Kona cinder cone !Update new pics of my first retroish bike

[scottrider]

NEW STUFF DOWN A BIT!!!!!!!!!

hello, this is my first Retro bike, i got this yesterday, is got a 7 speed casset and stx/lx bits...can any body tell me how original it is, it seems to have original tyres, but the gears don't match what's in the catalogue, can any body tell me what year it is and what bits are original, has it had a 8 speed hub on it at one point.. it just seems unlikely because the wheels seem like the originals as in the 1997 catalogue,it just has wrong number of gears?? Help and comments pleas!!!

NEW STUFF!
got some new things of the net, not really in to rigid bikes so i got some bomber Z2's on the way from ebay, just thought id show people what i have done so far....pleas feel free to leave comments god or bad!! i thought id show u what i normally ride as well, its a bit different from a rigid 90's kona...and lighter!!!!!!!

This is my 1998 contessa spark.... This is the best bike i have ever rode, is just so fast up hill and down!!

Puting Hello Kitty stickers on youre bike seems to anoy a certan sort of rider, which is good...lol


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[FluffyChicken]

Decals and colour say 1998.

Also in the Archive http://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/mai ... emId=12457

so certainly well into the modern era

 

[scottrider]

umm intresting, i wonder why mine is 7 speed???? could it be a early 1998 or something??

 

[FluffyChicken]

lol, 1998's came out late 1997 and I doubt Kona would alter the spec that drastically.

It has a lot of part that should not be on there as standard. So bet is someone just got some different shifters and a different cassette. May have had it lying around and used it.
The seatpost looks like the one from the lower model, chainset looks wrong etc..
Forks would normally have been suspension. So probably just bits changed over time or somebody built a frame up.
Frame serial number may give accurate dating for Anthony when he hopefully pops along.

 

[scottrider]

ok, think its geting modernised a bit then, got some stx rc cranks comeing, and looking for some Z1 forks!!! Paid £110 for it, was that a good price?

 

[FluffyChicken]

No idea, it's an old bike and you can use most of what is there.

If the rear wheel is straight and there is a spacer behind the cassette then you should be able to just put an 8 speed cassette (or 9 on there if you remove the spacer)
Or leave it 7 speed, nothing wrong with that.

 

[ekiborter]

ok, think its geting modernised a bit then, got some stx rc cranks comeing, and looking for some Z1 forks!!! Paid £110 for it, was that a good price?

pricing/value is subjective but the frame is nice so you certainly weren't 'done'.

 

[Anthony]

Re: Kona cinder cone 1997/96???? What year?

hello, this is my first Retro bike, i got this yesterday, is got a 7 speed casset and stx/lx bits...can any body tell me how original it is, it seems to have original tyres, but the gears don't match what's in the catalogue, can any body tell me what year it is and what bits are original, has it had a 8 speed hub on it at one point.. it just seems unlikely because the wheels seem like the originals as in the 1997 catalogue,it just has wrong number of gears?? Help and comments pleas!!!

It's a 1998 bike, the last of the steel Cinder Cones. It looks fairly original. I would imagine that they are the original STX-RC/X138 wheels, i.e. 8-speed wheels with a spacer plus 7-speed cassette fitted instead at some point. Other than that, the non-original parts seem to be the 7-sp shifters, the ugly modern cranks, the post, the saddle and the lower part of the headset. The original specification is here (the P2 was an option)
http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/Bike ... &Type=bike

It would usually have made more than £110, but this is the worst time of year to sell. You ought to get c£200 for it in May, although the colour isn't to everyone's taste. It's called Eggplant Surprise because the American word for an aubergine is eggplant. I think this one is prettier, but it made about the same this evening http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... fresh=true

A Z2 or Z3 would be ideal for it, but a Z1 is a minority taste. Most people would find it too long and too heavy for a Cinder Cone. But it's your bike. With a short stem and swept risers, a Z1 would certainly make it more freeride oriented.

 

[scottrider]

I thought z1 would be the right fork for it, i might look for something else then.....wanted a bike i could ride more than a bike to look at if you know what i mean, personally i love the colour! I have pink Scott spark as well..lol...when i get my student loan i think ill make it into something good.. going to give it a really good clean moro will post a pics as it changes...

 

[Anthony]

I thought z1 would be the right fork for it, i might look for something else then.

I'm not saying a Z1 is wrong, but it's c7cm longer and c3lbs heavier than the P2, so it would certainly change it. It's a good bike whatever, if I was you I'd give it a good clean and lubricate and ride it as it is for a while. You'll decide for yourself what you want to make of it.

I like the colour too, but I think it looks better in the metal than it does in pictures.