1994 that was the start of the new way, I've been and checked and everything.

edit: 1994 was also the start of the race light/mountain shock period, so this is a good indicator of having the "definitive" kona geometry
 
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