Trash or Treasure? Kona Hot content

[crusty]

My latest acquisition, she's a little filthy because I haven’t had the chance to clean her up yet.. I paid £123 for the complete bike.

The frame measures 18.6” inches from the center of the BB to the top of the seat tube. The head tube is approximately 130mm…

What to do, what to do?

 

[mousemat]

Well it's stickered up as a Kona Hot so if it really is then £123 was a bargain for Kona's top end US made Reynolds 853 steel frame. Looks like either a 97 or 98 frame as it's set up for v-brakes with a rear brake cable stop but the cable routing for the rear mech is different to how the catalogues show, but being a custom frame that might have been how it was ordered. What is the frame number stamped on the BB shell? That will give an good indication of whether it's a Hot or not. Frame size is a 19".

 

[Andy R]

That's not a Hot, nor is it Reynolds 853.

1997 Columbus Max Explosif, IMHO.

So, still nice then if it had the correct decals.

 

[mousemat]

That's not a Hot, nor is it Reynolds 853.

1997 Columbus Max Explosif, IMHO.

So, still nice then if it had the correct decals.

I'm afraid I don't know how to tell from the tubes hence I suggested revealing the frame number. If I remember correctly the 853 Hots had a HTxxxx frame number.

 

[Andy R]

That's not a Hot, nor is it Reynolds 853.

1997 Columbus Max Explosif, IMHO.

So, still nice then if it had the correct decals.

I'm afraid I don't know how to tell from the tubes hence I suggested revealing the frame number. If I remember correctly the 853 Hots had a HTxxxx frame number.

The 853 tubes weren't directionally ovalised - look at the downtube in the side view photo and you'll see what I mean.
And it's got rack eyes on the dropouts, which Hots didn't have.
Anyway, it'll be just as nice a riding frame as a Hot - and without the price tag.

 

[mousemat]

The 853 tubes weren't directionally ovalised - look at the downtube in the side view photo and you'll see what I mean.
And it's got rack eyes on the dropouts, which Hots didn't have.
Anyway, it'll be just as nice a riding frame as a Hot - and without the price tag.

Ah, understood, every days a school day! Still for £123 a very good buy!

 

[Cinders]

I'm pretty sure that's a '98 Hot (Reynolds 853 'Opposite Oval Tubing').

It has '98 logos and cable routing.

Very nice bike, I could only stretch to a '98 Caldera... in '99!

 

[Andy R]

I'm pretty sure that's a '98 Hot (Reynolds 853 'Opposite Oval Tubing').

It has '98 logos and cable routing.

Very nice bike, I could only stretch to a '98 Caldera... in '99!

As far as I can remember the 1998 Kona Hot that I've seen didn't have an ovalised tubeset (I didn't know that Reynolds made an ovalised 853 mtb tubeset or that any Hots were built with ovalised tubes?) however, it most certainly had Ritchey dropouts.

Those dropouts look identical to those on a '97 Explosif.

Cable routing can be changed easily enough but one thing to check for would be evidence of removed and braze-filled rack mountings on the seatstays.

Of course, if the serial# proves that this is indeed a genuine Hot then I have my sword ready to run onto and will never darken the doors of Retrobike again.

 

[Anthony]

Well I must say I see nothing to suggest that it isn't a 1998 Hot.

If we look at Kase1983's Kona of the Month, which I think everybody must agree is a 98 Hot, we see the same dropouts as the 97-onwards Explosifs and Kilaueas. I think we also see the ovalisation of the down tube (but not the top tube, unlike the Columbus Max Explosifs).

It certainly isn't a 97 Explosif. Not only do the tubes not look like Columbus Max, but it doesn't have 1997 cable routing and it doesn't have rack eyes on the seat stays. Like Andy, I also haven't heard of ovalised 853 anywhere other than in the spec for 98 Hots, but I suppose we have to believe the evidence of our eyes. I'll add a picture of my 96 Explosif to show how different the bi-ovalised tubes of Columbus Max are.

The only thing that puzzles me is the way this thread is presented. Crusty obviously knows this is a 98 Hot, but why has he cast doubt on it in his thread title? And why the price of £123, the archetypal made-up number?

 

[Andy R]

Well, it seems that I've been wrong about practically everything then, even down to the Ritchey dropouts (although I could have sworn that the 1998 one I saw did have them) and about Hots not having any rack mounting provision, as it seems that this one does have them - on the dropouts at least. Although this then begs the question why have them on the dropouts but nothing on the seat stays?

Still, I'm always willing to admit to my errors and I've obviously made a big one here..........