Not another 91 Kona Lava Dome

[RetroBikeCollecter]

Been after a 91 Kona Lava Dome in the right size for a few years now, and ive finally found one!

Have really fond memories of my 1st brand new MTB at the tender age of 16, paid for with the wages from my 1st job, working at Clark Shoes in Marble Arch.

I used to commute to Oxford St every day from Kent, and some days i would take a wander down to the bike shop called 'On yer Bike' on Tooley Street underneath London Bridge Station, and drool over the sexy new MTBs on sale.

One day as I was drooling over a certain Kona Explosif, ( which was way out of my paygrade), one of the sales guys suggested a lower end Kona. A lava dome.

Obviously at 16 I didnt have any finance options available to me, but got talking to one of the sales guys, and he suggested paying weekly or monthly by cash, which i did.

After 5 months I collected my brand new Purrple lava dome, however I did really want it in black, but that was another 4months wait, and I just couldn't wait.

Anyway heres me aged 17, a year later, and few mods
And here is my new acquisition
Plans are a possible respray in the black, that every Kona had the option to be? We'll see?

 

[RetroBikeCollecter]

More pics, even came with the original bill of sale £399.. funny I paid £499 for mine. London prices?

 

[RetroBikeCollecter]

 

[moonlite]

That's the colour I seem to remember seeing a lot at that time. Cool that you still have photos of your original version -- the 'new' one looks like it needs a lot of love.

 

[minor_LEGEND]

These were so popular & rightly so. I even passed someone commuting home along the river on one of these on Tuesday (05/09/2023), I had to double take.
Looking forward to hearing what you have in store for a resto.

 

[stocko]

Love the Poole Mountain Bike Centre invoice....It was my local shop and used to go there almost every week looking at the bikes but mostly the glass display cabinet with all the trick bits in!

 

[RetroBikeCollecter]

That's the colour I seem to remember seeing a lot at that time. Cool that you still have photos of your original version -- the 'new' one looks like it needs a lot of love.

Yes but the explosif came as standard in black, so when the sales guy told.me that all Konas had the option to have it in black, I originally chose it, however when he mentioned the extra wait,my inpatient 16 year old self.just couldn't wait any longer, just took it in purple.

 

[RetroBikeCollecter]

These were so popular & rightly so. I even passed someone commuting home along the river on one of these on Tuesday (05/09/2023), I had to double take.
Looking forward to hearing what you have in store for a resto.

Blimey, I dont think ive seen another one in the flesh since 1994!!

At the time, the other bike I did contemplate was a Marin Bear Valley, but looked so mich like many other bikes at the time, it was the slopimg top tube and p2 forks that swung it for me.

 

[RetroBikeCollecter]

Love the Poole Mountain Bike Centre invoice....It was my local shop and used to go there almost every week looking at the bikes but mostly the glass display cabinet with all the trick bits in!

I actually collected the bike from New Milton, not too far from Bournemouth

Chris the previous owner lived local to that bike shop.

The almost 6 hr trip last Monday, on my day off, was well worth, brang mum along, had a little stop in Bournemouth, the weather was amazing!

 

[dirttorpedo]

I test rode a number of Lava Domes over the years - they were great bikes and well worth returning to a collection.