Kona AA - something different...

andym999

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After scratching my Pro-Flex itch last year, next on the retro MTB list was a Kona, as that’s another brand I’ve always had a strong appreciation for. After umming and ahhing over a few options here and elsewhere, I plumped for this AA which forum member Carl @Thejackal1971 was looking to shift. Looked in decent nick, had P2s and enough original parts to seem worthwhile - a deal was done.
Came with a bit of a component mish-mash, but looking at other threads on here shows it’s a ‘94 frame - giveaway is the replacement derailleur hanger, not the case in following years - bit strange..? Seems like the P2s might be later models (but still for a quill stem) as bike was originally specced with front suspension. Other bits included Curve brakes and levers, as well as a Velocity stem which were from the ‘96 bikes.
On initial evaluation the frame has seen a lot of action but looks solid enough. Will be keeping the original paint and decals to maintain authenticity / patina as well as keeping costs down. BB seems good so no reason to change (yet). Chainstays might need a bit of touching up /and/or taping for protection. Headset also seems good but will get regreased when building starts in earnest.
 

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...and as if by magic my friendly postie drops off two shifting options. If I'm honest the trigger shifter (£3 something off eBay!) is preferred, but some adjustments may have to be made for th matchmaker clamp to play nicely with the bars. Bar end shifters (er, more than £3...) are the back up option and can be switched to friction...
Still waiting for the cross-top levers to arrive.
Time for a play at lunchtime...
 

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Small update...
I was *just* able to get the Shimano shifter with the I-Spec clamp thingy on the bars using the Matchmaker, but only after having (carefully) removed some material from the inside of the clamp, and having found a longer bolt. But it looked quite ungainly so I'm minded to go with the bar end shifter option...
This exercise also highlghted the fact that I'd forgotten 11sp cassettes need a bigger freehub body than 10... (At least with the shifter only costing £3 something hopefully I can recoup that loss via eBay).
So 10 speed it is, which prompted me to pull the trigger on a matching set of retro wheels from @raidan73 (which I'd originally intended to get for the Pro-Flex about this time last year, but which didn't happen for reasons...)
They will be teamed with a new chain, 10 speed cassette and Microshift deraileur to complete the drivetrain. Curve crank has been cleaned and will be reused with a single (middle) ring.
I also have cross top levers, which i'm not 100% sure about using tbh, so next step is to get the bar + levers set up and see how that feels...
 
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I have same bike - had it since 1994. I have upgraded parts over the years and rode around South East Asia on it. Will be selling if anyone is interested. Full Deore XT, Azonic O'neil riser bars, Kane Creek, DMR v12 Manganese pedals etc. Race Face seat post is in Thailand at the moment & tires have changed, but got a lot of new stuff from 2003, juts before my Asian adventure. Any advice on price to sell... Thanks Andy IMG_2485.JPG .
 
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