2000 KONA BLAST FORD FOCUS EDITION

[Canadian]

Right from the start - some will try and tell me this is a 2001.
I thought so when I got it.
Google seemed to go that way too.
But then I had an issue getting the right derailleur hanger.
Got the info and number for the hanger from Kona.
I asked for a 2001 and they replied to me that it was a 2000.
So that's where I'm at.

 

[Canadian]

Re:

The bike was in very rough shape when I started.
For some stupid reason I never took as received pictures.
But, I did sell the bike before anything got started.
(I was just going to remove parts)
Cleanup made a big difference.
Learning about the bike made me decide to do it some justice.
At one point I was going to give the money back and keep it.
I replaced the brakes and rotors.
Originally I was keeping the rotors - they were different and Konas first disc (so I read somewhere) but the new calipers came with adapters for 160mm and I didn't have ones for 140mm (stock calipers bolted direct) so I relented. I installed pedals from a 2-4 (repainted), along with the stem and headset cap (Kona logo and it's silver). Truvative bars, import grips (because of the silver lock on collars), Shimano shifters and a set of brake levers I had (not sure of the make). A fairly plain saddle was found (though I have found one that is just as plain and has a small Kona logo - but it has a rip). Tires are Kenda Nevegal 26x2.10 (it still had what I think were the original WTB Raptors). Cables (black teflon coated) and housing came from Alligator. The forks - they came off another Kona. Not sure what they are, other than Marzocchi. But, these are the forks that should have come with the bike - the coated stanchions and silver lowers fit perfectly. The only thing that is really missing from these forks (other than being rebound and compression adjustable with lockout of course) was a stock front brake cable guide. There never was one. No decals were on the forks and they will stay that way.

 

[Canadian]

Re:

The seatpost clamp and the axle quick releases were swapped out for silver ones. The seatpost clamp came from a VPS Drop. The owner was looking at both bikes, took his off, then mine, swapped them and said "better?". I agreed. He wanted the black. At first I had gold axle QR's. Same sort of thing happened with another Norco. This time I swapped the silver for the gold and we both preferred the change. The headset became a Cane Creek version 'cause I had one. The bike didn't come with a rear derailleur so I installed an Atlus big wheel. Front one is stock.
Rims are Ditch Witch and hubs and spokes are stock.

 

[Canadian]

Re:

The main reason I decided against keeping it - getting carried away on the rebuild. I know I would have ended up with a bike that I would hardly ride - pretty much a semi restored show bike. I would change the bars, seatpost and stem again, looking for Thomson seatpost and stem and Ritchey chrome bars. Running gear would be LX or STX. I would try and find brakes and shifters in the same, unless XT showed up. I've seen pictures showing red brake calipers - I would have to hunt those down and find out what they were. Might even go back to the stock tires, which I think were WTB Raptors, just like what was on the bike when I got it. But pictures of the bike in blue showed Tioga, so who knows. In the end it would become a money pit. It is a rare bike as only 5000 of the cars were made so who knows how many owners took the option of the bike and roof rack. How many of each colour?

It was a fun build, though finding info on it was sometimes frustrating.
The new owner is going to ride it.
But he does want me to find him another bike that he can ride hard.

 

[Canadian]

Re:

STOCK
Frame
Rims
Spokes
Hubs
Cranks arms
Chain rings
Bottom bracket
Cassette
Seatpost
Front derailleur

NON-STOCK
Cables
Housings
Grips
Bars
Stem
Headset
Forks
Calipers
Rotors
Tires
Pedals
Rear derailleur
Saddle
Seat post clamp
Axle skewers
Shifters
Brake levers
Headset
Headset spacers
Headset cap

 

[coomber]

Like this model kona. Just before their wilderness years if you ask me.

As an aside, those kona pedals are one of the worst of all time in my opinion. Weigh a ton and have no grip.

 

[Canadian]

Re:

You are right about the pedals.
Waiting for some new caps because I need to take them apart to re-grease and reset. The caps wont come out without destroying them (I tried before I repainted them). So at the moment they rattle a little. My friend says he doesn't care about the weight - he likes the look.

But I haven't shown him some new Kona Wah Wah pedals yet....

 

[Canadian]

Oh, and apparently this bike was only available in the USA with the Ford Focus Kona Edition.
Ford Canada already had a deal with Devinci so it wasn't offered here.

 

[Kona-Ian]

Never heard of one before.
What's special?
Colour and Ford sticker...How many made?
Are they rare?

 

[Canadian]

Made for 1 year.
Some odd parts made it on to the bike - the first disc brakes, an imported rear hub (I know, mines toast).
Colour was unique.
I have seen brochures of a blue one, but not a live one.
Plus the blue (and some brown) had orange calipers.
It has been hard to find any real concrete facts on the bike, mostly going by someone who got the bike with the car (2000 ZX3) and left it stock, which usually meant just never used it. Some people have asked ridiculous prices for mint examples. There was maybe at least 2000 made but I'm not sure.

quote - In order to attract members of the Echo Boom or Millennial Generation, those born between the mid-1970s and 2000, Ford teamed with mountain bike manufacturer Kona USA to field the Kona Edition Focus. Introduced at the beginning of the US launch cycle for the Focus at the 2000 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Kona Edition was more than a simple bike-and-car combo. Kona participated in the design of the car, so that every custom feature an out-of-bounds rider would want was built into it.

Chosen as the centerpiece of the concept was the Kona Blast, a specially-designed hard-tail free-ride bike with a long-travel fork, dual disc brakes, platform pedals and other components designated for out-of-bounds riding. Kona helped select the color palette and graphics treatment of the car, and the concept made Kona dealers an integral part of the program. To ensure the Blast was built and fitted correctly, customers who purchased the Focus Special Edition were directed to their local Kona dealer for delivery of the bike. There were also several promotional opportunities involving Ford and Kona dealers.

Just 5,000 Kona Edition cars were made, available in Dirt Brown, CD Silver or Rainforest Green. An integrated, bolted-down luggage rack was included, as well as a fork-mount bike rack. Unique side moldings had molded-in Kona logo and bike tire treads, which were repeated in the heavy-duty rubber Kona floor mats. The car also had Kona off-road, hard wear-inspired seat covers. The car rides on 16-inch, six-spoke aluminum wheels.

Not everyone took the bike with the car, some took 2.
I did contact Kona about the rear hub, so I got a little info.