Purchased second hand in 1996.
Cannot remember what I paid but new they were around £700. The bike was as supplied new. Original tyres, brake blocks etc. I rode it for a couple of years in this condition until eventually bits started to wear.
Fired by enthusiasm from a bike maintenance course and crap gear shifting I started to replace parts. A chain, cassette, cables and a tube of grease did not fix it but a new Shimano XT rear mech did.
The next upgrade was to change the cantilever brakes for Avid V brakes. Stopping in the wet is good! I fitted a collar round the frame to provide the correct cable support for V brakes.
Next to be replaced were both wheels. Worn rims and knackered hubs were the cause here. The front wheel got a Hope hub but the rear got Shimano XT. The pennies would not stretch to a Hope rear. What a mistake that was as a succession of freehubs proved. (I hate Shimano hubs!)
The bike was being used for a mixture of cross-country off road and blasts round country lanes. I did complete the South Downs way (about 100 miles off road) on the bike but found my body took quite a hammering. The solution was a Specialised Stump jumper full suss purchased in 2005. This became my off road mount of choice leaving the Kilauea for country lane blasts.
Next to go on the Kilauea were knobbly tyres replaced by semi slicks. Now I could keep up with my mates on the lanes without killing myself in the process. And still have a blast on the bridle paths etc.
The bike stayed in this shape until 2009 when the original Marzocchi XC 51 fork bushes wore out. Unable to find replacements I consulted a biking friend who recommended Kona Project 2’s. Loosing suspension was no big deal but the weight saving and lack of bounce definitely led to a faster bike.
At the same time as the headset change I fitted a Hope stem and the bars off my Stump jumper.
Other changes around this time were a conversion to a 9-speed cassette and a Hollowtech crank. The bike now has a Shimano XT crankset with an Octolink Bottom Bracket.
Now the only original parts on the Kilauea are the frame and the seat post. The semi slicks have turned into slicks and it flies.
While sitting outside a pub with biking friends came the ‘Who fancies Lands End to John O’Groats next year?’ question. Well it was either the beer or the sun on my neck that made me say why not eh.
What better mount than my trusty Kilauea? So next were a rack and panniers and a 250-mile tour round Suffolk and Norfolk. The bike fared well so ready for the big one next year.
And I brought another Kilauea to restore….
Cannot remember what I paid but new they were around £700. The bike was as supplied new. Original tyres, brake blocks etc. I rode it for a couple of years in this condition until eventually bits started to wear.
Fired by enthusiasm from a bike maintenance course and crap gear shifting I started to replace parts. A chain, cassette, cables and a tube of grease did not fix it but a new Shimano XT rear mech did.
The next upgrade was to change the cantilever brakes for Avid V brakes. Stopping in the wet is good! I fitted a collar round the frame to provide the correct cable support for V brakes.
Next to be replaced were both wheels. Worn rims and knackered hubs were the cause here. The front wheel got a Hope hub but the rear got Shimano XT. The pennies would not stretch to a Hope rear. What a mistake that was as a succession of freehubs proved. (I hate Shimano hubs!)
The bike was being used for a mixture of cross-country off road and blasts round country lanes. I did complete the South Downs way (about 100 miles off road) on the bike but found my body took quite a hammering. The solution was a Specialised Stump jumper full suss purchased in 2005. This became my off road mount of choice leaving the Kilauea for country lane blasts.
Next to go on the Kilauea were knobbly tyres replaced by semi slicks. Now I could keep up with my mates on the lanes without killing myself in the process. And still have a blast on the bridle paths etc.
The bike stayed in this shape until 2009 when the original Marzocchi XC 51 fork bushes wore out. Unable to find replacements I consulted a biking friend who recommended Kona Project 2’s. Loosing suspension was no big deal but the weight saving and lack of bounce definitely led to a faster bike.
At the same time as the headset change I fitted a Hope stem and the bars off my Stump jumper.
Other changes around this time were a conversion to a 9-speed cassette and a Hollowtech crank. The bike now has a Shimano XT crankset with an Octolink Bottom Bracket.
Now the only original parts on the Kilauea are the frame and the seat post. The semi slicks have turned into slicks and it flies.
While sitting outside a pub with biking friends came the ‘Who fancies Lands End to John O’Groats next year?’ question. Well it was either the beer or the sun on my neck that made me say why not eh.
What better mount than my trusty Kilauea? So next were a rack and panniers and a 250-mile tour round Suffolk and Norfolk. The bike fared well so ready for the big one next year.
And I brought another Kilauea to restore….
