This place is bad for me.... shall I buy an early 90s Kona?

I know exactly the place 👍 and it’s still on the pallet. I don’t call myself Mreclecticmix for no good reason 😂 buy the range and the bike comes half price.
Screenshot_20240426-140057_Firefox.jpg Those knobs go up to 11😁

Kona Size consideration: there's only about a centimetre difference in toptube length between 16&17, so you can get the same fit on either.

The smaller frame will be livelier, the larger (longer) one more stable.
 
The price is about 2x too high for the complete Kilahuea, but it is a great bike in excellent condition. However, if you are anything like [us], you will find a much deeper gratification from assembling one from a bare frame. The hours of tinkering following by a spirited maiden voyage is priceless.
 
Thanks all for the replies. I think I need one, hopefully they are fun to ride. I need to figure out if a 16 or a 17" frame is right for me.
Grab the '97 size charts, they work for pretty much all Kona bikes.

A few post here and there and the Archive have them.
Should be two that go together.
 
Thanks all for the replies. I think I need one, hopefully they are fun to ride. I need to figure out if a 16 or a 17" frame is right for me.
I owned one, back in the day. Steering not so clever with those long stems , especially on slower technical climbs, but that small rear triangle meant there could really excelerate. The cheaper ones were harsh, but once your in good steel territory, that's not a problem. Stunning looks tho....
 
90s Kona bikes were wonderful bikes. I found a Lava Dome in a dumpster years ago and it was the lightest steel mountain bike of any mountain bike I knew of. Why the person tossed it in a dumpster is beyond me, all it needed was a seat, handlebar tape, and new cables, cheap to fix up, and the paint was in great condition. I gave it to my disabled daughter as a loaner under the condition that if she didn't want to ride it she had to return it so I could give it to a grandchild, she sold it instead to buy a laptop that only lasted her 2 weeks...argh!

But it was a very nice bike as were all the Konas of that era, and that Kilauea was nicer than the Lava Dome selling for about twice the price of the Lava Dome when they were new. Personally, I think the price is right for that bike, from what I can see in the photos anyway, that may change if I could see it in person. But I would offer 20% less than the asking price and see what the seller does from there unless the bike has a lot more wrong with it than the pics review. I can't find a Kilauea identical to that one for sale, so I can't give you an exact figure of the value, but it seems darn close to me.

From what I could see in the photos the bike appears to be in very good condition except for some very minor rust spots on the bottom bracket area. There is some yellowing going on which is typical for that color of paint to do over a long period of time, that yellowing can be cleaned up by using Vinegar which is a more affordable alternative to paint stripper without damaging the paint. First, give the bike a thorough washing. Apply vinegar to the yellowed areas and let it sit for a while. Scrub gently with a soft cloth or sponge to remove the yellowing. Rinse thoroughly with water afterward, repeat if necessary.

As far as the minor rusting going, short of sanding it down in that area and repainting it the best thing to do is to try to find matching paint at a hobby store and take the bike in with you so the counter person can help you find the right color; then mix equal parts baking soda and water into a spreadable paste, coat just the rusted spots, let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then scour with a toothbrush just the rust areas, rinse the area real well, dry the area, repeat if necessary, and then apply the touch paint in light coats with fine brush let the paint dry for 48 hours.

Once that is done wash the bike again with a car wash and wax car wash like Meguiars or Jay’s Wash and Wax or something like that where you live; after that is done use a high-quality cleaner automotive wax like Meguiars Cleaner Wax; next follow that up with Jay Leno's Garage Radiant Ceramic spray on wax.

Do not use a buffing compound on any bike paint, bike paint is too thin and it could damage the paint, you could, if there are a lot of scratches, use a non-abrasive scratch remover for cars, it won't take off scratches entirely, but it will reduce the look of them dramatically. If you have scratches you want to remove then do that BEFORE you put on the Cleaner Wax. Some products combine the scratch remover and cleaner in a non-abrasive formula, that is fine to use, but don't get aggressive with buffing, just mildly buff, and only do one application.

Use car products, not bike boutique waxes, bike boutique waxes are not as durable or as advanced as car waxes and they cost 10 times more.

Not sure what a range has to do with bicycles.
 
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