1994 Cinder Cone and Kilauea, 1993 Hahanna

[berend.d.]

Hi,
New to this forum, thought it cool that so many folks are in to their old bikes.
I've had a Cinder Cone since 1994 - was my first real mtn bike. I'd drooled over Kona bikes for years previous, and was ecstatic about my new ride. I still love the metallic orange color. You'll see that the bike has been loved, and it has a ton of battle scars. I've been through a million drivetrains, seatposts, etc. Used it for mtn biking for years, but also as a commuter. With the exception of a few vacations out of the country, I can say that I've probably ridden my bici ever week several times a week since I got it. My first rack broke two years ago after faithful service since 1989. At that point I decided to build up the single speed iteration, and I've been really happy with it.
I bought the 94 Kilauea off ebay in 2006 from some person who'd f'd up the dropouts by grinding them for a s.s. conversion :!: But it was a good deal, and those dropouts can be replaced. Does anyone have experience with that?
The Hahanna was my brother's, and he isn't as much a bike nerd as me. It sat on his front porch for years, gathering dust and rust, and he was fortunate that it was never stolen. He moved and I adopted it, taking apart in the hopes of rebuilding it into a touring rig. B/c it's an 18-in it'll be better suited for that purpose - my CC and Kil are both 17-in.
Another photo shows my roadie and Yeti. Love them, too.
Well, enough writing for now.
Cheers.
Berend[/img]

 

[berend.d.]

couldn't figure out multi attachments, so here goes.

 

[feetabix]

Welcome to rb.......how do you rate the Brooks?....I have one next to me to fit tomorrow.....

 

[misteroo]

Welcome to RB.

Same Kilauea as mine...such an awesome bike.

 

[berend.d.]

the brooks b17 special is what it is. have had it for 6 years or so, still breaking it in. some times i like other times no. really heavy, and the leather doesn't like salty coastal air. i use the proofide or whatever every once in a while.

 

[berend.d.]

the kilauea is killer. only prob as i mentioned is that i have to get the dropouts replaced. i've communicated with a few frame repair folks to get an idea of the cost. it might be prohibitive, but it needs to be done to make it safe again.
although the kil is a higher end frame, i just don't have the same connection with it as with my cinder cone. my cc used to be my commuter, but i thought that it would really suck if it got stolen - i'd cry. so the kil is my commuter until i can afford to build it into my geared hardtail. since riding the yeti, i've been missing a hardtail steel bike, and the cc single speed isn't really for epic rides, at least not in my book, mostly b/c it lacks a suspended fork.