1994 KONA Hei Hei - Titanium - Last Minute Suggestions?

[shutter]

Re: 1994 KONA Hei Hei - Titanium - Suggestions Please =)

Great thread and I'll be following it closely

I've got a Hei Hei I brought new in '94, it's been through quite a few guises but now has Projects 2s on and XTR M960. TBH the frame is so beautifully made that it handles good modern componentry well and it doesn't look out of place, I even had a set of Fox float 80s on mine in silver and they looked good! Okay it would be nice to have it period correct but at the end of the day you probably would have upgraded parts anyway so it's kind of evolved as a real, useable machine.

A timeless frame, hats off for trying some different parts and a new angle on it.

Thx! M960 is my favorite XTR group! Post some pics!

 

[RockiMtn]

Re: Re:

Finally got my doggie (thanks RockiMtn)

you need to thank roc6839, i was just the middle man passing the part along.

It was a "it may take some time but sure will" kind of face . I already have the forks (thankfully to RockyMountain who put me in contact with a canadian friend of his, who sold me a nice set of gold XC500) and I am deciding wether going a more "classic", or maybe a little rasta with red, green and gold 90´s bits (of which I already have some...)... We´ll see!

my username isn't that long. again just the middle man facilitating a happy ending.

 

[superstar1]

Re: Re:

don't get me wrong, I love retobikes/retrogeeks but im not that into retro fascism!

Today, I run a shop that sells Kona to a lot of happy buyers and even though we thought the time of steel had long past, we really notice a genuine revival. Kona's 2014 Explosif is a genuine class bike and can very well stand up to many holy '1993-1996' cromoly, even though the steel currently used may not be quite as refined as the Tange tubes used back in the day. Any one with a sense of riding an MTB will tell you it's all about the angles, and boy, they have come a long way since. The slacker headtube, supershort horseshoe chainstay design and low standover may not win any retro award but it does make for a very exhilarating ride. In fact I dare all of you to come by and test ride a 2014 Explosif, Honzo or Rove and not come back with a serious smile on your face!

now thats of my chest, my next project will undoubtedly be 1994 21" hei-hei.

I agree on your sentiments, I was looking at the Explosif and Honzo a few months back but couldn't justify spending £1600 so I ended up with a Genesis High Latitude for a grand which is pretty similar to the Explosif with Reynolds 520 so ticks few of the boxes.

 

[parfumisme]

Re: Re:

don't get me wrong, I love retobikes/retrogeeks but im not that into retro fascism!

Today, I run a shop that sells Kona to a lot of happy buyers and even though we thought the time of steel had long past, we really notice a genuine revival. Kona's 2014 Explosif is a genuine class bike and can very well stand up to many holy '1993-1996' cromoly, even though the steel currently used may not be quite as refined as the Tange tubes used back in the day. Any one with a sense of riding an MTB will tell you it's all about the angles, and boy, they have come a long way since. The slacker headtube, supershort horseshoe chainstay design and low standover may not win any retro award but it does make for a very exhilarating ride. In fact I dare all of you to come by and test ride a 2014 Explosif, Honzo or Rove and not come back with a serious smile on your face!

now thats of my chest, my next project will undoubtedly be 1994 21" hei-hei.

I agree on your sentiments, I was looking at the Explosif and Honzo a few months back but couldn't justify spending £1600 so I ended up with a Genesis High Latitude for a grand which is pretty similar to the Explosif with Reynolds 520 so ticks few of the boxes.

Great pick on the High Latitude though, Even though i think the prices on the Konas are justified you cant beat the baseline quality that Genesis offers right off the bat. Though personally I'd opt for building up the high latitude 631 27,5 frameset for a proper new- meets old school ride.

 

[SEANSTEPHENS]

Re:

this going a little off topic, Let's wait for another update and comment on that....

 

[Neil G]

Re: 1994 KONA Hei Hei - Titanium - Suggestions Please =)

Great thread and I'll be following it closely

I've got a Hei Hei I brought new in '94, it's been through quite a few guises but now has Projects 2s on and XTR M960. TBH the frame is so beautifully made that it handles good modern componentry well and it doesn't look out of place, I even had a set of Fox float 80s on mine in silver and they looked good! Okay it would be nice to have it period correct but at the end of the day you probably would have upgraded parts anyway so it's kind of evolved as a real, useable machine.

A timeless frame, hats off for trying some different parts and a new angle on it.

Thx! M960 is my favorite XTR group! Post some pics!

Will do! It's a thing of beauty (in my eyes anyway) and rarely gets used but I don't think I'll ever sell it!

 

[shutter]

So... made some progress... well... some... Put the forks on...

I'm need to find a couple hours then I can finish the complete build...

Any last minute suggestions? (aside from the decals )

On a serious note I do agree on the decals... as cool as I think they look... they just look wrong with the gum wall tires and vintage parts

But I want a balance... so I may get the correct font in this colour or black... sure thought... it's only $10 a set so I may do some more experimenting...
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[shutter]

Re:

So, I thought I would take it outside for some beauty shots... Still have to sort out the brake bolts... I'm going to pick up some nice Ti or stainless ones... haven't had a chance =)

Next step is to run cables and ride!

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[ted andkilde]

Re: 1994 KONA Hei Hei - Titanium - Suggestions Please =)

Boy, did you ever extend the steerer!!!
I'd polish up that fork (like the 'start' you have at the bottom).

Mike

Hey Shutter

Did you do the steerer extension work yourself? Or do you have a Toronto area framebuilder you work with?

Cheers, Ted

 

[shutter]

Re: 1994 KONA Hei Hei - Titanium - Suggestions Please =)

Boy, did you ever extend the steerer!!!
I'd polish up that fork (like the 'start' you have at the bottom).

Mike

Hey Shutter

Did you do the steerer extension work yourself? Or do you have a Toronto area framebuilder you work with?

Cheers, Ted

That one was done by a local frame builder but I plan on trying some of my future ones on my own. =)