Kona Caldera 1997

[mk one]

i wouldn't be bothered about the colour personally as it looks great to ride, you could always find some matching grips or something if you are too conscious about it

 

[al-onestare]

Cheers dude. She's a turbo-diesel. Not the most agile given her size but put the foot down and once you get over the initial "lag" she motors along no problem at all.

I'm a tart with colours so I will get the gold Z2s sorted out in due course.

 

[elmadu]

Some time ago I came across a 1997 Caldera frame.
The red molotov paint is awsome, but in bad shape in some places. Some stickers are missing and the ones that remain are not good. No signs of rust.

Should I send the frame to paint or keep it as is? Do you have any idea of which type of paint it is?

Serial number: CA9609021
Size: 16"
Frame weight: 1999gr







So the list keeps enlarging...

• 
  mydryskull now owned by KonaGuy: HO 9607032 , different blue, 19" - see below
  Bigtown: CA 9609012, Poopsy Blue, 16"
  elmadu: CA 9609021, Molotov Red, 16"
  al-onestare: CA 9609046 , Poopsy Blue, 20"
  knickering: CA 9609144, Molotov Red, 18"
  H1v9a8c8 now owned by Konaman1: HO 9610031 (TBC), Poopsy Blue, 18"

 

[raidan73]

Nice. Personally I'd vote for keeping the paint unless you suspect any issues, other than the cosmetic ones

 

[al-onestare]

Some time ago I came across a 1997 Caldera frame.
The red molotov paint is awsome, but in bad shape in some places. Some stickers are missing and the ones that remain are not good. No signs of rust.

Should I send the frame to paint or keep it as is? Do you have any idea of which type of paint it is?

Serial number: CA9609021
Size: 16"
Frame weight: 1999gr







So the list keeps enlarging...

• 
  mydryskull now owned by KonaGuy: HO 9607032 , different blue, 19" - see below
  Bigtown: CA 9609012, Poopsy Blue, 16"
  elmadu: CA 9609021, Molotov Red, 16"
  al-onestare: CA 9609046 , Poopsy Blue, 20"
  knickering: CA 9609144, Molotov Red, 18"
  H1v9a8c8 now owned by Konaman1: HO 9610031 (TBC), Poopsy Blue, 18"

Brilliant - thank you very much for sharing this (and updating the list), especially since it's the uber, uber rare Molotov red. Looking at it, it's a really special colour and reminds me a little of the North America cherry-apple red you sometimes see on 93/94 custom Hots and Explosifs; the finish looks quite different to the Poopsy blue.

Do you know what happened to the damaged paintwork? It looks like heat damage to me so curious to know. Even with that, I would urge you to keep the original paintwork and spend some time yourself or with a trusted mechanic/painter to clean-up and treat the damaged areas.

 

[Pipmeister]

Should I send the frame to paint or keep it as is? Do you have any idea of which type of paint it is?

Keep the paint.
It is likely to be Sikkens Polyurethane and was probably done by a company called Velographics in Washington State, nearby the Kona offices.

Pip

 

[elmadu]

I have no idea why the paint looks like that in some places, heat? may be. The frame was in Italy and it had been ridden by a girl, that's all I was told by the seller.

I will keep the paint, but I want to put the missing decals. Can you suggest me where is the best place to order them? And what sort? the decals won't be protected by any clear coat, then maybe a 2mm thickness, UV Heavy dutty from https://velocals.com/kona-1997-top-tube ... el-colors/ ? Though, I would like to order the decals somewhere in Europe.

In 1997 Kona adopted the aheadset system for all mtb models. My plan is to install a triple butted P2 fork that I already own, it is from 1996 and in excellent condition, although it is threaded. The steerer lenght is long enough, but I am concerned about using an ahead stem over the threads... any opinion on that?

 

[al-onestare]

Re:

Unless you design your own, none of the repro decals are exactly the same. For me, that makes it's a no-brainer; keep them. Taking them off my standard 97 Explosif was a massive mistake that I'm still rueing today (see the build thread). In addition, removing them can be very troublesome and do more bad than good. That all said, it's your bike, do what you like to it.

I can't comment on the fork/aheadset question.

 

[Mortonm]

Just went through this thread again, what a great read, I had forgot all of the twists and turns.

Also that gold bomber might look great on a certain 96 King Kahuna, I didn't know they came in that colour.

 

[al-onestare]

Cheers dude. When the garage is operational again the forks will go back to Mark for a full service.