'94 Kona Hei Hei

[huhue]

Hello everybody!

I'm new to this forum, though I already read and learned a lot here!
English is not my mother tounge so bare with me for any glitches in my english...
Thank you for the many interesting threads which helped me to identify my new rig:

Introducing my "new" Kona Hei Hei:

I was in need of a new frame because my '96 ibis mojo (which I bought a smidge too big at 21.5") was really starting to hurt my back. Though I loved the mojo I had to make a decision, which was made easy by an offer of a friend who had a 20" Kona Hei Hei hanging on his wall, and which wasn't ridden very often because of all the other ti bikes in his stable.

We came to terms and the frame changed owners. Before that, I studied most of the Kona Ti topics on this and some other forums in the interweb.
The Frame is obviously '94-'96, but i was curious of the specific year.
Though the frame was stripped of most decals, 2 have survived of whom one gave the all important hint:

I couldn't find any pictures of this decal on other than '94 Hei Heis. It doesn't always seem to be in the same spot though.
After some more Google picture search, i found a very interesting blog entry from a guy who owns a '94 Hei Hei with all decals still in place. But see for yourself:

ericsbikes

The bike is camouflaged to fly under the bicycle thief radar but that seems to have helped the decals to survive.

Anyway, this seems to confirm my belief that i have a '94 Frame. If anybody can confirm or disapprove my findings, i would be grateful.

And if anybody wants to know how it rides, i can only say:

IT FLIES!


Cheers everybody and Happy Trails

Dan

 

[tintin40]

Welcome.

 

[Anthony]

I agree that could well be a 94. I can't tell any difference between the head tube spirals for 94 and 95. I think the seat tube sticker is in the correct place. Ones in other places are likely to be mis-applied replacements. I have no photo of a 95 showing whether they also had that sticker.

I notice the photo of Eric's bike shows a characteristic shape of the chainstay, splaying out from the bb shell, then a sharp turn back to parallel - does yours have that? I've no idea whether it differentiates 94 from 95 though!

Unfortunately the serial number doesn't tie down the year, but it may give a general indication - what is yours?

I like the build incidentally - very restrained to match the effortless superiority of titanium.

 

[huhue]

@tintin40: Thank you!

@Anthony: The serial is in in the low 500eds of that Size (51x) the last digit is hard to tell though. As to the chainstay shape, here is another pic:

I think the chainstays where consistent through the '94-'96 era though.

The build is pretty much made up by all the stuff that was on my ibis, except for the cranks (the E-Cranks had a crack), the seat post and the headset. I'm quite happy with the result though.
Here is a pic of the ibis in its last incarnation:

Greets Dan

 

[Anthony]

@Anthony: The serial is in in the low 500eds of that Size (51x) the last digit is hard to tell though.

So it's B2051x? I have a note on my file that B20367 is a 1992 and B20638 is a 1998. That might suggest more 95 than 94, but I think the rate of production fell during the period, as suspension forks and aluminium frames replaced the need for frame compliance. So I wouldn't think that 1994 is ruled out.

As to the chainstay shape, here is another pic. I think the chainstays where consistent through the '94-'96 era though.

I expect you're right, it was just a thought. Your stays do seem to be the same shape as Eric's though

 

[huhue]

So it's B2051x?

Yes that's right. I would agree that it would be a late '94. As far as I understand the frames where made in batches per size, wich would also explain the slight differences between sizes in each model year. If they introduced something new (like v-brake cable stops or top tube cable routing) it was introduced in the next batch but not necessarily to all frames of a given year.

Greets Dan

 

[Anthony]

Although I have no photo of a 1995 Hei Hei showing the 'Kona 3-2.5 Titanium' seat tube sticker, I now notice that the 1995 catalogue has an inset picture of that sticker. Admittedly, that isn't a guarantee that those stickers found their way onto 1995 production, but nevertheless it would seem a bit odd if they specially highlighted something for the catalogue, but then dropped it.

If neither of your decals differentiates between 94 and 95, and your serial number points to early 95 being slightly more likely than late 94, then that might be the overall conclusion. I don't know of any other characteristics that differed between 94 and 95.

 

[Chickenball]

Definately the 2nd sexiest thing I have seen....next to mine! JK! Love the bike!

 

[huhue]

@Anthony: In the end it probably doesn't even matter. It might even be possible that they had batches that wheren't sold in a given year and just given the decals of the next year, who knows.

Anyway, if I ever put new decals on this one it would be the silver decals anyway, because they would fit the rest of the bike better than the '95 gold ones (even with the goldtec hubset ).

Any opinions on the front mech and derailleur? I'm still not sure if I go the 900 oer the 950 route?
Other than that I will probably get Ti spacer instead of the black aluminum ones for the stem.

Cheers Dan

 

[huhue]

Definately the 2nd sexiest thing I have seen....next to mine! JK! Love the bike!

Thanks Chickenball! Saw your Hei Hei during my research and was tempted to put a Manitou I on it as you have (There is one hanging at my wall).
In the end I just went the modern route...

Cheers Dan