Here is my 1996 Kona Koa.
I have had this bike since new. From memory it is a bike that Kona only did for a couple of years between 95-97 and therefore appears to be relatively rare. I certainly haven't seen any others like it on this site - its all cindercone, lavadome, explosif etc.
The bike itself underwent a relative major upgrade period soon after I bought it (98-00) - xt brakes, AHeadset, SID forks, Profile FR riser bar, xt front and rear mech etc. This were largely done to make it suitable for XC racing which I did for a couple of years afterwards. These upgrades in themselves could almost be classed as nearing vintage era in themselves.
Other than that the wheelset and chainset are original as are the Gripshift shifters.
More recently, new XT spds, ritchey stem, ControlTech carbon seat clamp, x-lite barends, specialised grips, Kore qr skewers have been added to keep things modern.
I like to think of this bike as a great combination of modern touches and original Kona character. Would love to here from any other Koa owners out there!
Paintwork is in ok condition, a few years of not much use and garage storage has resulted in the paintwork bubbling up in a few areas where the damp has got at it. I am considering getting the frame re-sprayed, and have heard some good things about Argos Racing Cycles which is just round the corner from where I live in Bristol. I have picked up some replacement decals from that era from e-bay, but am unsure wether to keep the original colour scheme (and lose a lot of its original character probably) or try something new.
I have had this bike since new. From memory it is a bike that Kona only did for a couple of years between 95-97 and therefore appears to be relatively rare. I certainly haven't seen any others like it on this site - its all cindercone, lavadome, explosif etc.
The bike itself underwent a relative major upgrade period soon after I bought it (98-00) - xt brakes, AHeadset, SID forks, Profile FR riser bar, xt front and rear mech etc. This were largely done to make it suitable for XC racing which I did for a couple of years afterwards. These upgrades in themselves could almost be classed as nearing vintage era in themselves.
Other than that the wheelset and chainset are original as are the Gripshift shifters.
More recently, new XT spds, ritchey stem, ControlTech carbon seat clamp, x-lite barends, specialised grips, Kore qr skewers have been added to keep things modern.
I like to think of this bike as a great combination of modern touches and original Kona character. Would love to here from any other Koa owners out there!
Paintwork is in ok condition, a few years of not much use and garage storage has resulted in the paintwork bubbling up in a few areas where the damp has got at it. I am considering getting the frame re-sprayed, and have heard some good things about Argos Racing Cycles which is just round the corner from where I live in Bristol. I have picked up some replacement decals from that era from e-bay, but am unsure wether to keep the original colour scheme (and lose a lot of its original character probably) or try something new.
