Is this a custom painted hei hei?
- Thread starter eshew
- Start date
Although there has been conjecture here about team specials, it's worth bearing in mind that Velographics, the company that painted Hots in 1997, was in Washington, close by TiSport who built the frame. So it is quite conceivable that somebody ordering a 1997 King Kahuna said 'and I want it painted like a Hot' and Kona said 'sure, no problem'.eshew":xmtdh1tk said:Picked up the bikenow i'm off to the woods for 5 days!
Quite right, Velographics and Kona US offices were within 10 miles of eachother. TiSport was a bit farther 300 miles or so, obviously well within shipping distances but I'm sure the frames were shipped to the Kona offices and then just down the road to Velo for work.
I've emailed Kona just to see if they have any history for paint jobs like these on the KK's. So we'll see what they have to say.
I did finally get a chance to put some light trail/pavement miles on the bike and I'm quite impressed. It's been years since my last hardtails (1993 GT Richter 8.0 in ferrari red & 1991 black Kona Fire mountain) but the frame feels great!
I think i put in darn near 25 miles today, the bike felt amazing on the flats and uphills but a little more sketchy on the steeper stuff. Completely understandable considering the long stem.
Can't wait to bring it down to Growlers Gulch, fire roads up, high speed tight treed singletrack on the way down. My old 96 sex one ate the place up, so I'm sure this bike will as well. Just have to get back in the habit of picking lines again.....darn.
I've emailed Kona just to see if they have any history for paint jobs like these on the KK's. So we'll see what they have to say.
I did finally get a chance to put some light trail/pavement miles on the bike and I'm quite impressed. It's been years since my last hardtails (1993 GT Richter 8.0 in ferrari red & 1991 black Kona Fire mountain) but the frame feels great!
I think i put in darn near 25 miles today, the bike felt amazing on the flats and uphills but a little more sketchy on the steeper stuff. Completely understandable considering the long stem.
Can't wait to bring it down to Growlers Gulch, fire roads up, high speed tight treed singletrack on the way down. My old 96 sex one ate the place up, so I'm sure this bike will as well. Just have to get back in the habit of picking lines again.....darn.
Finally got some info from the previous owner and zome feedback from kona.
Email from the po " I bought the bike on a 'pro deal' from the then marketing director at Kona in 1999 I believe, so I believe it was a left over factory race frame. I'm jazzed that you're riding it and loving it."
Brief discussion with kona tech support:
I have a 97 king kahuna that I just purchased used from the original owner. The bike does have a unique paint job. Curious if this paint was an option directly from kona?
That's an old race team bike. What size is it? I'll take a guess at who it was setup for originally
It's a 17" frame
For 17" I'd bet one of the Leslies. Either Greene or Tomlinson.
Email from the po " I bought the bike on a 'pro deal' from the then marketing director at Kona in 1999 I believe, so I believe it was a left over factory race frame. I'm jazzed that you're riding it and loving it."
Brief discussion with kona tech support:
I have a 97 king kahuna that I just purchased used from the original owner. The bike does have a unique paint job. Curious if this paint was an option directly from kona?
That's an old race team bike. What size is it? I'll take a guess at who it was setup for originally
It's a 17" frame
For 17" I'd bet one of the Leslies. Either Greene or Tomlinson.
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