Pip is currently enjoying the great universal single-track. He had a great send-off which you can read about here: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/phillip-pipmeister-mock-kona-guru-and-legend.443234/
His friendship is the greatest legacy he leaves us with but we must not forget the incredible resources and knowledge that he documented locally and shared here on retrobike, not least the Kona serial numbers and related information.
From today, I will administer the work he started. My current plan is to spend an hour a week updating the lists with any new entries or confirmed related data / information. The same criteria applies as before, so if you'd like to have your Kona Caldera added to the list, please follow these steps before PMing with your details or questions:
1. Must be an Altitude built Kona Caldera, 1997 model not the later mass-produced models
2. Have an eligible serial number, found on the bottom of the bottom bracket
3. Provide photographic evidence, preferably as the current owner
4. Check the bike and serial number isn't already on the current list (note if the record was unconfirmed previously, new details are welcome)
Big thanks to John for helping configure this and as ever - a huge thank you - to all current and past Kona-heads including Pip. Without our collective knowledge, none of this would be possible
To make finding the lists and associated data a little easier, this first post will contain the master data.
Don't forget the other registers!
Kona Titanium frames & bikes: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/kona-titanium-serial-number-list-update-08-06-23.464733/
Kona Hot: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/kona-hot-serial-number-list-update-june-22.446740/
Kona Ku: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/kona-ku-serial-number-list-update-june-2022.446754/
So without further ado..
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Red - confirmed with picture, Blue - good source, but TBC, Black - only quoting from forum post or advert.
1997 Caldera Frame Serial Numbers:
Hand made in USA by Altitude Cycle Technologies.
Featured in the 1997 catalogue, but some say never sold to the public, although I think this is a bit of poetic licence. Kona says approximately 50 were built in (Poopsy) Blue and 50 in (Molotov) Red.
Made from Heat Treated "Altitude" Cromoly steel tubeset. Left over Tange from Mountain Goat perhaps?
The weight was quoted at 4.0lbs, the same as the Explosif, and the frame listed at £549.95, £50 more. The Caldera was however part the Kona Custom Frame Program, and a full £250 less than the Hot and the Ku. Kona were apparently responding to the public’s desire for an affordable Custom Frame.
H0 9607032 Different blue, 19", (mrdryskull)
CA 960901# Unknown Blue 19", (Vanlsle)
CA 9609012 Poopsy Blue 16” (Bigttown)
CA 9609021 Molotov Red 16” 1,999gr, (elmadu)
CA 9609046 Poopsy Blue, 20" (al-onestare)
CA 9609064 Molotov Red, 20" (H1v9a8c
CA 9609109 Molotov Red, 19" (maxwellllll)
CA 9609126 Molotov Red, 19" (murphy79)
CA 9609144 Molotov Red, 18", (knickering)
CA 9609158 Poopsy Blue, 18" (Mike Kizer)
CA 9609181 Molotov Red, 18" (Jacob)
K0 9610031 Poopsy Blue, 18", (formerly H1v9a8c8 now Konaman1)
K0 9610032 Poopsy Blue, 19", (Nathan99)
Not CA9609021, E-Bay listing Molotov Red 16”
I believe this is from Dan Capek at Kona:
Quote, "I was running our custom program in Canada at the time so pretty plugged into the facts.
I'm about 6 computers/OS past those days though so some of this I need to pull from memory. In Canada we had 50 red and 50 blue frames and 100 kits for them. You could get a frame, a frame and fork, or a frame fork and kit. The US would have had a similar number. All the custom frames were routed through the US warehouse to Canada and Europe but I can't say how many they got; it could have been the same number or none at all."
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/kona-caldera-1997.337664/page-7
Re: Re: Tange? Columbus? Something off the back of a lorry? Whatever it is, it's got a lovely ping to it (!), is slim and dainty and I reckon if we put one next to a Hot of the same era, we'd struggle to tell the difference. Other than getting calipers out and some scales plus an exact...
Wow that's some X-files level stuff there. OK let me fill in some of the blanks.
The Caldera in it's custom form only lasted for one year because people didn't want a budget custom bike. We had a whole run of options on the custom program and the buyers were people who'd progressed through riding and wanted a "best" bike. There were also unlimited colour choices on the Hot and Ku while the Caldera was red or blue.
The riders with that budget would look at the U'hu, and the Kula and Explosif and go that route.
So I suspect the rarity in the UK is because no one wanted one and not many came over there.
The tubes were picked out by Altitude. Altitude was Jeff Lynskey's expansion past Mountain Goat; stuff like the dropouts were used because they're a super nice investment cast item and they fit smaller tubes vs. our bigger dropouts. It's definitely not an 853 frame. We'd build tons of custom frames and hold them raw ready for paint, then when we'd get low on stock we'd see who had the time and space to produce another run. That's where you'd see the changes in builders for the steel and alloy hardtails.
It's one of those bikes that we built because riders would tell us they dreamed about having a custom bike but couldn't afford it. So we built an affordable custom. Turns out that's not what they wanted; they wanted XTR and all the bells and whistles. Same reason as that huge surge of Chinese and Russian Ti frames died off so abruptly. People really didn't want them.
So if you do find a Caldera it's neat handmade bike to have for sure. That was just at the point of a huge change in riding. Before that you'd start on a hardtail and progress to nicer and nicer hardtails till you plateaued with a Ti frame. Then suddenly suspension came along and started fracturing the process. Then full suspension started to move out of the curiosity category into the must have bike, and then disc brakes came along and people really pulled back from custom frames and paint and poured all their spending money into functioning upgrades vs. good looks."
