Rambo Mambo
Kona Fan
Hi all,
So here’s a cheeky one. A fair bit of titanium in this build
I swore I wouldn’t buy anymore frames then I saw this on US EBay. Like any titanium fanatic I buckled immediately and hit buy it now. A couple of weeks later it was on these shores and I’d already had a build idea in my head. Always making modifications mid build, the bike has come a long way.
I’m not sure of the year so if someone could help me with that I’d appreciate it.
Suspected to be a more recent model as there is no rear canti stop but I’ve not mocked this up in the most conventional way. (I’m now advised it’s a 2000/2001 model).
I was no compromise on the use of the fork. I was going to use it by hook or crook so have had to use a quill adaptor to allow me to run an aheadstem. Not the most elegant but it didn’t fit any of the myriad of frames I’ve tried it on. So that was that.
I was lucky enough to find a rare Steve Potts stem in more recent photos as I swapped out the Paul Boxcar. Bonty Ti bar and 96gram Tune Speedneedle on top of an American Classic Ti post complete that set up.
However, I had to compromise on the brake set up due to there being no rear cable stop. Rear brake is an early Paul Motolite, front is a Stoplight MC as I wanted to match the brake blocks front and rear. I’m not 100% on it but until be fine until I find a similar front. The brake blocks are the WTB’s that we all love. The colours are supreme. Edit 18.5.25 - see last page for update on the brakes.
The wheels are Stans ZTR355g rims (so unbelievably rare) on Tune Mig/Mag and Sapim cx ray spokes complete the wheels. They are very light and trick indeed. The tyres are a nod to retro and I couldn’t bring myself to shod any others for this one.
The rest of the gearing is an ode to Paul Price. The thumbshifter mounts are also Paul and the shifters are Shimano Ultegra Road bar end shifters and can be indexed or friction. I ride road bikes also and I like this overlap - I am a full retro lover so thumbies are always my favourite tbh.
The Chainset is a Tune Bigfoot with a large red Vuelta ring, a Spot titanium middle and a Goldtec granny ring. The colors match perfectly in my humble opinion.
The cassette is a SRP Titanium 8 speed with an Ultimate Machine Co lock ring. Adds a little more colour and keeps the weight down.
It’s plenty light weighing a shade over 8.7kg with chain and pedals (in the last shots - Crankbrothers Egg Beaters).
New head tube, down tube and top tube decals from Gil as they were knackered. The rest are original.
This bike is one of the few bikes that fit my diminutive stature and I love it. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed planning it and I’ll continue to fettle until it’s perfect. For now, I’m quite pleased with the results.
Your comments and feedback welcome as ever.
Enjoy
So here’s a cheeky one. A fair bit of titanium in this build
I swore I wouldn’t buy anymore frames then I saw this on US EBay. Like any titanium fanatic I buckled immediately and hit buy it now. A couple of weeks later it was on these shores and I’d already had a build idea in my head. Always making modifications mid build, the bike has come a long way.
I’m not sure of the year so if someone could help me with that I’d appreciate it.
Suspected to be a more recent model as there is no rear canti stop but I’ve not mocked this up in the most conventional way. (I’m now advised it’s a 2000/2001 model).
I was no compromise on the use of the fork. I was going to use it by hook or crook so have had to use a quill adaptor to allow me to run an aheadstem. Not the most elegant but it didn’t fit any of the myriad of frames I’ve tried it on. So that was that.
I was lucky enough to find a rare Steve Potts stem in more recent photos as I swapped out the Paul Boxcar. Bonty Ti bar and 96gram Tune Speedneedle on top of an American Classic Ti post complete that set up.
However, I had to compromise on the brake set up due to there being no rear cable stop. Rear brake is an early Paul Motolite, front is a Stoplight MC as I wanted to match the brake blocks front and rear. I’m not 100% on it but until be fine until I find a similar front. The brake blocks are the WTB’s that we all love. The colours are supreme. Edit 18.5.25 - see last page for update on the brakes.
The wheels are Stans ZTR355g rims (so unbelievably rare) on Tune Mig/Mag and Sapim cx ray spokes complete the wheels. They are very light and trick indeed. The tyres are a nod to retro and I couldn’t bring myself to shod any others for this one.
The rest of the gearing is an ode to Paul Price. The thumbshifter mounts are also Paul and the shifters are Shimano Ultegra Road bar end shifters and can be indexed or friction. I ride road bikes also and I like this overlap - I am a full retro lover so thumbies are always my favourite tbh.
The Chainset is a Tune Bigfoot with a large red Vuelta ring, a Spot titanium middle and a Goldtec granny ring. The colors match perfectly in my humble opinion.
The cassette is a SRP Titanium 8 speed with an Ultimate Machine Co lock ring. Adds a little more colour and keeps the weight down.
It’s plenty light weighing a shade over 8.7kg with chain and pedals (in the last shots - Crankbrothers Egg Beaters).
New head tube, down tube and top tube decals from Gil as they were knackered. The rest are original.
This bike is one of the few bikes that fit my diminutive stature and I love it. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed planning it and I’ll continue to fettle until it’s perfect. For now, I’m quite pleased with the results.
Your comments and feedback welcome as ever.
Enjoy
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