Hei Hei

[Pipmeister]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kona-Hei-Hei-18-T ... l1177#shId

Can anyone confirm the year as '98?
Then there's the big decision to import or wait for one to turn up on this side of the pond. I just bought a pair of '05 SID W/C from the U.S and got clobbered with Import Duty, V.A.T. & Clearance fee - However, I did get what I wanted.

 

[rory breaker]

Cant see any difference between that and my 98 Hei Hei.

Konatech confirmed mine was a 98 via frame number.

 

[andrewl]

Cable routing for both derailleurs looks like its on the downtube and thus its not a 98 but more likely a 96.

 

[Pipmeister]

Thanks for that - looking at what information I have managed to find, I would agree.
The Kona decal on the down tube does look like it's an addition & been stuck on too far round towards the underside.
I was hoping to find a Hei Hei that would take SID 80mm, but I assume that the geometry for a '96 wouldn't be correct for 80mm travel (450mm crown to race). I could send a pair of SID's off for conversion to 63mm, or fit my Pace RC 38.
Then there's the £80 - £100 that I have calculated I could be charged for importing. Mmm dilemma!

 

[Anthony]

It's hard to say what that is.

1. The decals are 98 decals, but that means nothing.
2. As Andrew points out, the cable routing indicates no later than 96
3. But this standard style of Kona geometry with the sloping top tube and 3" seat tube extension wasn't used on Hei Heis during 94-96.
4. The rear brake cable guide wasn't standard before 96 - if it's a V-stop, it's 97 or later, if it's a Magura guide it's 96

So that rules out every year, ergo it doesn't exist. Problem solved.

BUT it apparently does exist. Curses, foiled again. So how to explain the evidence? Well I do have just an inkling that a small number of Hei Heis were built to the standard geometry during 1994-96, although I've never seen it proved. If the brake guide is a Magura guide, it's either a custom addition, or it suggests the frame is a 96.

If I were interested in it, I would ask the seller whether the rear brake guide is a V-stop or a Magura guide, and I would ask for the serial number. If we knew that, we might be in business.

The head angles were the same for all Hei Heis from 94 through to 99 (I don't think there were any 2000 Hei Heis, just KKs) and they were all designed for 51-63mm travel rather than 80mm.

But I'm sure Mr Ling will point out that he has a 90mm Z1 on his 97 KK and that he wouldn't want anything else. He's too big to argue with, and I do suspect that if you put a good fork on a good frame you tend to get a good bike, even if the niceties of the geometry aren't what the designer intended.