Kona Sex-One

Will keep what I have for the moment but have been thinking about an upgrade to a hollowtech single ring crank. I've seen a raceface unit that looks smart.

Does anyone know if I can change to this type from the old school tappered type?

Would like the single ring to save on future maintainance etc and also I find I just never use the other rings so seem like dead weight. Concerns would be - can I use the current chain and rearset (7 speed) with a modern crank?

None of this matters however if I can't source a new rear shock - bike is scrap if I can't figure something out - all suggestions welcome!

Re:

Occured to me during the night:

Does anyone know what size the rear shock should be i.e. what did it come with origanlly?

I have no idea what the shock I have is or whether or not it was oem etc. I did also wonder if it has 'shrunk' as its definately leaking oil. I only say this as I can't seem to find 135mm shocks but I can find 145mm.

Any help on this would be very appreciated - I'm loosing sleep over it now

thundercatrider":2mmvrmgj said:

Does anyone know if I can change to this type from the old school tappered type?

Click to expand...

Yes, any version of English threaded 1.37" x 24 TPI Bottom Bracket, and its' corresponding Crank will fit.

thundercatrider":2mmvrmgj said:

Would like the single ring to save on future maintainance etc and also I find I just never use the other rings so seem like dead weight. Concerns would be - can I use the current chain and rearset (7 speed) with a modern crank?

Click to expand...

Yes, you can run 7 speed with a Single Chainring modern Crank. I am most definately not the best person to advise on a 1X set-up, but you may do well to ask yourself are you riding the correct bike, if two of its' Chainrings are "dead weight".

thundercatrider":2mmvrmgj said:

Does anyone know what size the rear shock should be i.e. what did it come with origanlly?

I have no idea what the shock I have is or whether or not it was oem etc. I did also wonder if it has 'shrunk' as its definately leaking oil. I only say this as I can't seem to find 135mm shocks but I can find 145mm.

Click to expand...

You'll find the Catalogue spec in the link below - pages 11 & 24

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/d/6 ... na+Cat.pdf

Pip

Re:

cool, thanks for the info on the shock.

Will keep doing the research to see what I can source. Hopefully I can at least get it serviced/re-built

I always take the front mech of my bikes as I just don't use them. I prefer the styling of these bikes but I want it to be 'future proof' as I do lots of miles and want to know I can always get decent parts going forward

thundercatrider,

Sounds like you are planning to modernise this bike (I love a restomod project!). One thing to consider if going for a 1x crank setup is the range of your cassette. If you plan to ride this off road and climb anything serious you will want a fairly big large rear sprocket. A 30t front chainring with 36t rear sprocket should get you up most things as a minimum. Modern 1x12 gearing is designed around 29" wheels so no need to go extreme with the latest 50t dustbin lid cassettes but I would consider a full 1 x 10 or 1 x 11 with a cassette in the 11-42 range to give you a decent granny gear to bail out to if need be.

If however you want to stick to retro 7speed at the back my suggestion is go 2x at the front so you still have decent range.

Wide range 7 speed cassettes dont really exist as far as I know. Sunrace do a 13-34 which you could pair with a 28t chainring to get a decent climbing gear but you'd lose out at the other end of the gears for flat and downhill.

Going to 8 speed you start to get more options: Sunrace do a 11-42 8 speed cassette. Proshift and Box components both make 1x8 speed groupsets with clutched rear derailleurs. Then you have modern 12speed Deore which is fantastic value for money.

Disk brakes:

I think the rear end on these is steel so adding a disk mount is in theory possible. Have a professional frame builder take a look.

Shock:

Can you get a modern 145mm shock modified? Maybe custom offset bushings?

Forks:

Your limited to 1 1/8th straight steerer, everything modern is tapered these days. Also the wheel size is a issue. The only modern 26" forks you can get now are for dirt jump bikes with tapered steerers. Apart from Rockshox who still make a backwards compatible fork but theyre pretty budget. You best bet is to look in the secondhand market for something mid 2000's era like a Reba, SID, or FOX. Do bear in mind this frame would have been designed for a pretty short travel fork because thats all that existed back then. Adding even a 80mm fork is going to slacken out the head angle (not necessarily a bad thing) and raise the BB height.

Re:

Resto-mod is exactly where I want to go with this bike. Its what I prefer and have done a Rockhopper 15 years ago as a single speed and a Orange missile as a trail / downhill bike. Sadly the Orange got pinched and foolishly I sold the rockhopper (far to cheap).

I just don't like the way new bikes look - big wheels, wide bars and awkward looking frames. I'm not a good enough rider to get the most out of a bike anyway so I don't need the latest geometry etc. I do however want a bike that I can't repair easily without long searches for parts hence the modernizing approach to ensure parts availability.

Really appreciate the tips on front forks - will start looking.

Already talking to someone regarding rear disk mounts - will keep you posted

Re:

Modern gear stuff, especially form 2010 era works well.
You should be able to pick up 9 or 10 speed cheaply as they sell of the stuff.
It should all for if you pick the correct size.

if that rear wheel.really is 7speed, you will need a new hub or transplant 8speed+ freehub body on to it.

you need new ones if you go disc anyway.

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Does anyone have experience of these:

A2Z Universal Disc Mount

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what about these:

RockShox Recon Silver TK Solo Air PopLoc 26-inch 2018 Fork

Tried to tell you earlier but the only way your getting a disk brake on that frame is with some very clever and professionally done custom frame modifications. There is no bolt on solution. The A2Z mount is designed for hard tail frames. You have a pivot above the dropout so it wont work. My advice, just run a rim brake on the back.

I mentioned that fork - its pretty budget - like I said look mid 2000's in the secondhand market for something better.

Good luck with the project dude. Will keep an eye on this thread to see how you get on...