Kona KK, with an odd ###

[cjn1014]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kona-King-Kahuna-vi ... 500wt_1182

Factory disc tabs, and an oddball serial number prefix, any ideas?

 

[Harryburgundy]

No gussets = no KK surely :?

 

[wadsy]

It seems to have a canti brace on the rear stays as well? :?

 

[Anthony]

This isn't a Kona

 

[stevek]

Is it a TST own brand? TST made the ti frames for Kona and made "similar" looking frames after the contract with Kona finished, probably before as well, this looks like it could be one of them to me...

:?:

 

[Anthony]

TST, now TiSport, used to build frames under contract for a wide array of big-name brands (I'm pretty sure that included Diamondback incidentally, so they may well have built Wadsy's Axis).

I'm not quite sure whether this is a TST frame, but on the other hand I'm not sure whether anybody else copied their bullet stays in those days, so maybe it is. That would be the first thing for the seller to establish - he owns up that Kona has repudiated it, so his best plan would be to ask TiSport to comment on the serial number, and maybe they could tell him what brand it was sold as. And his other best plan would be to remove the pathetic bogus decals.

You don't often see a frame with a canti bridge and disc tabs. The bridge presumably dates the frame to 96 or earlier. The tab is very neatly added, and this adds to the case for TST being the builder, because they did used to retro-fit disc tabs to their own frames.

 

[wadsy]

TST, now TiSport, used to build frames under contract for a wide array of big-name brands (I'm pretty sure that included Diamondback incidentally, so they may well have built Wadsy's Axis).

I'm not quite sure whether this is a TST frame, but on the other hand I'm not sure whether anybody else copied their bullet stays in those days, so maybe it is. That would be the first thing for the seller to establish - he owns up that Kona has repudiated it, so his best plan would be to ask TiSport to comment on the serial number, and maybe they could tell him what brand it was sold as. And his other best plan would be to remove the pathetic bogus decals.

You don't often see a frame with a canti bridge and disc tabs. The bridge presumably dates the frame to 96 or earlier. The tab is very neatly added, and this adds to the case for TST being the builder, because they did used to retro-fit disc tabs to their own frames.

Interesting read, I thought the DBR frames were Sandvik made or is that the tubing? :?

 

[haggis]

TST, now TiSport, used to build frames under contract for a wide array of big-name brands (I'm pretty sure that included Diamondback incidentally, so they may well have built Wadsy's Axis).

I'm not quite sure whether this is a TST frame, but on the other hand I'm not sure whether anybody else copied their bullet stays in those days, so maybe it is. That would be the first thing for the seller to establish - he owns up that Kona has repudiated it, so his best plan would be to ask TiSport to comment on the serial number, and maybe they could tell him what brand it was sold as. And his other best plan would be to remove the pathetic bogus decals.

You don't often see a frame with a canti bridge and disc tabs. The bridge presumably dates the frame to 96 or earlier. The tab is very neatly added, and this adds to the case for TST being the builder, because they did used to retro-fit disc tabs to their own frames.

Interesting read, I thought the DBR frames were Sandvik made or is that the tubing? :?

I think Sandvik at TST. Waiting for someone to tell me i'm wrong though

 

[stevek]

Sandvik made the titanium tubing used by TST. Bit of info here:

Since 1989, the highly skilled men and women of TiSport have been fabricating road, mountain, cyclocross, triathlon and recumbent bike frames for a number of foreign and domestic customers such as Bachetta, Bontrager, Colorado Cyclist, Dean, Diamondback, Fuji, Gary Fisher, GT, Ibis, Kona, Marin, Mongoose Pro, Sampson and Yeti.

 

[Anthony]

Sandvic is a huge conglomerate and making titanium tubes is just a small part of its business. TST/TiSport is a tubing wholesaler which also makes things out of tubes. During the 90s, it was owned by Sandvic Corp, but I believe it is now independent again. Rody Walter says TiSport had a very high reputation within the trade as a frame builder.

There is a tendency to equate TST and Sandvic, but TST/TiSport wholesales tubes from other manufacturers as well as Sandvic tubes, and for example I think TST's own frames weren't actually made with Sandvic tubes. Similarly frames they made under contract may be made from Sandvic, but not necessarily, it would depend what the brand name owner specified. However whether Sandvic tubing is actually any better than other aerospace-grade titanium I couldn't say. I kind of doubt it.

I assume that TiSport has now given up frame building, as all of its jigs etc were for sale on eBay a while back.