Kona Fire Mountain - needs some TLC

[crantok]

Hi everyone.

I've been given a 90s steel Kona Fire Mountain. It's a 16" frame...

I think I've found the serial number under the bottom bracket shell. It's in two parts and a little difficult to read because of the paint job. I think it is H8C3 6488 . Does anyone know if I can use this to confirm the year and model?

The seat post shows a diameter of 26.6mm but there is a little play so I assume the frame would take a 26.8mm post.

I received two forks with the bike. Both have 1⅛" steerers.

The fork that was fitted has what I think are after-market Project 2 stickers. The threaded steerer seems to be too long for the head tube so that the headset cannot be properly tightened. I think it is made for an 18" frame as it looks exactly the right length for my 18" Lava Dome. If there's any way to prove this is a Project 2 fork then I'd be happy to swap it for the version that fits a 16" frame.

The second fork is a very stiff suspension fork with a threadless steerer. The fork legs are longer than those on the Project 2 fork. There are serial/model numbers on this fork but no model or manufacturer name. Apparently this was the fork on the bike when the previous owner bought it. I've thought about putting it back on the bike as it will actually fit. I assume I'd need to service it first. However, I'm a bit put off by damage to the crown/steerer junction.

I'd be very grateful for any comments or advice.

 

[hamster]

I think it is a 1997, but check the catalogue scans on in the gallery section. The correct seat post would be a 27.0 regardless of year.
To get the headset to tighten you need a couple of stem spacers, these are a couple is quid from your local bike shop. If the stem is too high there is no problem running them above the stem instead.

 

[crantok]

Thanks for the tip. The measurements that I can take while it's half in pieces (chainstay length, top tube length) are correct. The colour looks right too. In the catalogue picture there is a rear cable guide for cantis that is the same colour as the frame. Maybe that was removable?

The current headset is a threaded one so I can only use a threaded fork unless I change the headset or get a conversion kit. I think I'll do the latter. The steerer of the threaded fork I have is just too long. Don't be fooled by the stem for an unthreaded steerer. The previous owner had clamped that over the threads of the steerer. I don't think he had much experience of maintaining older bikes.

I'm going to sort this bike out, hopefully at minimal cost, and then give it to the son of a friend of mine. He's growing at a heck of a rate and I want him to have a bike that actually fits him.

 

[al-onestare]

I could be way off but that looks like a respray. The decals don't look original, the colour, style (the headtube) or placement.

 

[crantok]

Re:

Yes, the decals are definitely recent. Now that I think about it, I think the previous owner said that he'd had it painted too, which would make my comment about the colour matching the catalogue a bit of a red herring.

Does anyone know if there is a go-to "What's my Kona?" type site? I'm a web dev so if nothing like that exists then I'd be happy to squirt someone else's knowledge of these things in to some kind of simple online reference.

 

[Retro Spud]

Re: Re:

Does anyone know if there is a go-to "What's my Kona?" type site? I'm a web dev so if nothing like that exists then I'd be happy to squirt someone else's knowledge of these things in to some kind of simple online reference.

What al–onestare ^^^^^^ doesn't know about Kona's isn't worth knowing

When you've got old onestare on tap you don't need a second web site

 

[crantok]

Re:

Nice. I'll just hang around here near the source then.

 

[al-onestare]

That's nice, but there are FAR more knowledgeable Kona heads around here!

 

[crantok]

@Hamster Thanks for the tip about the 27.0mm seat post. Bought one and fitted it today. Thought it was too big at first until I realised that the seat tube had a lot of dirt in it. Recleaned and regreased the seat post between repeated attempts to fit it, and eventually it fitted without resistance.