1998 KONA HOT
They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and most agree that this bike is a rare beauty! This is a new years resolution that I’ve actually kept – to get this bike off the wall, cleaned up and listed for sale.
The backstory for those interested is that I travelled to Seattle in 1998 to do a workshop and asked my buddy there to help me find a quality hardtail to bring home with me to Adelaide, South Australia. He hooked me up with his local bike shop near Kirkland where I saw my first Kona - a brand new hottie and now 25 years later, I’ve decided that it’s time to share the love.
It turns out that my hottie was one the last batch of less than 100 US Enigma built Kona Hots and one of only a few known purple with Rasta yellow and green flame custom frames as displayed in the 1998 Kona catalogue (see image). The serial number under the bottom bracket is KH78006 (see image) so a confirmed elusive and iconic Enigma make rarely seen in the wild. I measure it as an 18 inch frame (centre of the crank to the top of the seat tube) and approximately 22 inches of top tube length.
What’s not original:
Seatpost: Rock Shox suspension (all the rage prior to dualies and no idea where the original went!)
Saddle: Specialized Velo
Bars: Specialized low riser 2014 TG
Tyres: Rear – Kenda Nevegal 26x2.35, Front Specialized Enduro 26X2.20
What’s original: Everything else!
Frame: 1998 Enigma built Kona Hot – full Reynolds 853 steel, custom purple with Rasta green & yellow flames.
Forks: Yellow Marzocchi Atom Bomb Z2
Rims: 26” Black Sun rims
Cranks: Shimano Deore LX Crankset FC- M569
Shifters & Derailleurs: Shimano XTR Front & Rear
Brakes: Shimano XTR V-Brakes Front & Rear
Cassette: 8 speed 11-32
Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN52 (not 100% sure but it’s the original one)
Headset: Original but swapped in store for increased length so don’t know brand.
Pedals: None (plastic pedals were on to hold it upright while taking photos)
I’d like to say that I only rode the bike to church on Sundays but the truth is that I rode it as hard as my skills allowed for 4-5 years until I moved on to a dual suspension with discs and it became the occasional casual ride thereafter. What I need to share is there’s plenty of chips of paint off all over the purple parts of the frame but fortunately only the occasional scratch or chip on the custom Rasta flames or painted Kona decals. Half the purple bark scratched off was from damn kids bikes transported on the same bike rack and had I known at the time that I owned a member of the Kona royal family, I would have done things very differently! The only decal to sustain considerable damage is the Reynolds 853 on the seat tube (see image). I’d like to imagine that a full respray of the purple frame sections and a light touch up of the rest would restore her former glory. I can’t see any obvious tube damage other than surface oxidation where the paint is off.
I know I could make far more parting it out but would love if a true admirer who’s been waiting a lifetime for this unique opportunity would buy it, restore it to original condition and ride it with pride. To get you started on that, it comes with a Bomber fork seal kit that I never quite got around to. Feel free to message me with questions and genuine offers knowing it will also be listed on several retro forums around the world and will need to be packed and shipped at purchasers expense if outside Adelaide (likely expensive outside Australia & don't know price unless I know where you are). Payment by paypal payment transfer (or buyer pays 3.5% paypal fee for extra buyer protection). Posted price of £800 is based on the original frame price and past overseas sales of similar restored frames but as it’s a complete and rare near original bike, it’s virtually impossible to find a comparable recent sale anywhere. By all means tell me I’m dreaming and offer less, or offer more if you think it’s worth it and really want it. Enjoy the pictures and happy new year to all members.
They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and most agree that this bike is a rare beauty! This is a new years resolution that I’ve actually kept – to get this bike off the wall, cleaned up and listed for sale.
The backstory for those interested is that I travelled to Seattle in 1998 to do a workshop and asked my buddy there to help me find a quality hardtail to bring home with me to Adelaide, South Australia. He hooked me up with his local bike shop near Kirkland where I saw my first Kona - a brand new hottie and now 25 years later, I’ve decided that it’s time to share the love.
It turns out that my hottie was one the last batch of less than 100 US Enigma built Kona Hots and one of only a few known purple with Rasta yellow and green flame custom frames as displayed in the 1998 Kona catalogue (see image). The serial number under the bottom bracket is KH78006 (see image) so a confirmed elusive and iconic Enigma make rarely seen in the wild. I measure it as an 18 inch frame (centre of the crank to the top of the seat tube) and approximately 22 inches of top tube length.
What’s not original:
Seatpost: Rock Shox suspension (all the rage prior to dualies and no idea where the original went!)
Saddle: Specialized Velo
Bars: Specialized low riser 2014 TG
Tyres: Rear – Kenda Nevegal 26x2.35, Front Specialized Enduro 26X2.20
What’s original: Everything else!
Frame: 1998 Enigma built Kona Hot – full Reynolds 853 steel, custom purple with Rasta green & yellow flames.
Forks: Yellow Marzocchi Atom Bomb Z2
Rims: 26” Black Sun rims
Cranks: Shimano Deore LX Crankset FC- M569
Shifters & Derailleurs: Shimano XTR Front & Rear
Brakes: Shimano XTR V-Brakes Front & Rear
Cassette: 8 speed 11-32
Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN52 (not 100% sure but it’s the original one)
Headset: Original but swapped in store for increased length so don’t know brand.
Pedals: None (plastic pedals were on to hold it upright while taking photos)
I’d like to say that I only rode the bike to church on Sundays but the truth is that I rode it as hard as my skills allowed for 4-5 years until I moved on to a dual suspension with discs and it became the occasional casual ride thereafter. What I need to share is there’s plenty of chips of paint off all over the purple parts of the frame but fortunately only the occasional scratch or chip on the custom Rasta flames or painted Kona decals. Half the purple bark scratched off was from damn kids bikes transported on the same bike rack and had I known at the time that I owned a member of the Kona royal family, I would have done things very differently! The only decal to sustain considerable damage is the Reynolds 853 on the seat tube (see image). I’d like to imagine that a full respray of the purple frame sections and a light touch up of the rest would restore her former glory. I can’t see any obvious tube damage other than surface oxidation where the paint is off.
I know I could make far more parting it out but would love if a true admirer who’s been waiting a lifetime for this unique opportunity would buy it, restore it to original condition and ride it with pride. To get you started on that, it comes with a Bomber fork seal kit that I never quite got around to. Feel free to message me with questions and genuine offers knowing it will also be listed on several retro forums around the world and will need to be packed and shipped at purchasers expense if outside Adelaide (likely expensive outside Australia & don't know price unless I know where you are). Payment by paypal payment transfer (or buyer pays 3.5% paypal fee for extra buyer protection). Posted price of £800 is based on the original frame price and past overseas sales of similar restored frames but as it’s a complete and rare near original bike, it’s virtually impossible to find a comparable recent sale anywhere. By all means tell me I’m dreaming and offer less, or offer more if you think it’s worth it and really want it. Enjoy the pictures and happy new year to all members.
