Kona Lava dome.. How much.

[tomosa]

Hi there
I know this is a bit of a how long is peice of string question but...

I have been offered a 94 Kona Lava dome.. complete bike been in a garage for 10 years so only been ridden for about 3 or 4 years, has a few original parts, and Judy XC forks. of course as it has not been touched for 10 years even replacement parts are retro!! has 95 xt v brakes and levers and original thumbies, original wheels.
Was bought in Canada too! frame is in fab condition, I would quite like it but dont want to overpay, what is a fair price?....
Thanks

 

[guybe]

If it's very good condition and doesnt need a respray job, my rough guess will be between £100 to £175.

 

[tomosa]

thanks, deffo does not need a respray!

 

[Anthony]

Hi there
I know this is a bit of a how long is peice of string question but...

I have been offered a 94 Kona Lava dome.. complete bike been in a garage for 10 years so only been ridden for about 3 or 4 years, has a few original parts, and Judy XC forks. of course as it has not been touched for 10 years even replacement parts are retro!! has 95 xt v brakes and levers and original thumbies, original wheels.
Was bought in Canada too! frame is in fab condition, I would quite like it but dont want to overpay, what is a fair price?....
Thanks

If the Judys are working well and don't need an immediate service, and the frame is really pristine, that bike could fetch £200 on eBay. I would offer him £150.

Out of interest, a good pair of Judy XCs raised £93 on eBay the other day! That was silly, but the thumbies could raise £25, a pristine 94 frame £50-75, the XT V-brakes £20, etc.

But more important than any of that, in the final analysis it's a superb bike and a superb bike for less than £200 is a bargain in anybody's language.

 

[tomosa]

Thanks Anthony, I was hoping you would answer, seem to be one of the fountains of Kona knowledge on this site!
If the forks do need a service which no doubt they will, Im guessing this could be a problem, as the parts are no longer on the market, is there a conversion kit or spring you can buy to replace the elastomers?
otherwise they would be worthless right?
Thanks
Tom
Oh Im going to buty this bike any how, will prob offer £120 and see what he says....

 

[Tallpaul]

If the Judy's need any work (which they will) i'd ditch them for P2's.

But, if you do want to stick with them then springs are available from ebay.com for relatively little money. Tim Flooks (www.tftunedshox.com) can probably service/replace the damper cartridge and just about every part they have, but that'll get pricey.

A fully rigid steel Kona is great fun to ride, not having Judy's wouldn't limit its use beyond its inherent capabilities.

 

[Harryburgundy]

If the Judy's need any work (which they will) i'd ditch them for P2's.

But, if you do want to stick with them then springs are available from ebay.com for relatively little money. Tim Flooks (www.tftunedshox.com) can probably service/replace the damper cartridge and just about every part they have, but that'll get pricey.

A fully rigid steel Kona is great fun to ride, not having Judy's wouldn't limit its use beyond its inherent capabilities.

tft will do an excellent job, but as Andy says, at a price, budget £70 give or take to include postage.

 

[Anthony]

Thanks Anthony, I was hoping you would answer, seem to be one of the fountains of Kona knowledge on this site!
If the forks do need a service which no doubt they will, Im guessing this could be a problem, as the parts are no longer on the market, is there a conversion kit or spring you can buy to replace the elastomers?
otherwise they would be worthless right?
Thanks
Tom
Oh Im going to buty this bike any how, will prob offer £120 and see what he says....

It all depends what it is and what you want it for really. If the Judys are the period silver grey ones and they work ok and that's what you want, then fine. that would be ideal. If they don't work ok, then obviously that's one of the things you mention to the seller in agreeing a price. But they made Judys for a long time and we don't seem to know yet what year these are, so we can't really come to any definite conclusions until that's clearer.

Sometimes a DIY service, just cleaning out gunge and renewing the grease can make a lot of difference, but as Paul says ten+ year-old elastomers are often beyond redemption and if the damper cartridge is shot, that could be fatal - everything is still available, but it could easily cost more to replace it than the fork is worth to you. But you could find a triple-butted P2 on eBay for c£30 with a bit of patience - for £120 + £30 it's a very nice rigid bike. The key thing is the frame, and as that's in such good shape, you're basically onto a winner.

 

[tomosa]

Yeah I was thinking the P2 route, He has the original P2 forks but seems to think they are damaged somehow... Either way I have a full suss modern xc bike so Im keen for this one to be ridgid!
does anyone have a 94 project two for sale?!!!

The judys are 95 by the way but they are a dark blue colour... Not seen them before, and they are not reprayed. Maybe off another bike and come in blue to match a frame or something?? who knows?
I have not bounced them yet but 10 years not touched,........ We all know the answer!!!
I have used TF alot but to be honest I have no interest in spending the money on them, not like they are original either.
Ill get some pics up when I get it,
Just been informed it has been locked to a pillar in his garage and after 10 years has lost the key!!! ha ha !
Thanks guys keep any help coming my way!!!

 

[Anthony]

So now you're looking for hacksaw advice? We don't have any retro theft experts on this site!