Kona 92 What?

[njgoldby]

I have an old Kona frame I have not been able to ID. Any thoughts would be appreciated. The frame number is 51071978, there is also a 21 and a 13 there too. The paint doesn't look original to me. It has Braze on rack mounts making me think '92.

The weight is 1.910 kg with no screws etc.

 

[clockworkgazz]

pics?

 

[njgoldby]

Pics added

 

[legrandefromage]

my own personal opinion (I have many...) going by the welding and those braze ons, it looks a pretty low model frame - will still build up nice.

 

[njgoldby]

As far as I can tell all 92 Kona's had Braze on rack mounts. They were built into the frame in 93.
I don't know much about welds but tubing is very thin in the centre of the downtube. Feels thinner than my 93 lavadome. Also quite a big taper in the top tube.

 

[Anthony]

The serial number is slightly odd - are you sure it doesn't have an F in front of it? I believe that the 5 identifies which factory the frame was built in and the 1 says it was built in 1991 - in which case, it's either a 1991 or 1992 bike. But I believe the 91 bikes all had braze-on seat clamps, which would make it a 92.

It isn't quite clear from the photo, but it looks as though the top and down tubes are tapered, fatter at the front than the back. If so, and if they are also oval shaped, that would mean that they are Tange Prestige Concept. The only 1992 Konas made out of Concept were the Explosif and the Hot, but I believe that the Hots built by Tom Teasdale had TET serial numbers, so if that's true this could be a 1992 Explosif. If your scales are correct, the weight is very low and also consistent with an Explosif, no steel Cinder Cone was ever that light.

 

[andrewl]

91 Lava Dome, Fire Mountain and Hahanna all had similar chain stay rack mounts, drop outs and the bolt on cable guides too - or at least they did in the 91 catalogue.

94 Hahanna also had similar rack mounts but different drop outs so on that basis its either a 91 or 92 frame.

As Anthony says its hard to see if the main tubes are tapered or just shaped (ie a round tube ovalised), but a simple measurement of the tube circumference at each end will answer that.

 

[njgoldby]

Thanks Guys. I will stick a vernier on it tonight and check the tubing.

I have a confession to make as well. It doesn't look quite that way anymore.

 

[jimbo-xc]

Kona what?

Didn't the pre-93 bikes have a grease nipple ("Greasealer") under the bb for before cartridge bb's came in? The seatpost diameter is another pointer. I've been told that 26.4 = pre 93.

 

[njgoldby]

This frame takes a 26.8mm quite snugly.