1996 Kona Cinder Cone - a little goes a long way...

[Ghosty]

Just got back from picking this up over in Cheadle. Came up locally on eBay (just as I was complaining on here about a lack of good bikes about Manchester on eBay :roll so I messaged the seller and struck a deal - I wasn't letting another bike slip away, just last week I missed out on a 531 road bike for cheap on my doorstep as someone offered £70 BIN on the auction while it was still on 0 bids. This was a bit more than £70 but oh, it was worth it!
No pics yet as it's dark and I've no space for decent photos in the 'shed' (and besides my iPhone is broken again, not good Apple) - tomorrow maybe.

For now I'll do a spec sheet, and you can imagine it in all it's gold glory...

*updated 17/3*

Frame: 1996 Kona Cinder Cone 18"

Fork: 1996 RockShox Judy XC

Headset: Dia Compe Aheadset
Stem: the one on all the 97/8 Konas
Handlebar: Club Roost GoFast riser, uncut
Grips: ODI X-Trainer
Barends: n/a

Brakes: Deore M510 v-brakes, silver
Brake Pads: presumably Deore
Brake Cables: ???
Cantilever cable hangers: n/a
Brake Levers: something Shimano

Shifters: STX front shifter
Front Derailleur: none
Rear Derailleur: XT M739
Derailleur Cables: ???
Cassette: Shimano Acera HG41 11-30
Chain: SRAM PC 850
Cranks: Sugino Impel
Crank Bolts: generic (one missing on the granny ring!)
Chainrings: Sugino CSS III (22-32?)-42
Chainring bolts: generic
Bottom Bracket: ???, looks like a Shimano cartridge of some sort
Pedals: no markings, silver with black cages

Hub Skewers: front XT, rear original
Rims: front Mavic XM719, rear Mavic XM317, silver
Hubs: Deore M510
Nipples: ???
Spokes: front DT, rear ???
Tyres: Schwalbe Black Jack 2.1
Tubes: Specialised

Saddle: Titec Beserker
Seatpost: Kona Race Light
Seatpost Binder: original Kona clamp

Weight: can comfortably lift with one hand?


First impressions fron riding it round the streets near my house a bit: the bike rides wonderfully (vibration of the Splashbacks aside - might change those, nice as they look). Smooth! Everything moves freely, it's comfy, the riding position is really good (much better than my Fire Mountain), and it feels really robust, confident and planted. I got on it and thought 'now this is a proper bike'.

The Judy is in pretty good nick (and is the perfect colour!), and boasts a 'Speed Springs' sticker. After using my Fire Mountain and its P2 for so long (and it being so long since I sold my 2006 GT Aggressor), I'd forgotten how welcome front suspension was. The STX shifter pods are a welcome (and period) upgrade from Grip Shifts, too. Don't like grip shifters of any description. I really like the bars, shifters and grips so they'll be staying - if it ain't broke...
Likewise, I'm really not bothered about the lack of P2 and Velocity, the later Kona stem is just fine and as I said I'm more than happy with the Judy. (an aside: walking through Manchester yesterday I passed by a bike rack outside the Arndale and there was a '92 Cinder cone with a Mag21 on it, made me smile. Passed again today and there was a '95 Lava Dome there! They're everywhere...)

Drivetrain - the front mech is a random Sachs item and it doesn't shift onto the biggest ring at the moment. It's supposed to be an LX mech, so if I can't get it working I'll replace it with either that, or more likely a nice little upgrade to XT to match the original M739 on the back (heck I might do that anyway, I'm not keen on messing with mechs though, I'll maybe need some advice. Is it indexed??). With the eight speed rear, the middle ring will do nicely for now though

The brakes and front hub are modern Deore items in silver - however the person that put them on was surprisingly thoughtful in doing so, the slightly off silver of them goes pleasingly well with the gold. The grips are colour matched too, in tan, and the Splashbacks are amberwall, to add to that. It's a great looking bike.
Pleasing amount of original stuff too, all towards the rear - rear wheel is catalogue spec (and quite possibly the freewheel by extension), as is the seatpost and clamp. Seat's been replaced but again, I like it so it can stay - I'd only really replace it with a black Flite with the right amount of wear.

Very very pleased - another Kona was the last thing I expected to get on my hunt for another bike, but I'm drawn to them in ways I don't quite get. They look great in gold too ('92 Explosif hmmm).

 

[enc]

Re:

Nice

 

[Ghosty]

Re: 1996 Kona Cinder Cone - here we go again

That's the one!

Here's a pic I've managed to coax out of my spare SIMless phone (had to email it myself over wifi):

 

[JonTom]

Re: 1996 Kona Cinder Cone - here we go again

You must be stoked with that!

I do like the green '96 Explosif. I missed out on one earlier this year (childish seller!).

But a couple of days later I picked up a '92 Explosif frame in gold.

Ain't it funny how things work out?

 

[enc]

Re:

They do look well in that colour !!

 

[jonthefish]

Re:

Very nice indeed.

Re the Sachs front mech. I recently put together a 1996 Kilauea for the Mrs and got rid of the grip shifts. I found I had to change the Sachs front mech to get proper shifting across the three rings. I assume the "pull rate" of the grip shifts was different to the Shimano shifters that I fitted. I fitted an XT front mech and all good.

 

[Ghosty]

Re: 1996 Kona Cinder Cone - here we go again

So - two months later - time for feedback.

I've been using this daily at the moment while my commuter is out of service - that's back after Christmas though so the load's off this now, it's had a sufficient shakedown.
Wonderfully light and a great ride - I've been having a right laugh bombing about on this, both city and country. Hasn't failed me once.

The grips are so-so, and I'm getting a lot of black residue wearing off them. I'll replace them with something else if I find anything I like, maybe ODI Cross Trainers again. Probably in black though - I want to replace the tan accents with black.
Front mech is still the Sachs one, rendering the big ring useless, and I've re-started looking for an XT mech in 28.9 bottom pull. Seems they're mostly top pull, unless someone knows more than me? The chain scrapes on the front mech in the highest gears too so they're not too nice to use.
If anyone has one...
Tyres need replacing, because a) they're Splashbacks, and b) they're worn and perishing, cracking around the biggest knobbly bits.
Thinking of Conti Race Kings or Schwalbe Rocket Rons or something, not too sure yet. Budget dictates I'll probably go Schwalbe.
Want to get a Flite for it too - nothing wrong with the seat on there, just fancy a Flite.
Considering the rear wheel is original, the cassette may well be too - it's pretty grimy so I might replace that, the chain and maybe the cranks some time in the future too. Who knows?

 

[The History Man]

Re: 1996 Kona Cinder Cone - here we go again

Nice. Your femto is upside down.

 

[Ghosty]

Re: 1996 Kona Cinder Cone - here we go again

I realised not long after taking that! Alas it's gone walkabout now.

 

[mynchiboy]

Re:

Good to see that you're back on the road after what happened to the Fire Mountain..

I'm guessing that you're searching for a M738 front mech ideally to match the rear, but they do seem to be a pain to find in 28.6 for some reason, I occasionally look for one to match up with the rear on my GT, then change my mind :facepalm:

The sachs mech is a nice twist though and it's probably fixable. Have you tried adjusting the limit screw at all, as that's probably causing the issues with shifting on to the big ring? Either that or the cable has been over tightened maybe..?

Enjoy your ride in the meantime