98 Kona Cinder Cone

I'm planning on making my own frame based around Kona geometry, the size 20 Explosif I have is a little large, so I thought I'd try something smaller - a 98 Cindercone to see if the size / geomtery works for me.

Ebay turned up an 18" Eggpant Surpirse 98 Cinder Cone, complete with stuck steat tube. 10mins with the seat tube in the vice and turning the frame and it was out.

I wanted to add a disc mount, change the routing of the cables / hoses and remove the canti bosses. To change the top tube cables routing the cable stops came off and I re-drilled the underside of the top tube to take 3 bottle cage bosses. Then mocked-up a disc tab and got some 14mm stay tube from Ceeway to make up a brace. The balsa template was to get a rough shape for the tab. (very rough shape!)

When looking for suitable disc tabs I found that 'B3' on here had laser cut some for his son's bike, so I drew up the tab and a jig in CAD and sent him the files, then got these back;

Because the seatstays run at an angle down to a small drop out, the tab needed some tweaking to get the top part to sit on the seatstay, it was then bolted up ready for tacking with the jig fitted around the rear hub.

Then brazed and cleaned up...

With the 3 extra top tube bottle bosses on, 2 hose guides on each seatstay, the disc tab and brace on and the canti bosses removed, it was then read for blasting and powdercoating...

Gil_M did some amazing custom decals, I wanted orange and grey, with a mix of '97 and '96 logo types (spiral head tube badge) a long with some other custom touches. I was really please with the results! As ever awesome work by Gil_M

nice work! i have an interesting kona frame waiting on some similar custom work languishing in the work shop...this may have just inspired me to get it done.

Then I built the whole thing up with bits I've been collecting over the past 6 or so months, and with an orange anodised theme (I've tried to keep it to a minimum!)

The top tube routing uses Ragley bolt on cable guides, which are fairly veratile and allow a complete outer casing routing for the gear cables with the hose guides on the drive side seatstay.

Thanks Jamabikes, it would be nice to think it's inspired someone too.

Really enjoyed doing the little modifications, need to crack-on with making a frame of my own up. Thanks to the Retrobike community for the help with bits (rear rim, forks, brakes, rear hub, shifters, seat post clamp were all sourced off here) and thanks to Gil_m for the decals and B3 for the disc tab.

It's still not quite finished, I'd like to fit a slightly longer front brake hose (if anyone has a 5mm hope hose - or just the 5mm fittings drop me a line) and I'm trying to decide if a 185mm wavy rotor would be a good idea or not (I think RC31's are 165mm max disc size?). Also, does anyone have a source for the later RC31 decals? I guess Gil_m should be the first person to ask?

Thanks for looking

Andy