Well well well, after a lot of searching and forum trawling: I managed to get my hands on a 17” ‘96 Kilauea a couple of months ago from @XTSTIMAN. It feels so nice to have a frame in the stunning original paint, even if there are a few worn spots here and there! The bike fits much better than the previous 19”, so it’s had more use in the last month than the last Kilauea did in a year.
Trails, jumps (small jumps), bike packing, commuting - I love this bike and have used it for everything. I originally set it up 3x9, with an XT front derailleur, XTR rear, and LX shifters. It rode a dream until a mile into the first trail, when the FD slipped and twisted into the chainring, writing it off instantly.
Instead of finding a new front before a weekends camping, I put the 1x11 NX group on there which has stayed on since. While it’s not the most classic looking groupset, it functions brilliantly, and holds up to some very rough Bristol tracks. I have kept the granny ring on the white industry cranks as a homage to the triple (my crank bolts wouldn’t let me keep the outer on, maybe something to try). Ideally I’d have something less modern looking on the bike, the newer Shimano stuff is a lot less “black all over”.
To try and keep the build more classic looking than the last, I’ve gone for a Selle Flite, a longer stem and a set of Monkeylites in 660mm. The skinnier tubing of the bar and stem compared to the older build fit the bike much better, and make for a really solid combination. I think the stem could be even skinnier, but the Thomson matches the seatpost, and the integrated clamp gives the illusion that the stem is a quill which is a tidy detail.
Other than some new grips, and tyres coming this week, I’m really happy with how the build sits. I’ve considered repainting the forks to ‘96 spec, but the black ties the bike together nicely. Perhaps I’ll get the ‘96 decal to cover the chrome that it currently has. Thanks for looking, and happy riding!
Trails, jumps (small jumps), bike packing, commuting - I love this bike and have used it for everything. I originally set it up 3x9, with an XT front derailleur, XTR rear, and LX shifters. It rode a dream until a mile into the first trail, when the FD slipped and twisted into the chainring, writing it off instantly.
Instead of finding a new front before a weekends camping, I put the 1x11 NX group on there which has stayed on since. While it’s not the most classic looking groupset, it functions brilliantly, and holds up to some very rough Bristol tracks. I have kept the granny ring on the white industry cranks as a homage to the triple (my crank bolts wouldn’t let me keep the outer on, maybe something to try). Ideally I’d have something less modern looking on the bike, the newer Shimano stuff is a lot less “black all over”.
To try and keep the build more classic looking than the last, I’ve gone for a Selle Flite, a longer stem and a set of Monkeylites in 660mm. The skinnier tubing of the bar and stem compared to the older build fit the bike much better, and make for a really solid combination. I think the stem could be even skinnier, but the Thomson matches the seatpost, and the integrated clamp gives the illusion that the stem is a quill which is a tidy detail.
Other than some new grips, and tyres coming this week, I’m really happy with how the build sits. I’ve considered repainting the forks to ‘96 spec, but the black ties the bike together nicely. Perhaps I’ll get the ‘96 decal to cover the chrome that it currently has. Thanks for looking, and happy riding!
