Kona Caldera 1997
- Thread starter al-onestare
- Start date
Re:
Al, yes I noticed the powder coat does have a few wrinkles like yours. It does seem very thick and maybe contributes to the weight, powder is I think heavier than paint. I really like it and its rarity factor and its definitely one of those bikes that looks even better in real life.
I'm waiting on the front mech, saddle and a chain as for now I will run it geared and see how it compares to my '95 Explosif. With this in mind I've changed the fork for a Bomber Superfly.
I'm toying with the idea of SS as I've never tried it and like the simplicity and lightweight. Plus I already have two 8 spd mid nineties hardtails!
Al, yes I noticed the powder coat does have a few wrinkles like yours. It does seem very thick and maybe contributes to the weight, powder is I think heavier than paint. I really like it and its rarity factor and its definitely one of those bikes that looks even better in real life.
I'm waiting on the front mech, saddle and a chain as for now I will run it geared and see how it compares to my '95 Explosif. With this in mind I've changed the fork for a Bomber Superfly.
I'm toying with the idea of SS as I've never tried it and like the simplicity and lightweight. Plus I already have two 8 spd mid nineties hardtails!
Re:
So I can reveal the Caldera will be making it's debut at Mountain Mayhem in a few weeks. The Explosif will be with me as well so it'll be a great opportunity to compare and contrast 'real-time'.
Piecing together the story behind this and the related models continues and thanks again to Pip who's been a super-sleuth as well as Anthony who whilst isn't around much, his knowledge littered across this site is like finding golden nuggets.
You might remember that Altitude were tasked with building the Caldera, Hot and Ku for 1997. As Pip is the Ku-man around here, he's been piecing together the history of that model. So when it comes to this specific point in time, around mid to late 96 to the start of 97, there appears to be a bit of a void as well. In other words, it looks like very few were made based on the assumption we've not been able to find many. I realise that's a tenuous link at best because we're talking about 3 custom models which means they were produced in small numbers to start with, but still, like the Caldera and even the Hot, very few Ku's seem to have been made.
It all points to the over-riding theory that things didn't work out, for a variety of industry market led changes and factory start-up / continuation issues.
Our conversation on 1997 Ku's came up when this popped up during a Facebook thread chat about the recently purchased 1997/98 rasta flames Explosif (kudos to H1v9a8c8 for winning that):
First of all, what an ace livery! A sweet variation on the rasta flames I'd not seen before. It was the hall-marks of a 97 but you'll also spot it was 96 cable routing. It's serial number is K09606065.
This isn't the first Ku of this type to have a mixture of 96 and 97 features and long story short, by looking at the serial numbers it appears there were more re-badged 96's as 97's than actual 97's.
I won't steal anymore of Pip's thunder here, so do check out his research and excellent story on his 98 Ku (even rarer than this) here: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=342494 and the Ku history here: viewtopic.php?f=41&t=336784
There are 2 Ku's we know of with the "right" 97 set up, Mark's ex, a warrenty replacement Kona dug-up 4 years later:
And this tiny thing:
But my fav is this wicked 96/97 sporting a similar colour to the Caldera. Perhaps a sign of the trouble that was about to come!
Anthony neatly wraps this up:
As does Pip:
So I can reveal the Caldera will be making it's debut at Mountain Mayhem in a few weeks. The Explosif will be with me as well so it'll be a great opportunity to compare and contrast 'real-time'.
Piecing together the story behind this and the related models continues and thanks again to Pip who's been a super-sleuth as well as Anthony who whilst isn't around much, his knowledge littered across this site is like finding golden nuggets.
You might remember that Altitude were tasked with building the Caldera, Hot and Ku for 1997. As Pip is the Ku-man around here, he's been piecing together the history of that model. So when it comes to this specific point in time, around mid to late 96 to the start of 97, there appears to be a bit of a void as well. In other words, it looks like very few were made based on the assumption we've not been able to find many. I realise that's a tenuous link at best because we're talking about 3 custom models which means they were produced in small numbers to start with, but still, like the Caldera and even the Hot, very few Ku's seem to have been made.
It all points to the over-riding theory that things didn't work out, for a variety of industry market led changes and factory start-up / continuation issues.
Our conversation on 1997 Ku's came up when this popped up during a Facebook thread chat about the recently purchased 1997/98 rasta flames Explosif (kudos to H1v9a8c8 for winning that):
First of all, what an ace livery! A sweet variation on the rasta flames I'd not seen before. It was the hall-marks of a 97 but you'll also spot it was 96 cable routing. It's serial number is K09606065.
This isn't the first Ku of this type to have a mixture of 96 and 97 features and long story short, by looking at the serial numbers it appears there were more re-badged 96's as 97's than actual 97's.
I won't steal anymore of Pip's thunder here, so do check out his research and excellent story on his 98 Ku (even rarer than this) here: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=342494 and the Ku history here: viewtopic.php?f=41&t=336784
There are 2 Ku's we know of with the "right" 97 set up, Mark's ex, a warrenty replacement Kona dug-up 4 years later:
And this tiny thing:
But my fav is this wicked 96/97 sporting a similar colour to the Caldera. Perhaps a sign of the trouble that was about to come!
Anthony neatly wraps this up:
As does Pip:
Re:
What better <disclaimer: MM write-up to come, better doesn't necessarily mean great or good> way to test-ride the Caldera than joining 600 folks around a soaking wet Gatcombe Park. Yep, her maiden outing was around this 7 mile loop (4 times as it turned out):
It was well worth the wait. It's never had that much or varying types of crud and abuse thrown at it. And yet, it absolutely nailed it, the only limitations were rider or condition impacted. Just one short down-hill was un-rideable simply because you needed some give on the rear and wider, larger tyres to avoid an inevitable crash at the bottom.
