Re: Re:
Thanks for all the kind comments
Previously unit3 asked:
unit3":2prm3esb said:
Enjoying this story so far
If this is as it seems a very rare frame/model, why did they come with a lowish spec?
That's part of the overall story about this model. Some background reading is needed here:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=32150&hilit=1997+caldera
and here:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=307959&hilit=caldera
In summary, I cobbled together what the collective theory was:
- Altitude and Kona enter an agreement in '96 where Altitude (aka Mountain Goat) make and supply the Hot and Caldera
- The Caldera is to be marketed as a high-end 'hand-made in the USA' bike at a more affordable price
- Something happens very early on in the agreement and therefore the build process. Possible 'things' could be: issues building and setting 853 for the Hot, a very laid back approach (rumours about a stoner attitude) and / or something else...
- Kona get nervous and terminate the agreement
- Hot's are made by another firm (I forget which) for the rest of '97 and into '98 but the Caldera isn't part of the new deal and no more are made
- This means only a handful of early Caldera's - pre-production or an initial batch run - were ever made.
Kona very kindly told me to get back in my box (the answer was in the first link above by haggis)
Wow that's some X-files level stuff there. OK let me fill in some of the blanks.
The Caldera in it's custom form only lasted for one year because people didn't want a budget custom bike. We had a whole run of options on the custom program and the buyers were people who'd progressed through riding and wanted a "best" bike. There were also unlimited colour choices on the Hot and Ku while the Caldera was red or blue.
The riders with that budget would look at the U'hu, and the Kula and Explosif and go that route.
So I suspect the rarity in the UK is because no one wanted one and not many came over there.
The tubes were picked out by Altitude. Altitude was Jeff Lynskey's expansion past Mountain Goat; stuff like the dropouts were used because they're a super nice investment cast item and they fit smaller tubes vs. our bigger dropouts. It's definitely not an 853 frame. We'd build tons of custom frames and hold them raw ready for paint, then when we'd get low on stock we'd see who had the time and space to produce another run. That's where you'd see the changes in builders for the steel and alloy hardtails.
It's one of those bikes that we built because riders would tell us they dreamed about having a custom bike but couldn't afford it. So we built an affordable custom. Turns out that's not what they wanted; they wanted XTR and all the bells and whistles. Same reason as that huge surge of Chinese and Russian Ti frames died off so abruptly. People really didn't want them.
So if you do find a Caldera it's neat handmade bike to have for sure. That was just at the point of a huge change in riding. Before that you'd start on a hardtail and progress to nicer and nicer hardtails till you plateaued with a Ti frame. Then suddenly suspension came along and started fracturing the process. Then full suspension started to move out of the curiosity category into the must have bike, and then disc brakes came along and people really pulled back from custom frames and paint and poured all their spending money into functioning upgrades vs. good looks.
So - it was meant to be an affordable 'custom' bike. To do that they had to compromise on the spec including the paint. I'll argue strongly that the quality is still very high - easily as good as the high-end mass produced models. The spec I can't: the Indy's are rubbish (but all of them were that year) and LX is fine but it feels like dressing mutton on lamb (if you get my drift). Kona addressed the customer feedback and - surprise surprise - the customers isn't always right
If I was transported back to 1997 and had £1,500 to burn on a Kona I know I wouldn't have gone with the Caldera. Explosif all the way or I'd saved up more £ for a Hot.
Next up - what's it made of? Kona have also indicated why mds' is even more unusual...clue...it's like my Kapu
In the meantime, thoughts?