OK, tell me about the Kona Hot...

[Geoff]

I've always wondered about the original Caldera. Would be very interested to see one...

Edit: I suppose it did really exist and wasn't vapourware like the 2007 King Kahuna?

 

[letmetalktomark]

My Caldera looks very much the same as the HOT above. Same drop outs cable routing etc - Mines double butted chomoly with DB rear stays.

Photo's below - Its off being re finished at the moment at Argos will post pics when back.

I'm pretty sure mines a 1998 - I've owned it since new, will check the receipt.........

Mark

 

[utahdog2003]

Where do the fluted downtubes come into play? Explosifs didn't have those did they? So how are the tubesets the same? When did the Hots have fluted tubing?

 

[AMPrider]

Where do the fluted downtubes come into play? Explosifs didn't have those did they? So how are the tubesets the same? When did the Hots have fluted tubing?

Fluted downtubes are unique to Tange Ultimate tubesets. The HOTs and Explosifs that used this tubing had fluted downtubes. I think that the Explosifs only used Ultimate for the downtube, and Prestige for the rest of the frame, while HOTs used Ultimate throughout. I could be wrong on this point however.

You can still purchase Prestige and Ultimate tubing. Tange lists them on their website.

http://www.tange-design.com/tange_2007/tubes.htm

Notice that Prestige has two designations. Prestige and Prestige JPN. Only Prestige JPN is heat treated.

I still have no idea what quality the Altitude tubing was, or who made it for Altitude.

 

[Anthony]

Where do the fluted downtubes come into play? Explosifs didn't have those did they? So how are the tubesets the same? When did the Hots have fluted tubing?

Fluted downtubes are unique to Tange Ultimate tubesets. The HOTs and Explosifs that used this tubing had fluted downtubes. I think that the Explosifs only used Ultimate for the downtube, and Prestige for the rest of the frame, while HOTs used Ultimate throughout. I could be wrong on this point however.

It is only Ultimate Ultrastrong that has the fluting, or ribbing as Tange called it, and this was used for the 1994 Explosif down tube, and possibly Hot. The other tubes on the 1994 Explosif were Ultimate Ultralight and Concept. I believe the Hot used the same mix, but I have never seen a Hot with a fluted down tube.

You can still purchase Prestige and Ultimate tubing. Tange lists them on their website.
http://www.tange-design.com/tange_2007/tubes.htm
Notice that Prestige has two designations. Prestige and Prestige JPN. Only Prestige JPN is heat treated.
I still have no idea what quality the Altitude tubing was, or who made it for Altitude.

If it was anything other than generic, they would surely have used its name.

Kona said that Altitude Cycles was "the USA's number one manufacturer of performance mountain bike frames", which seems a big claim. Does anybody know anything about them and their history?

 

[one-eyed_jim]

It is only Ultimate Ultrastrong that has the fluting, or ribbing as Tange called it, and this was used for the 1994 Explosif down tube, and possibly Hot. The other tubes on the 1994 Explosif were Ultimate Ultralight and Concept. I believe the Hot used the same mix, but I have never seen a Hot with a fluted down tube.

I was reading this thread earlier today over on mtbr...

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=235613

 

[JeffB]

I know Enigma Design and Manufacturing built 100 Reynolds 853 HOT's and 100 KU's for Kona in 1997 including the bikes painted by Tony @ Velographics for the 1997 Interbike trade show.

 

[Kona Paul]

Brodie is Canadian, not American.

 

[Anthony]

I know Enigma Design and Manufacturing built 100 Reynolds 853 HOT's and 100 KU's for Kona in 1997 including the bikes painted by Tony @ Velographics for the 1997 Interbike trade show.

That's an interesting first post!

A Google search shows Enigma Design and Manufacturing as now a bike shop in Gilbert, Arizona - would that be the same people?

The authority for the attribution to Altitude Cycles is the 1997 brochure and the 97 technical specifications. Do you know when and why Enigma Design and Manufacturing came into the picture?

 

[JeffB]

My partner and I started Enigma Design and Manufacturing in Dec of 1996. If my memory serves me correctly I think Altitude could/would not build bikes from 853. So we built 100 Hot's and Ku's and then Reynolds had a huge problem delivering 853 so we/Kona stopped building. I believe Kona stopped selling USA frames when they ran out of the bikes we had built for them. I could be mistaken on that though, I don't know how many USA made frames those guys went through in a year.