Aaldert
Kona Fan
Hi people,
I own a 1996 Cinder Cone since new, it is a size 18". My girlfriend would like to ride with me and so do I, but she has no bike. My bike feels a little bit too large for my girlfriend, so I was on the look for a 17" or perhaps 16" frame or an affordable complete bike.
As most of you people I am a frequent ebay watcher. In September I found a Kona Cinder Cone from the year 1997 on the ebay. The looks were not very well, but it was a size 16", advertised as a size 17". Well I just wanted to try the frame. So the bidding started and I won.
So in October, a few weeks later, a funny shaped package was delivered by the mailman. I was excited and curious, because what I could tell of the photos was that the frame had been seriously abused.
So the unpacking begins...
.
The frame had not only been abused, but neglected as well.
But the good new was I had a second Cinder Cone and the frame seemed to be in good condition, despite of the many paint chips. So I started to remove all the parts and gave it a good clean. The frame even started to shine at some spots.
Tapping on the frame gave a good clear crisp sound, so it seems that the frame was not broken, nor cracked. It looked like the frame would be a keeper. We only needed to ride to make sure it would fit.
That parts that were removed from the frame were given a thorough cleansing. The large chainring, the shifters and the headset were worn out and damaged, so I threw these in the bin. All the other parts are still usable, so I could fit the again on the frame.
I told a family member I was doing a restore and the next thing I new was that he had given me all his stuff that was just laying around on his attic.
The stuff included a 1997 LX chainset, a pair of wheels with 1997 LX hubs and rims, a 1997 XT short cage rear derailleur.
In the mean time I had bought a pair of XTR shifters, a pair of XTR brake levers and a pair of XTR brakes. Also I bought a pair of Bontrager Superstock wheels. The wheels are black, since my girlfriend wanted the bike repainted in a pale light blue. With that colour, black would be the choice of colour or the other components.
I started to assemble the bike with the components that I have gained. I allready had bought a Kore a-head stem and a Kore rise bar.
An other bike turned up on ebay, a 1997 Kona Hahanna. I couldn't resist this bike, since apart from the seatpost and the saddle it seemed exact as the bike that was sold 12 years ago. Even the tires were the original Sniff and Scratch. We went to Germany to collect the bike. The bike was exact what I had expected. It is really nice.
The 1997 Cinder Cone came with forks, but they were not pretty. So I transfered the P2's of the Hahanna to the Cinder Cone.
Below are pictures of the bike at that point.
The bike could be ridden.
It rides well, the size seems right, at least for me. So this bike was a keeper!
At least we have provided a new home for the poor neglected Cinder Cone where it will get the attention that she, it became a she in the mean time, deserves.
I will update the build in later posts.
Aaldert
I own a 1996 Cinder Cone since new, it is a size 18". My girlfriend would like to ride with me and so do I, but she has no bike. My bike feels a little bit too large for my girlfriend, so I was on the look for a 17" or perhaps 16" frame or an affordable complete bike.
As most of you people I am a frequent ebay watcher. In September I found a Kona Cinder Cone from the year 1997 on the ebay. The looks were not very well, but it was a size 16", advertised as a size 17". Well I just wanted to try the frame. So the bidding started and I won.
So in October, a few weeks later, a funny shaped package was delivered by the mailman. I was excited and curious, because what I could tell of the photos was that the frame had been seriously abused.
So the unpacking begins...
The frame had not only been abused, but neglected as well.
But the good new was I had a second Cinder Cone and the frame seemed to be in good condition, despite of the many paint chips. So I started to remove all the parts and gave it a good clean. The frame even started to shine at some spots.
Tapping on the frame gave a good clear crisp sound, so it seems that the frame was not broken, nor cracked. It looked like the frame would be a keeper. We only needed to ride to make sure it would fit.
That parts that were removed from the frame were given a thorough cleansing. The large chainring, the shifters and the headset were worn out and damaged, so I threw these in the bin. All the other parts are still usable, so I could fit the again on the frame.
I told a family member I was doing a restore and the next thing I new was that he had given me all his stuff that was just laying around on his attic.
The stuff included a 1997 LX chainset, a pair of wheels with 1997 LX hubs and rims, a 1997 XT short cage rear derailleur.
In the mean time I had bought a pair of XTR shifters, a pair of XTR brake levers and a pair of XTR brakes. Also I bought a pair of Bontrager Superstock wheels. The wheels are black, since my girlfriend wanted the bike repainted in a pale light blue. With that colour, black would be the choice of colour or the other components.
I started to assemble the bike with the components that I have gained. I allready had bought a Kore a-head stem and a Kore rise bar.
An other bike turned up on ebay, a 1997 Kona Hahanna. I couldn't resist this bike, since apart from the seatpost and the saddle it seemed exact as the bike that was sold 12 years ago. Even the tires were the original Sniff and Scratch. We went to Germany to collect the bike. The bike was exact what I had expected. It is really nice.
The 1997 Cinder Cone came with forks, but they were not pretty. So I transfered the P2's of the Hahanna to the Cinder Cone.
Below are pictures of the bike at that point.
The bike could be ridden.
It rides well, the size seems right, at least for me. So this bike was a keeper!
At least we have provided a new home for the poor neglected Cinder Cone where it will get the attention that she, it became a she in the mean time, deserves.
I will update the build in later posts.
Aaldert
