SOLD @ £1925 - Old Barns & Unicorns - 1996 Kona King Kahuna

Re: *Newly Reduced* Old Barns & Unicorns - 1996 Kona King Kahuna

One can probably also speculate that at least part of the reason the bike remains for sale is because there are a limited number of people who have thousands of pounds or dollars burning a hole in their pocket.

Probably as close to the truth as its likely to get.A fair comment.
I once had an employer who often cited the phrase- "Poverty makes no man civil". Which was an odd thing for him to say as he was a rich b4stard and liven in a £1/2m detached house.
When funds are tight most arent so ready to indulge themselves.
 
Re: Re:

epptx":efqxrhey said:
I’m a bit perplexed some by some of the most recent comments on this thread, which appear to have concerns that this bike has not yet found a buyer, and that the thread has continued for a long time.

I have no quarrel with anyone who has a difference of opinion about the bike or its price. I’ve demonstrated that with respectful responses to questions about the bike, our thinking about pricing it, and so on. And while there has been some friendly debate & discussion, I think it’s fair to characterize the overall trajectory of this thread as pretty “middle-of-the-road.” There’s been a lot of curiosity and discussion, and that accounts for a good number of the posts.

I think it’s also fair to say that no one – including the seller -- knows for sure what is the magic number at which the bike will find a buyer. And we have been responsive to that dynamic, by reducing the price more than once to try to calibrate it with the market, and to garner feedback from reader responses. If we need to keep doing that, we will do so.

As I've said in other posts, the challenge in this instance -- for seller and buyers alike -- is finding an appropriate comparable. And if someone has a concrete, comparable data point that can provide insight into the appropriate pricing, I’m all ears. (Again, a data point...not simply a "feeling.") I would love to see comparable examples of essentially new, unused, 18 year old titanium Kona bikes that have actually sold. (There’s been discussion along these lines in the thread, so I won’t repeat it here.)

Having said all that, it’s also clear that despite the back-and-forth and the uncertainty around finding the right price, there has not been a broad outcry that finds the price radically unreasonable. Do some have a different perspective? Yes. But even those folks grant that it's tough to know for sure. Even those who see things a bit differently have been nice enough to say things like “good luck with the sale…I’ll be interested to see how it turns out.” Yes, the bike has not found a buyer yet -- and that’s why we have not stonewalled on price. One can probably also speculate that at least part of the reason the bike remains for sale is because there are a limited number of people who have thousands of pounds or dollars burning a hole in their pocket.

In short, to me, the iterative process of markets, sellers & buyers figuring out the right price at which a unique bike will ultimately sell is unfolding in a pretty typical fashion. And that’s where we are: in a “wait and see” frame, with civil, even-handed discussion. Prospects provide feedback, seller provides feedback, price reductions are made, no one seems to be able to provide a clear price based on a close comparable, and readers continue to be curious.

To those who find that bothersome, I’ll kindly say that you always have the choice not to contribute to the length of a thread whose length bothers you.

For our part, we’ll continue our efforts to be respectful, patient, and responsive throughout this process. The culture of Retrobike has always seemed that way to me, and it's why I like the community so much. I hope we can all continue in that spirit. Thanks for reading.

Wow, methinks you take yourself far too seriously.
 
Re: *Newly Reduced* Old Barns & Unicorns - 1996 Kona King Kahuna

Away from the recent comments.

For my own knowledge, as I have been proven wrong on the kit level available. I just assumed, apparently in correctly, that you either bought kona bike as frame only or to the catalogue spec offered.

Could you literally have any of the levels throughout the range? When could you spec it? I only ask as the frame invoice is 1 month earlier than the Kit invoice. So guessing a customer saw the frame then picked a spec level.


As ever all the best with your lovely frame.
 
Re:

Dablk,

Yes, you are correct. Both the frame and either of the two kit levels appeared as three distinct line items on the dealer's price sheet (King Kahuna Frame, Kit One, and Factory Kit, respectively). It was up to the dealer and/or the customer to decide what combination of frame and kit was desired.

Thanks for your question, and I hope this answers it.
 
Re: *Newly Reduced* Old Barns & Unicorns - 1996 Kona King Kahuna

dablk- no worries, since it's a bit confusing. I ordered *just* the frame for a long-time customer, who was 95% there on the purchase. he comes in the next day and has me order it on an express shipment (2 days vs a week on the shipping times.) I ride an 18" on a Kona, and figured I could either return it for an 18" or build it up and hope it fit OK. Kona was going to charge return shipping as well as re-stocking charges, so I decided to just order in the more basic parts kit for the build out and if it fit OK and I liked the ride I could customise it as I saw fit. got the kit in, built it up and rode it a few times and just didn't feel comfortable on it due to the size. and owning a shop, I had my pick as far as bikes to ride so it basically went into storage as an expensive reminder of "wait until the customer puts money on it before ordering something" and as epptx noted, it was available as a frame alone or with two options on the kit.
thanks for the well wishes
Michael
 
Re:

At the current rate that will be in about 2 years time. On the plus front it will, no doubt, still be available and we will be on page 100 of this thread.

Maybe by page 110 the seller will admit to the owner and himself that he over-promised and over-valued this bike and that the best way for the market to value it is for it to be sold in a no reserve auction. If the bike is that good, that rare and that desirable then it should have no problem hitting a high value like hundreds of bikes do every day on eBay.
 
Re: *Newly Reduced* Old Barns & Unicorns - 1996 Kona King Kahuna

The owner has owned the bike for many years, in its essentially new condition, and is prepared to be patient. He will continue to listen to the conversation and price the bike accordingly. That's why reductions have been made.

It is not at all uncommon for higher value, more unusual items to take longer to sell. If that bothers you enough that you cannot resist the impulse to keep coming back to a topic and a bike that does not appeal to you, well...I'm afraid I cannot help with that. (Judging from the discussion so far, everyone else seems to be managing just fine.).
 

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