KONA Ku - what to do?

yes i did. the owner had several older frames one of them beeing a NOS ADROIT in my size. and i missed that. then i discovered the ku.
don`t they have a code like kleins so you can tell the year they have been manufactured?
 
malikgermany":8pisfj2j said:
yes i did. the owner had several older frames one of them beeing a NOS ADROIT in my size. and i missed that. then i discovered the ku.
don`t they have a code like kleins so you can tell the year they have been manufactured?

under the bb there's a code (at least my 96 Explosifs & Kulas have them)

f.e. H5.... or H6.... "H" means place of build, 5 or 6 95 / 96
 
it`s getting strange - the unknown frame

hey guys,
now i am more and more confused.
just received an email from the guys at kona telling me it is not a ku but maybe a muni mula or cinder cone :shock:
But the cable routing is different tu cinders, the easton ultralite tubing was not used for mulas.
maybe it is a repainted kula? what do you mean. i will upload some pics so the experts can discuss my frankenframe..
 
thanks for the offer - sounds interesting. but that won`t solve my problem not knowing which frame i got ;)

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cable routing which some kus seem to have. others don`t

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the easton ultralite engraving

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the confuse-me-as-hell- BB

now on with the discussion. thx guys
 
it gets stranger and stranger..
just received another mail from the kona-guys: it might be a pahoehoe.
but the pahoehoe was made of superlite easton - this is ultralite which was used from `00 (but with different dropouts). they told me the ku never had a replaceable hanger..
think i give up, letting it be a lightweight beautiful frame with no particular name.. :(
 
You already have your answer. I'm afraid it certainly isn't a Ku, so if you paid a premium price for it, you may want to reopen negotiations with your seller.

I am fairly sure it is a 1999 Kula or Pahoehoe (which as far as I am aware are identical frames). 1999 was when Kona started using Easton Ultralite. The operative serial number is F811K 0814, which means it was built in the Fairly plant in November 1998.

Although it is a reasonable attempt at copying a Ku, I doubt whether the paintwork was done by a Kona-approved painter. The details differ from the way official Kus were painted - e.g, the decals are in slightly the wrong place, and the Kona Custom sticker wasn't used in 1998. However if you like it, then it is clearly an enhancement compared to the standard Kula/Pahoehoe paint.

It is a high-quality frame. The specifications quoted were - constructed of Easton Ultralite tubing with 7005 aluminum custom butted stays. Tubing dimensions: Top - 35 x 1.6/.8/1.3t, Down - 44.5 x 2.4/1.0/1.3t, Seat - 31.8 x 2.45/1.8t, Seatstays - 19 x 1.8t, Chain stays - 22 x 2.0t. Forged replaceable KRD dropouts. Made for 27.0mm seat post, 31.8mm front derailleur, 68/110 bottom bracket, and 1-1/8" headset. 3.5 lbs (18").

I don't believe that the tubeset used for 1998 Kus was any better than Ultralite. Nor do I believe that the tiny and little-known firm Enigma Design and Manufacturing, who built the Kus for Kona, did a better job than the Giant factory at Fairly. It isn't a Ku, but the point of the Ku was the custom paint job and you have a custom paint job, so you're not too badly off. The main thing is whether you enjoy riding it.
 
wow that`s an answer - ever thought about starting to work at kona? you know way more than the guys over there. yeah.
in fact i paid around 200 euros and i think that is too much for a non-special frame that in fact is not as rare as the collectors one.. don`t you think?
on the other hand it was the fancy paint job that tickled me..
for riding premium i have my adroit.
you think i should return it?
 
Although there is a cachet and rarity value attached to a Ku, it's worth bearing in mind that in the UK the respective 1998 prices were 600 sterling for a Kula frame and 800 for a Ku. So the original values were not as hugely different as all that.

On the other hand, I think 200€ is definitely more than a custom-painted 1999 Kula would make on UK eBay. And you have the basic fact that what you were sold isn't what the seller said it was. Even if he was acting in good faith, he either has to take it back and give you a refund, or else he must agree a reduced price and refund some of your money.

Only you can say which of those two options is most attractive to you. It might be interesting to find out how it compares to your Adroit!
 
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