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  1. dirttorpedo

    I cracked - Kona Kontent (scabby 94 Cinder Cone).

    Ok, so its been a hot minute since I shared any info about my scabby Cinder Cone. I actually built the bike up with parts bin parts as a pragmatic retromod for riding dike trails with my wife and kids. Its now the only vintage mountain bike I have in working condition and I decided to faff about...
  2. dirttorpedo

    Kona’s - best year for frame?

    My riding buddy at the time had a Halston Inversion fork, which looked like a good idea on paper, but was in practice an expensive paper weight. So, yes, my Future Shock did go up and down reliably and was plush. It was so flexy though - particularly under braking in corners descending - that I...
  3. dirttorpedo

    Kona’s - best year for frame?

    I had a Specialized Future Shock in 91 and I was told it was built by Rock Shock. I've pretty much avoided them ever since because of my bad experience with that fork. I knew that Kona (and other manufacturers) decided in the early days of suspension to equip with a rigid fork and let the...
  4. dirttorpedo

    I'm shocked!

    The Race Face turbine is not on Velobase! I think I may need to make an account and correct that.
  5. dirttorpedo

    Not vintage or French Tourers/Campeurs, Trade/Porteurs, Audax/Randonneurs, Commuters/Town

    I think you may find some good information in english and Rinko parts on the Rene Herse site
  6. dirttorpedo

    Do you notice extreme negative views of none retrobikers when you say you are trying to work with an older bike?

    Ya, you're right. The catalogue spec is for a 40 hole rear hub not 42.
  7. dirttorpedo

    Do you notice extreme negative views of none retrobikers when you say you are trying to work with an older bike?

    I broke a spoke on my touring bike last summer and afterwards was worried the modern 32 hole factory built wheels weren't strong enough for loaded touring. The bike (a Miyata 1000) came stock with a 42 hole rear wheel back in the 80's which got me searching for a nice 36 hole modern wheel ...
  8. dirttorpedo

    Do you notice extreme negative views of none retrobikers when you say you are trying to work with an older bike?

    Agreed. My only observation is that modern long reach dual pivot brakes are significantly better than vintage medium reach single pivots so you can still get a tire width and braking performance improvement by upgrading a vintage sport touring bike to 700c or 650b with long reach Tektros.
  9. dirttorpedo

    Do you notice extreme negative views of none retrobikers when you say you are trying to work with an older bike?

    Agree and probably a reflection on the improvement in road quality from the 70's to the 90's. My Ellis Briggs is running 700 x 32 and I could probably squeeze 35's in there if I deflate them to remove/mount. If I could convert to Mafac Racers I could probably run those 35's without deflating to...
  10. dirttorpedo

    Do you notice extreme negative views of none retrobikers when you say you are trying to work with an older bike?

    I'll probably get roasted for this, but I'm going to say that we get push back from non-retrobikers because newer is better. Even when you compare like for like. There has been so much progress in braking systems, frame geometries - particularly around tire clearance and rider position, and...
  11. dirttorpedo

    Kona’s - best year for frame?

    Why was Kona so late to the suspension game? I got my first suspension bike in 92 (what a mistake that purchase was).
  12. dirttorpedo

    1996 Kona Cinder Cone

    I've the metallic orange cinder cone and swapped the stem with a removeable faceplate riser version and mounted an old riser bar on it. Its comfortable to ride, but ugly to look at.
  13. dirttorpedo

    Rocky Mountain Hammer

    Agreed - I've never seen a red and yellow hammer. Maybe they wanted something in team colours? I have an early 90's metallic purple hammer that came equipped with full DX that I bought as a parts bike for a Ritchey build I was doing. rode nice. I've built it up retromod for my son.
  14. dirttorpedo

    Sorry It's another Kona Lava Dome

    Nothing wrong with a clean Lava Dome - I test rode Lava Domes every year I bought bikes back in the 80's and 90's. Always regret never pulling the trigger on one.
  15. dirttorpedo

    Norco Rampage

    Rampage.
  16. dirttorpedo

    A Devinci Mystery

    Just saw this for sale on Craigslist locally. It's described as a Devinci Boogie. Looks pretty similar to what the OP has.
  17. dirttorpedo

    Norco Rampage

    Hey Matti, I probably have the original stem and bars from that bike sitting gathering dust in my parts bin if you are interested. May have the seat post as well. I have the saddle (I suspect it's OE), but it's currently being used on my Cinder Cone and its comfy so I'm unlikely to give it up. I...
  18. dirttorpedo

    A Devinci Mystery

    No Devinci expert, but I remember when they hit the market in Vancouver - probably the late 90's - and they were considered high end bikes and had a lot of curb appeal. I certainly couldn't afford one just coming out of grad school. The only model I really remember was the Chili Pepper, but that...
  19. dirttorpedo

    My 1988 ROCKY MOUNTAIN FUSION

    This was my first mountain bike. I bought it for $530 brand new from West Point Cycles in Vancouver when I was at university and beat the snot out of it until 91 when I replaced it with a Stumpjumper FS (terrible decision). The fork actually looks like the original, but the colour is wrong...
  20. dirttorpedo

    1994 Norco Rampage

    We always turned up our noses to bikes made in Japan and Taiwan BITD, but the guys at Norco knew what they were doing, the tube spec was right on and those factories in Taiwan had learned how to make frames as good as the Japanese by the 90's and the Japanese were building bikes that were...
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