Russell":31cpivz1 said:
Always makes me chuckle when people blame Konas demise in the late 90's on 'the demon aluminium'.
I have no interest in modern Konas, but I think your use of the word demise is misplaced - they sell far more bikes now than they did in the 90s, including high-end ones and every style of bike. If that's what you mean by demise then it's a demise most businesses would envy.
What I meant by the reduction in steel sales is that starting around 96, the Kula overtook the Explosif in sales in a big way. But this was happening to all bike companies. In 1999, Kona phased out the Kilauea and moved the Cinder Cone to aluminium. In 2000, the Explosif was moved to scandium and the Caldera to aluminium. The Lava Dome was the last steel production bike, lasting until 2003. At all these times, the UK stayed loyal to steel longer than the US. The steel Lava Dome for example was a UK special, special edition steel Kilaueas came out here, runs of built-up steel Explosifs were sold here, when only frames were available in the US.
The scarcity of the 1999 Explosif is just one aspect of this shift in the market. The surprising thing is that there are still more late 90s Explosifs on eBay than Kulas, despite fewer having been sold at the time. I can only think that Kulas are not so durable, especially as they were built without replaceable hangers for a while, so maybe they haven't lasted. But maybe it's not so much a small proportion of Kulas surviving as a high proportion of steel Konas. Far fewer Explosifs were sold than Stumpjumpers, Marin Teams etc, but there seem to be more still in active service. A lot of people like them I guess.
The surface will be horrible but thanks for your idea! 