To be continued Pip...
His friendship is the greatest legacy he leaves us with but we must not forget the incredible resources and knowledge that he documented locally and shared here on retrobike, not least the Kona serial numbers and related information.
From today, I will administer the work he started. My current plan is to spend an hour a week updating the lists with any new entries or confirmed related data / information. The same criteria applies as before, so if you'd like to have your Kona Caldera added to the list, please follow these steps before PMing with your details or questions:
1. Must be an Altitude built Kona Caldera, 1997 model not the later mass-produced models
2. Have an eligible serial number, found on the bottom of the bottom bracket
3. Provide photographic evidence, preferably as the current owner
4. Check the bike and serial number isn't already on the current list (note if the record was unconfirmed previously, new details are welcome)
Big thanks to John for helping configure this and as ever - a huge thank you - to all current and past Kona-heads including Pip. Without our collective knowledge, none of this would be possible
To make finding the lists and associated data a little easier, this first post will contain the master data.
Don't forget the other registers!
Kona Titanium frames & bikes: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/kona-titanium-serial-number-list-update-08-06-23.464733/
Kona Hot: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/kona-hot-serial-number-list-update-june-22.446740/
Kona Ku: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/kona-ku-serial-number-list-update-june-2022.446754/
So without further ado..
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Red - confirmed with picture, Blue - good source, but TBC, Black - only quoting from forum post or advert.
1997 Caldera Frame Serial Numbers:
Hand made in USA by Altitude Cycle Technologies.
Featured in the 1997 catalogue, but some say never sold to the public, although I think this is a bit of poetic licence. Kona says approximately 50 were built in (Poopsy) Blue and 50 in (Molotov) Red.
Made from Heat Treated "Altitude" Cromoly steel tubeset. Left over Tange from Mountain Goat perhaps?
The weight was quoted at 4.0lbs, the same as the Explosif, and the frame listed at £549.95, £50 more. The Caldera was however part the Kona Custom Frame Program, and a full £250 less than the Hot and the Ku. Kona were apparently responding to the public’s desire for an affordable Custom Frame.
H0 9607032 Different blue, 19", (mrdryskull)
CA 960901# Unknown Blue 19", (Vanlsle)
CA 9609012 Poopsy Blue 16” (Bigttown)
CA 9609021 Molotov Red 16” 1,999gr, (elmadu)
CA 9609046 Poopsy Blue, 20" (al-onestare)
CA 9609064 Molotov Red, 20" (H1v9a8c
CA 9609109 Molotov Red, 19" (maxwellllll)
CA 9609126 Molotov Red, 19" (murphy79)
CA 9609144 Molotov Red, 18", (knickering)
CA 9609158 Poopsy Blue, 18" (Mike Kizer)
CA 9609181 Molotov Red, 18" (Jacob)
K0 9610031 Poopsy Blue, 18", (formerly H1v9a8c8 now Konaman1)
K0 9610032 Poopsy Blue, 19", (Nathan99)
Not CA9609021, E-Bay listing Molotov Red 16”
I believe this is from Dan Capek at Kona:
Quote, "I was running our custom program in Canada at the time so pretty plugged into the facts.
I'm about 6 computers/OS past those days though so some of this I need to pull from memory. In Canada we had 50 red and 50 blue frames and 100 kits for them. You could get a frame, a frame and fork, or a frame fork and kit. The US would have had a similar number. All the custom frames were routed through the US warehouse to Canada and Europe but I can't say how many they got; it could have been the same number or none at all."
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/kona-caldera-1997.337664/page-7
Re: Re: Tange? Columbus? Something off the back of a lorry? Whatever it is, it's got a lovely ping to it (!), is slim and dainty and I reckon if we put one next to a Hot of the same era, we'd struggle to tell the difference. Other than getting calipers out and some scales plus an exact...
Wow that's some X-files level stuff there. OK let me fill in some of the blanks.
The Caldera in it's custom form only lasted for one year because people didn't want a budget custom bike. We had a whole run of options on the custom program and the buyers were people who'd progressed through riding and wanted a "best" bike. There were also unlimited colour choices on the Hot and Ku while the Caldera was red or blue.
The riders with that budget would look at the U'hu, and the Kula and Explosif and go that route.
So I suspect the rarity in the UK is because no one wanted one and not many came over there.
The tubes were picked out by Altitude. Altitude was Jeff Lynskey's expansion past Mountain Goat; stuff like the dropouts were used because they're a super nice investment cast item and they fit smaller tubes vs. our bigger dropouts. It's definitely not an 853 frame. We'd build tons of custom frames and hold them raw ready for paint, then when we'd get low on stock we'd see who had the time and space to produce another run. That's where you'd see the changes in builders for the steel and alloy hardtails.
It's one of those bikes that we built because riders would tell us they dreamed about having a custom bike but couldn't afford it. So we built an affordable custom. Turns out that's not what they wanted; they wanted XTR and all the bells and whistles. Same reason as that huge surge of Chinese and Russian Ti frames died off so abruptly. People really didn't want them.
So if you do find a Caldera it's neat handmade bike to have for sure. That was just at the point of a huge change in riding. Before that you'd start on a hardtail and progress to nicer and nicer hardtails till you plateaued with a Ti frame. Then suddenly suspension came along and started fracturing the process. Then full suspension started to move out of the curiosity category into the must have bike, and then disc brakes came along and people really pulled back from custom frames and paint and poured all their spending money into functioning upgrades vs. good looks."
To be continued Pip...
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