The ride has all the hall-marks of the agility and nimbleness of an Explosif: point and go. It doesn't have the harsh ride though and somehow, at least to me, has even more give on the rear than the Kilauea. I'm assuming this is down to the really slim stays which a) make me nervous (!) and b) goes to show what a good tube-set can do. Anyone who rode the course over the weekend will know there were some tasty root sections and some broken parts of the track with great big stones causing big holes. She ate them up and whilst of course it would have been easier and maybe a bit quicker on a full-suss machine, she was far more astute on these sections that the Explosif of Kilauea.
The real advantage - and therefore a hindrance - is how she climbs. Stick her in the granny ring and it's like driving a 600hp Merc or the like, it pulls - proper pulls - like you've put the foot flat to the floor. Apart from the pro's I was able to pass to catch and where possible pass people who'd creamed me on the decents and with 'relative' ease. There was no loss of traction at all, even on the really wet bed-rock: those shorter stays making a difference.
So, in summary, a truly fantastic bike to ride that exceeded my expectations. It was just a shame the course was soul-destroying because of the conditions. I would love to try her out around there in the dry!
Here she is ready to go:
4 laps later:
What better <disclaimer: MM write-up to come, better doesn't necessarily mean great or good> way to test-ride the Caldera than joining 600 folks around a soaking wet Gatcombe Park. Yep, her maiden outing was around this 7 mile loop (4 times as it turned out):
It was well worth the wait. It's never had that much or varying types of crud and abuse thrown at it. And yet, it absolutely nailed it, the only limitations were rider or condition impacted. Just one short down-hill was un-rideable simply because you needed some give on the rear and wider, larger tyres to avoid an inevitable crash at the bottom.
The ride has all the hall-marks of the agility and nimbleness of an Explosif: point and go. It doesn't have the harsh ride though and somehow, at least to me, has even more give on the rear than the Kilauea. I'm assuming this is down to the really slim stays which a) make me nervous (!) and b) goes to show what a good tube-set can do. Anyone who rode the course over the weekend will know there were some tasty root sections and some broken parts of the track with great big stones causing big holes. She ate them up and whilst of course it would have been easier and maybe a bit quicker on a full-suss machine, she was far more astute on these sections that the Explosif of Kilauea.
The real advantage - and therefore a hindrance - is how she climbs. Stick her in the granny ring and it's like driving a 600hp Merc or the like, it pulls - proper pulls - like you've put the foot flat to the floor. Apart from the pro's I was able to pass to catch and where possible pass people who'd creamed me on the decents and with 'relative' ease. There was no loss of traction at all, even on the really wet bed-rock: those shorter stays making a difference.
So, in summary, a truly fantastic bike to ride that exceeded my expectations. It was just a shame the course was soul-destroying because of the conditions. I would love to try her out around there in the dry!
Here she is ready to go:
4 laps later:
Re: Kona Caldera 1997 - unicorn scenes
All cleaned up and sparkling once more. I'll try and sum up the ride in one sentence.
It takes the best bits of an Explosif - the agility and sharpness, and a Kilauea - the rear-end give and direct pedal to wheel feel.
It's a brilliant ride with a great story
And one more in action, concentration scenes
All cleaned up and sparkling once more. I'll try and sum up the ride in one sentence.
It takes the best bits of an Explosif - the agility and sharpness, and a Kilauea - the rear-end give and direct pedal to wheel feel.
It's a brilliant ride with a great story
And one more in action, concentration scenes
Re: Kona Caldera 1997 - unicorn scenes
For those who like a spec list:
Frame: Kona Caldera 1997, Altitude Chromoly
Fork: Rock Shox Judy Hydrocoil XC
Headset: Chris King threadless 1 1/8
Stem: Tahoma Somme
Handlebar: Curve
Grips: OBI Ruffian lock-on
Brakes: Shimano XT M739
Brake Levers: Shimano XT M739
Shifters: Shimano XT M739 rapidfire
Front Derailleur: Shimano XT M739 28.6mm
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT M739
Cassette: Shimano XT M739 8 speed
Chain: SRAM
Cranks and chainrings: Shimano XT M739
Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN55
Pedals: Shimano XT M770
Hub Skewers: Hope
Rims: Mavic 221
Hubs: Javva the Hub (front), Shimano XT M739 (rear)
Nipples: Unknown
Spokes: DT Swiss
Tyres: Smoke and Dart Comp edition
Tubes: Continental
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Kevlar (yellow / black vadium rail edition)
Seatpost: Kona O-beam
Weight: light enough! 25lbs or just under I reckon.
For those who like a spec list:
Frame: Kona Caldera 1997, Altitude Chromoly
Fork: Rock Shox Judy Hydrocoil XC
Headset: Chris King threadless 1 1/8
Stem: Tahoma Somme
Handlebar: Curve
Grips: OBI Ruffian lock-on
Brakes: Shimano XT M739
Brake Levers: Shimano XT M739
Shifters: Shimano XT M739 rapidfire
Front Derailleur: Shimano XT M739 28.6mm
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT M739
Cassette: Shimano XT M739 8 speed
Chain: SRAM
Cranks and chainrings: Shimano XT M739
Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN55
Pedals: Shimano XT M770
Hub Skewers: Hope
Rims: Mavic 221
Hubs: Javva the Hub (front), Shimano XT M739 (rear)
Nipples: Unknown
Spokes: DT Swiss
Tyres: Smoke and Dart Comp edition
Tubes: Continental
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Kevlar (yellow / black vadium rail edition)
Seatpost: Kona O-beam
Weight: light enough! 25lbs or just under I reckon.
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