Kona Ku Serial Number List - update 01/11/24

[Pipmeister]

Re:

Hello and welcome,

If your Kula is Aqua Green and made from Easton ProGram 3 Elan tubing, it will be a 1995 model - see below for a somewhat poor picture that I have on file. The 1994 Kula on the other hand is a sort of pale Gold made from Easton Varilite ProGram tubing.

Both years will be the same geometry and are suspension corrected for a short travel fork. You can get away with 430mm Crown to Axle, or 60mm travel as it is also referred to, but the original Marzocchi XC 600 fork will have been even shorter. These bikes are not particularly common, but certainly not regarded as rare. I could delve deeper to see if I can establish how many were made.

It will be interesting to see your bike, although I believe that you need to make several posts before you are able to upload pictures directly to this site. May I suggest that you add a link to a picture host, or better still insert the image from a picture host site with an IMG code.



Pip

 

[Blaggsy]

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Yeah that's the one! I've just uploaded image shack so I'll have a go at uploading some pics

 

[Blaggsy]

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Here we go' if these don't load up I could always stick them on the Facebook page!
[URL =https://imageshack.com/i/plD8fvdEj]

[/URL]

 

[Blaggsy]

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Wow' It worked! Wish I'd got an image shack account sooner!

 

[Blaggsy]

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I know the mud guards not to everyone's taste" but it covers the bent race lite seat post! Being 6.4" tall doesn't help the cause! Would've given it a clean but hey"

 

[Pipmeister]

Re:

Thank you for the pictures Chris,

From what I can see, it looks to be in fine fettle. Although it is a little tricky to be certain form these pictures, it appears to be a 19" frame.

If you do manage to add some more detailed pictures, it would be better to post them in the Reader's MTBs --> 1997, here:

viewforum.php?f=6

Pip.

 

[Blaggsy]

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Ok il give it a spruce up this weekend!

 

[Pipmeister]

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Rightyho, an update to the list of Ku Serial Numbers is well overdue from the handful that I started on page 4.

Back in October 2016, this thread went a little off subject, but if you are interested in how we collated the information on the Ku frame, have a read back from the start and click on the links. There is some interesting information documented by Anthony and others. Sadly some of the pictures posted are currently missing, owing to those gits at Photobucket :x .

Thanks now go to Romanrinos and Al-onestare for sharing a few of these latest additions that they discovered on Social Media… that I don’t do! I’ve put member’s names in this list who may either own(ed) the frame/bike, or who brought it to my attention.


• LDP: KU015 – 16” 1995 Formerly Blue, now Lilac.
• Romanrinos / Social Media: KU055 - 18” 1995 Metallic Green / Yellow Front & Stays.
• E-bay Community 28-05-2012: KU0153 - 1996 Champagne.
• One of mine: KU0160 – 18” 1996 Burgundy.
• Magas’s mate: KU0186 – 18” 1996 Stars ‘n’ Bars.
• Magas: K09606012 – 18” 1996 Stars ‘n’ Bars.
• Ernie: K09606058 – 18” 1996 Stars ‘n’ Bars.
• Bikerguync: K09606046 - 19” 1996 cable routing, w/o Kona Style Decals - Flat Black.
• Romanrinos / Social Media: K09506064 (unconfirmed) - possibly K09606064 - 19” 1996 cable routing, 1997 decals - Matt Purple with Matt Yellow Flames.
• Al / Social Media: K09606065 - 18” 1996 cable routing, 1997 decals - Burgundy with Yellow flame.
• Craigslist: Odd 16” Stars ‘n’ Bars Ku that had 1996 HOT decals with a 1997 serial number and cable routing!: KU97020--.
• Markwashington: KU9702049 – 19” 1997 Bright Orange.
• Al / Social Media: KU9702051 - 16” 1997 cable routing, 1997 decals - Chartreuse.
• 3DV_MTB (Joe): KK88031 - 18” 1998 Eggshell Blue sparkle.
• The other one of mine: KK88044 – 18” 1998 Canary Yellow.

Pip

 

[al-onestare]

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Super stuff Pip, this is turning into quite a story with lots of overlaps.

 

[Pipmeister]

Re: Re:

Super stuff Pip, this is turning into quite a story with lots of overlaps.

Thanks Al,
We are yet to accurately establish exactly when Jeff Lindsay’s outfit Altitude Cycle Technologies was opened. I have seen Anthony document both 1995 and 1996 over the various times that he has written on the subject. A magazine piece that I have on file says April 1994, so we don’t know when Kona approached Jeff / Altitude to build the Kona Custom Frames.

I’ve attempted to summarise what we have deduced so far with regards to the frames that were produced at Altitude until it folded / Jeff Lindsay left in December 1996, and then what was produced by Enigma Design & Manufacturing after that.

Kona Ku - 1995:
From what we know, I think it most likely that the 1995 Ku was built by a (former) Mountain Goat welder, presumably because Tom Teesdale who built Hots until 1995 didn't work with aluminium. If that’s true, Altitude probably started production for Kona in 1995, operating for a while alongside Mountain Goat, which closed that year. It is of note that the 1995 Ku serial number is the same format as the early Altitude 1996 Hots.

1996 & 1997:
During 1996, Altitude built the 1996 Ku, and most of the 1997 Kus – i.e. those that were sold with 1996 Cable Stops and 1997 Decals. Altitude also built the 1996 and all or most of the 1997 Hots, as well as the 1997 Caldera.


1997 & 1998:
Enigma took on the Kona contract from 1997 to build 100 Hots and 100 Kus, but their frames may have been just the true 1997 Ku (Cable Stops & Decals), and the Columbus tubed 1998 Ku and most of the 1998 Hots. There are also some Hodaka built 1998 Hots where production rolled over into 1999.

Finally:
It would be interesting to know of a 1997 Hot that doesn't have an Altitude serial number H096MM###, but we haven't seen one yet.

Pip