Titanium Konas

[Anthony]

Actually Kona don't claim (not on the website anyway) that the 2007 King Kahuna is made by Titanium Sports and the tubing is explicitly not Sandvic any longer (it is 'Kona 3-2.5 Aerospace').

I'm not sure that TiSports own frame is Sandvic either though - they say they're dealers in titanium tube as well as builders and stock tubes from many manufacturers, so it could easily be something else, but surely good quality. I've made an inquiry, so maybe I'll find out.

But even if I bought a TiSports frame, I wouldn't stick their 'G Man' decals on it. I believe a G Man is an FBI agent, but it was originally the Dublin republican movement's name for the detectives hunting them. No thanks!

 

[haggis]

I was on the list to get one of these up until 6 months ago. They were being built in Russia and retail at £1100. Had been waiting about 6 months for it already before i cancelled my order and stumped up the extra cash for my Hummer. There was some wrangle with customs in Russia and they wouldnt release the frames. Apparently they're only available to EU residents meaning our friends across the pond aren't getting them.

 

[stevek]

$1500 according to 'bikeman's' website.

http://www.bikemannetwork.com/biking/c/KONASALE

 

[haggis]

Ti Kona

Well i think he's talking balls as there was about 60 preordered from this country alone. Last i heard they were sitting in a container waiting to get shipped as soon as the customs details got sorted out so they def went into production.

 

[Anthony]

Re: Ti Kona

Well i think he's talking balls as there was about 60 preordered from this country alone. Last i heard they were sitting in a container waiting to get shipped as soon as the customs details got sorted out so they def went into production.

Sounds like he's right though that he has the only 2007 King Kahuna available anywhere on earth just at the moment, if that's a pre-production example.

If the price was (is?) going to be £1,100 and the frames are made in Russia from proprietory 3-2.5, that seems like quite a few steps down-market from where the Hei Heis and Kahunas used to be.

Strange that it was going to be available only in Europe, not USA, but featured on the US website but not the UK one. Strange all round really.

 

[Kona Paul]

Ti Konas

Actually, the new KK is not made by Sandvik/Ti sports. I believe it is manufactured in Russia. The specs listed are for the old KK's, which were made between 96 and 2000. The Hei Hei has been around since about 93 until 2000, and the Kona Score was a beefy freeride ti hardtail, made in small quantities only in 2000. All the ti hardtails from 2000 and back were made by Sandvik in Washington State. The new Hei Hei fully is post 2000 and really has nothing to do with it's predecessor. I've read somewhere that the new Russian manufactired KK's are available in Europe but not the US, and some places in Europe (like England) have difficulty getting there hands on them. Why this is, I have no idea. Better to ask Kona. ;-) Now that the history lesson is over, I can add that I have a 2000 KK and a Score, and they're both beautiful bikes, very well made and a great ride!

 

[Anthony]

Re: Ti Konas

Actually, the new KK is not made by Sandvik/Ti sports. I believe it is manufactured in Russia. The specs listed are for the old KK's, which were made between 96 and 2000. The Hei Hei has been around since about 93 until 2000, and the Kona Score was a beefy freeride ti hardtail, made in small quantities only in 2000. All the ti hardtails from 2000 and back were made by Sandvik in Washington State. The new Hei Hei fully is post 2000 and really has nothing to do with it's predecessor. I've read somewhere that the new Russian manufactired KK's are available in Europe but not the US, and some places in Europe (like England) have difficulty getting there hands on them. Why this is, I have no idea. Better to ask Kona. ;-) Now that the history lesson is over, I can add that I have a 2000 KK and a Score, and they're both beautiful bikes, very well made and a great ride!

Titanium Sports of Kennewick, Washington was the frame builder, Sandvik is a huge conglomerate that makes titanium tubes among many other things. It seems as though Ti Sports hasn't had any business with Kona since 2000, and although they have such an impressive list of companies that they used to build frames for, I can't see any sign that they still do. Nor have they replied to my enquiry about their own-built frames.

Presumably the spare capacity arising from the near-collapse of the Russian aerospace industry plus the competence of the Russians in building in titanium has destroyed the market for Ti Sports, and the only US frame-builders able to survive in the Ti market are those able to command custom-type huge prices. Whether a Russian-sourced 'King Kahuna' is any better than alternatives like the Cotic Soda is another issue.

 

[dookie]

ti sports is still very much alive. unfortunately, when i spoke with them last week, they were not interested in adding disc tabs to my '99 KK (which they are rumored to have done for folks in the past). they are still selling their own 'g-man' frames however...US$650 + shipping on eBay strikes me as a heck of a deal!

 

[dookie]

fyi...i called bikeman to get the scoop:

bikeman does in fact have one (1) 19" frame. it is one of a very few pre-production samples made by a russian builder and is covered by a kona warranty.

for those of you holding your breath for the real-deal '07 KK's...don't . production details were never worked out with the builder, so there will not be any bikes (anywhere) beyond these samples.

 

[Anthony]

ti sports is still very much alive. unfortunately, when i spoke with them last week, they were not interested in adding disc tabs to my '99 KK (which they are rumored to have done for folks in the past). they are still selling their own 'g-man' frames however...US$650 + shipping on eBay strikes me as a heck of a deal!

Glad to know they're still going, but are you sure they're still building mtb frames? The facts that (a) they have 'sold out' of my size, (b) the other sizes are on eBay at a $500 discount, and (c) they haven't replied to my sales enquiry don't inspire confidence. The seller's phrasing 'It has become an awesome opportunity for Tamarack Sales to offer these World Class Titanium Mountain Bike frames here on eBay!' sounds like code for 'this manufacturer has stopped making this item and I've bought the last of his stock'.

Incidentally, note that the eBay seller will ship only within the US.