Kona Impact headset and 1990 Joe Murray Project Two fork

[Wilou]

Hello,

I'm new on the forum, but I read it regularly. Like to see the discussions and pics about very nice bikes. I have a little question today. I purchased, last month, a 1996 14" orange Kona Lava Dome for a good price, in relatively good shape but not entirely with original equipment. The tyres, the fork, the headset, the stem, the seatpost and the saddle have been replaced.

So, I'm trying to find the missing pieces to return to its original state (or let's say something close enough, I don't want to pay a fortune to restore it). Konas are not very common where I live (and that's one reason to buy one, because when I was a teenager, I was fascinated by these bikes !) so, all I could find was in foreign countries. I wasn't able to find the seatpost and of course, finding new original tyres in good shape is impossible (and I don't think NOS for this type of equipment is a good idea - but I bought a pair of Dart and Smoke that are I think a good replacement). I also had to buy a cable hanger different from the original, and a different seatpost too (but good diameter and good color, it's so better like that, the latest was a black and 26,3 mm seatpost).

Forks are elusive here and I found a Project Two which is a Joe Murray one from 1990. From what I read, its length (the dropouts are 39 cm) is different (shorter) from the Project Two that was originally on the bike, but it's nonetheless a Project Two and it's way better that the Indy SL that is installed today on the bike (I have always hated suspended forks).

I was also able to find a Velocity stem (not yet received at this time but it will be quick), a saddle (Selle Italia Expedia) and an Impact headset (from a 1994 Aa).

The thing that bothers me is that at the bottom of the steerer, where there must be the crown race, it seems that this part is threaded. But the crown race of my headset is not. So I'm not sure I can use the two together.

Is there something I miss ?

Thank you !

W.

 

[Canuckbiker]

First off, welcome to the forum! Sounds like a nice Kona you’ve purchased do you have pictures to share?

I like your Smoke/Dart tire choice, can’t go wrong there.

Are your recently purchased P2, Impact headset and Velocity stem all a part of a threaded system? If so they should work together with your build provided the steerer length matches your frame head tube length, but be aware that your frame is suspension corrected and made for a longer fork, I’ve used a shorter fork on a 96’ frame myself and the end result is a steeper head angle which in my case I like the end result but something to consider. You may be better off using a longer rigid fork if you want to keep the stock geometry.

Double check the seatpost is 26.3mm, seems small but I’m not certain, I’ve seen 26.6 used on the Lava Domes

Your crown race will be pressed on rather than threaded in place. My method to remove one is to carefully tap it with a hammer and flat blade screwdriver while it’s positioned upside down trying not to damage the fork paint or crown race surface. A few taps a different spots around it’s circumference should free it.

 

[Wilou]

Hello,

Thank you for your answer, Canuckbiker, and for the warm welcome !

I'm aware of the difference between the forks and what that can do for the geometry. I think I can live with it, I'll see. It's so complicated to find forks where I live and at a good price. I bought the headset, the fork and the stem from different vendors. And none of these pieces are assembled at the time. So I have to put the crown race on.

As we say here (and it's so true ) : "la nuit porte conseil" (night gives advice, I don't know the equivalent in english, "sleep on it", perhaps ?). And I tought that the fork may not be threaded and that there is simply something similar but not a thread. It's more probably that. I haven't seen a lot of nude forks (and I only talk about forks here, hey ! ) in my life, but I have never seen one with a thread here. It seems I'll have to go to the shop to ask for the assembly. For the length, I think that's good, I measured before buying and I tried again with all the pieces without assembling them, and everything seems to be OK. The frame is an XS one, so the head tube is not very long (9 cm). The steerer is 14,2 cm (3 cm are threaded at the top).

For the seatpost, the previous owner had used an thinner one that I have too on another of my bikes, that must be used with an adapter. To find the correct diameter, I did some research, and I found that the correct one was 27 mm on the 1996 Lava Dome. I installed the new seatpost yesterday and I confirm, it's the right diameter (I saw an original seatpost on eBay with the same dimensions, but it was too expensive, with the import fee and so on).

Thank you !

W.

PS : and yes, I have some pics. The bike is obviouly not finished at the time, but here are some (beware, I'm not an accomplished photographer at all ! ) :

 

[STX-RC]

Nice set of brakes

 

[Wilou]

Yes ! The original brakes on this bike : Curve OM.
Very delicate to adjust but the braking power is nice (considering it's cantilever brakes, of course). When I got the bike, the front brakes weren't correctly adjusted. It took me almost 45 minutes to do something that isn't even perfectly centered (but braking is OK). I think I understood how to configure everything, but I was tired after all this time ! I hope everything will be fine after the assembly of the new fork. The new cable hanger will give me a little more room if I want to do something precise.



