Rate my Hei Hei

[Drapoon]

Yep, that's my outlook - no matter how old & cherished - get out & ride it!

 

[messiah]

In my opinion you can get away with the forks being a bit long if you make some other changes. What really ruins the handling of bikes with over-long forks is the slackening of the seat angle. A slack headtube angle alone does not make a bike wander all over the place on climbs, but a slack seat tube does - it can also lead to a painfull back as your legs are not working at a comfortable angle (think pushing forward rather than down).

Move the saddle forward on the rails to get the seat angle back to nearer 73degrees - I know this shortens the top tube but it's worth the trade off. Give it a whirl and you'll be surprised - many people have the saddle to far back on the rails (That and the saddle too low, I see it all the time).

Note. I really dislike the look of those bent Thompson seatposts... way to go to ruin the look of a lovely bike

NOTE: This is all my opinion and us such it counts to me and works for me... your welcome to use this information or call me a ****. The option is yours my friend :twisted:

Oh - and nice heihei

 

[Drapoon]

Wasnt sure on the thomson either to begin with but kinda grown on me.... each to their own I guess.

I went for function over form but it suits me

By chance I bought a thomson elite & got sent a masterpiece - result!

Thanks for your opinions messiah - you dont by chance ride with anyone from aberdeen uni? my mate is a member of the mountain bike club.

 

[messiah]

you dont by chance ride with anyone from aberdeen uni? my mate is a member of the mountain bike club.

I vaguely remember Uni... I think I had hair back then

 

[24pouces]

Move the saddle forward on the rails to get the seat angle back to nearer 73degrees -

It's not so easy : Yes, he cn move the saddle, but he would need to put a longer stem… The problem is the center of gravity. With a modern fork, the center of gravity is on the rear of the bike (Moving the saddle, and the longer stem would be a solution, but…), the center of gravity is too hight ! The stability of the bike become worse !

I saw that you'll replace the fork with a Pace RC31. It's still a beautiful rigid fork, but too stiff in my opinion. The carbon legs isn't a good idea for a titanium bike. You have to find a good steel fork, like a Ritchey, tange prestiges legs, or… titanium (morati…)

 

[delboy009]

Sweet !!!

Never been a great fan of the Look of a Kona but the ride !! Damn good !!

 

[thrustyjust]

Just ride it.I had a pair of 100mm Fox's on my King Kahunna,before I retro built it and was fab.I believe that a lot of it is in the mind.Any of the guys I ride with,with their modern machinery,never commented on how wrong the forks looked,or if they knew any different.At least with Fox's being plush,if you want to,you can put a bit of sag into it.Enjoy it.

 

[andrewl]

In my opinion,, modern fork on old geometry Bike (Jo Murray's geometrie) is an error. The modern fork are too tall !. Ok for downhill, but it's bad for climbing (the weight is more on the rear wheel). I rode a sunn titnium. Very good bike. The day, I put a marzocchi Xfly on the front, I lost a lot off foun and pleasure with it. The fork worked fine but wher I climbed on the Bike, I had to push the bike.
For your beautifull Hei Hei, you have to find :
A project 2 titanium fork (if you are lucky). A rigid titanium fork or Ritchey steel fork would be ok.
On other hand, for old suspension fork : The 1998 Sid fork (they seems to a Judy), Pace RC 38 fork…
There's a solution for your FOX : use some adjusting shim for pulling down your fork to 60mm of deflection. The fork has to be under 425-430mm tall !
A 80mm fox is around 440-450mm : It's too high !
Modern fork are good for a rear suspension bike, but, it's killing the specific spirit, and the special feeling of a titanium bike

Overall the angles looks very similar to my 97 King Kahuna with a 97 Marzocchi Z1 on the front (which is tall compared to most 100mm forks).

Ride wise is should be fine, as mine climbs with ease with no ill effects of the longer fork.

I see no issues with a modern build on an older frame as it makes them more usable with less worry about breaking things etc. If you are happy with the ride then it really doesn't matter what we think.