Just a quick write up on the last week or so's project and perhaps a good deterrent for drunk fb marketplace browsing! Had seen this Kona changing hands over a few months time period on marketplace, eventually one night after a couple jds I saw it pop up again and sent an absurd lowball which was somehow accepted. Got a lift quite late on to pick it up then put it away for the next day. Should've taken a better before picture, but here it is shortly after pulling the cranks and bb.
So the initial flaws I felt/saw on it were the front 2x being absolutely fucked, chain shot, headset very rough, lot of cable rub/paint cracking, fork seals shot, pistons stuck on the brakes and a very odd smell which I narrowed down to the tyres. Step one was just throwing stuff from the parts bin at it as I had a rough idea what I wanted to do with it, but was kinda hesitant to go ahead without knowing if I actually enjoyed the geo etc.
1x with an ixf crankset and 38t nw, dmr peddles and grips, random 780mm bars, selle italia seat and an old set of tektro hydraulics. Fortunately for me and unfortunately for my wallet I really enjoyed it so some shopping began.
26x2.10 Billy Bonkers, Deore XT HT2 crankset to replace the ixfs alongside some black dmr v6 pedals and a cheapo wake stem to bring the bars closer/taller. The condition of the original chain was pretty naff so replaced with a 10s for better retention and completely neglected to check the cassette for wear, which given the age of the bike was definitely shot leading to skipping. Swapping cassettes is a little out of my ability (or tools atleast) but fortunately I'm very lucky to have a local bike mechanic who swapped it out with a new 11-36, aligned the hangar and indexed.
All that was really left at that point was colour matching the bars/seat because the white stuck out like a sore thumb, and then for reasons unbeknownst I decided to go rigid. Felt like Christmas today waiting for the last pieces of the puzzle to arrive: Identiti XC forks, Ritchey Comp Trail Riser bars cut to 770mm, Gusset lock ons and a Selle Sport Gel Flow saddle.
Still some niggling bits to do in terms of fit, cable runs/shortening etc but overall very pleased with it. May have sunk close to 10x the original cost of the bike into it, but it's been fun and I'm very happy with how it rides
So the initial flaws I felt/saw on it were the front 2x being absolutely fucked, chain shot, headset very rough, lot of cable rub/paint cracking, fork seals shot, pistons stuck on the brakes and a very odd smell which I narrowed down to the tyres. Step one was just throwing stuff from the parts bin at it as I had a rough idea what I wanted to do with it, but was kinda hesitant to go ahead without knowing if I actually enjoyed the geo etc.
1x with an ixf crankset and 38t nw, dmr peddles and grips, random 780mm bars, selle italia seat and an old set of tektro hydraulics. Fortunately for me and unfortunately for my wallet I really enjoyed it so some shopping began.
26x2.10 Billy Bonkers, Deore XT HT2 crankset to replace the ixfs alongside some black dmr v6 pedals and a cheapo wake stem to bring the bars closer/taller. The condition of the original chain was pretty naff so replaced with a 10s for better retention and completely neglected to check the cassette for wear, which given the age of the bike was definitely shot leading to skipping. Swapping cassettes is a little out of my ability (or tools atleast) but fortunately I'm very lucky to have a local bike mechanic who swapped it out with a new 11-36, aligned the hangar and indexed.
All that was really left at that point was colour matching the bars/seat because the white stuck out like a sore thumb, and then for reasons unbeknownst I decided to go rigid. Felt like Christmas today waiting for the last pieces of the puzzle to arrive: Identiti XC forks, Ritchey Comp Trail Riser bars cut to 770mm, Gusset lock ons and a Selle Sport Gel Flow saddle.
Still some niggling bits to do in terms of fit, cable runs/shortening etc but overall very pleased with it. May have sunk close to 10x the original cost of the bike into it, but it's been fun and I'm very happy with how it rides
