I bought two Kona's over the weekend One very tidy 1993 original 16" Lava Dome and a rather deprived and scabby 1990 17" Lava Dome (although It was advertised as a 16") that was advertised here on Retrobike earlier in the month. The fact its a 17 is a big bonus as its more suited to the missus.
The 90 Lava dome is in need of some serious work to get it up to standard, It is complete with a worn Suntour X-1 group set. The rear mech has quite a bit of play in the pivots, its also a part steel construction which I'm not a fan of. With this in mind I am thinking of upgrading the group to a period Shimano Deore possibly DX setup.
The frame and forks are in a bad way so I will have them shot blasted and powder coated. gota get some decals sorted? The Araya rims and Suntour hubs at first glance seem ok but the spokes are well past redemption. the stem has been replaced with a girvin flex, which feels quite heavy, talking of which the bike as a whole is considerably heavier than the 93 Lava Dome? Due to the state of the ol' girl I wont be attempting to ride it just yet, not without a tetanus jab anyway. Next job is to get it stripped and prepped.
If anyone has any advise or pointers It will all be gratefully received
A big thanks goes out to Brother who PM'd me with lots of helpful advice
The 90 Lava dome is in need of some serious work to get it up to standard, It is complete with a worn Suntour X-1 group set. The rear mech has quite a bit of play in the pivots, its also a part steel construction which I'm not a fan of. With this in mind I am thinking of upgrading the group to a period Shimano Deore possibly DX setup.
The frame and forks are in a bad way so I will have them shot blasted and powder coated. gota get some decals sorted? The Araya rims and Suntour hubs at first glance seem ok but the spokes are well past redemption. the stem has been replaced with a girvin flex, which feels quite heavy, talking of which the bike as a whole is considerably heavier than the 93 Lava Dome? Due to the state of the ol' girl I wont be attempting to ride it just yet, not without a tetanus jab anyway. Next job is to get it stripped and prepped.
If anyone has any advise or pointers It will all be gratefully received
A big thanks goes out to Brother who PM'd me with lots of helpful advice