W.

Other various details of the bike, with the new seatpost (Ergotec 2, 350×27mm and 300 g, aluminum), new aluminum bottle and valve caps (just accessories but a nice touch with appropriate colors). I still have the original quick releases, but they are not in great shape, I put generic ones for the moment. Waiting for the Expedia saddle, I installed a Selle Italia Shiver (my butt cheeks love it ). Oh, and the teeth of the cassette were in very bad condition, I put another one from the same era I had lying around :

 

[Canuckbiker]

A great condition Kona you have, thanks for the pictures. I’m liking what you’ve done so far.

I guess I misunderstood about the crown race issue. If your P2 does not have an old race still pressed on you just need to add your new crown race from your new Impact headset and pressed it on. There is a special tool to press (hammer) it on. I’ve never used one but it’s the proper way to do it. A trip to your LBS may be best if you are unsure

 

[JRGSXR]

That’s a tidy bike, the mid 90s colours are my favourites. Welcome to the site

 

[Wilou]

Thank your for your answers.

Yes Canuckbiker, the LBS is probably the safest option. I would have bought the tool to assemble the crown race and the one to assemble the headset, but let's face it : I won't do that everyday. For now, it's probably not wise to do this type of expense.
Just an aparte : I saw your Ascent BoTM, what a beauty !

JRGSXR : thank you ! I, too, love this color. As I was saying to a friend some days ago, I have had approximatively 10 bikes since I know how to ride them. The first was assembled by my grandpa and he painted it red. The Scott in my signature is mainly black but all of the others were/are blue. This burnt orange color was the cherry on the volcano and it was fresh air color-wise ! There are small dents, but all in all, the paint is still correct and the good cleaning and the light polish I applied gave a new shine to it. I'll see how things go, but if I was to paint the frame (I don't plan to at the moment, but who knows, in the future), I would absolutely not choose another color !

I got news from ebay : the stem has arrived in my country. I'm waiting for a quick delivery for now (perhaps today or on monday). The saddle will also arrive soon. \o/

I lā maikaʻi iā ʻoe ("Have a very good day" in hawaiian, to keep the spirit of a Kona thread ! ).

W.

 

[Canuckbiker]

@Wilou thanks for your kind mention of my Ascent build

Exciting to hear your stem and saddle will soon be in hand!

 

[Wilou]

Hello,

The saddle and the stem have arrived ! \o/

I'm happy, the crown race is installed on the fork, thanks to the guy at the bike shop. The rest of the headset must be installed but I tried a temporary assembly and, woooooow, what a beaut' ! <3 The "Race Light" inscription on the upper tube is not here for nothing now (not that the bike is a lot lighter than before, the difference between before and after is almost not noticeable), but aesthetically, it's totally different. There is not a "big" front and a skinny rear, everything now well balanced ! The fact that the fork is the "little" (39 cm long from dropout to steerer, the '90 Joe Murray version) one doesn't do a lot of difference visually speaking. And the Dart tyre is not hidden anymore by the "big" Indy SL. The fact that the fork is black helps too. Good bye farewell the yellow monstrosity !

A thing I didn't see coming however : the handlebar is 22.2 mm everywhere, and the stem is made for 25.4 mm. It seems that there is a clamp (I can see that on various pics on ebay). I must find one (for the moment I use a band of rubber but is very far from perfect).

Another nice thing : I have understood how to configure the Curve OM brakes ! I said earlier that it had taken me 45 minutes to configure them the first time, but this time, it was done in approximatively 10 minutes ! If I try to explain : I install them by screwing the main screw. The first brake hangs out in a certain position. The goal is to have the same position with the other, on the other side. And for that, we must screw more or less the purple thingy. But on the right brake (when we stand in front of the bike), if we unscrew the purple thing, the main screw comes too. So, it's necessary to maintain it firmly screwed when configuring the purple thing. When the position of the brakes are the same at the left and at the right, that's good, there is the same tension in the two springs and when everything is connected, the brakes are evenly placed on each side of the rim. (I hope my explanations are clear, I have searched on the net, I have found nothing about that).

No pics at the moment, but they will arrive in due time. When the bike will be finished. When it's done ! (c)



W.

PS : if you want to see pics of some of my other bikes, I put them in the presentaton topic.