voodoo bizango + anchor

[catf]

I have the 18.5" version of this frame sadly sans original paint/decals.

wanna sell it? i'm not bothered about the paint etc

thing is, what im hearing is a lot of ppl who think its an uber frame but couldnt be bothered to sort a man with van type option, or even take advantage of the guy who offered to collect and deliver it to me on this very thread, so how 'ridiculous' was the price really?

 

[konaman1]

I have the 18.5" version of this frame sadly sans original paint/decals.

wanna sell it? i'm not bothered about the paint etc

thing is, what im hearing is a lot of ppl who think its an uber frame but couldnt be bothered to sort a man with van type option, or even take advantage of the guy who offered to collect and deliver it to me on this very thread, so how 'ridiculous' was the price really?

Not really. I spent more on the re spray and decals from JM than the figure the auction ended at!

The sellers total disregard for replying to my messages put me off. Besides, I very much believe this VooDoo will end up on this forum at some point.

 

[Anthony]

It's a 1996 frame, and everything about it is as Konaman1 says (as you would expect from Konaman1 of course). If you had bought one back then, VooDoo's a la carte pricing structure would have been frame £699 plus fork, say Judy XC £300, plus groupset and finishing kit, say XT £1,070, total £2,000+. Admittedly this was severely over-expensive, which is why there are so few of them in the UK. They didn't really market the US-built element at all, almost kept it a secret. I would say VooDoo frames were somewhat better than equivalent Konas, but Kona's marketing and distribution strategy was infinitely superior.

I don't think the frame is worth anything like as much as a Hot, but more than an Explosif. My point was that the original purchaser of the bike must have been a serious and committed mountain biker, and it seems strange that so often knowledge of what a bike is and of its value doesn't accompany it as it passes from one buyer to the next through its life. No doubt the new owner will want to paint it black and get his mate to MIG weld a disc tab on there.

 

[Faghetaboutit]

Nice frame but for me snake stays = ugly
Paint is crap in comparison to the HOT and a 98 Kilauea kicks the hot and the 'doo all over the field

Just sayin

 

[Charlieboy28]

The stays are a thing of beauty and there for a reason. Are we talking 853 here for the Kilauea. Then surely an 853 bizango would be better still. Had the 98 changed at all or was it still Joe's old design?

 

[Faghetaboutit]

Each to their own on the stays as with most things in life! As for the Kilauea, the 1998 has Reynolds 631 tubes and out of all the mid to late 90's steel hardtails I've ridden I rate this as the best, maybe it was the build I had on it but it just seemed effortless to ride, and with a tb p2 was also one of my lightest and most responsive rides

 

[bhill22]

Anyone recommend a cheap painter (hammerite black) and welder (disc tabs)

 

[Anthony]

Each to their own on the stays as with most things in life! As for the Kilauea, the 1998 has Reynolds 631 tubes and out of all the mid to late 90's steel hardtails I've ridden I rate this as the best, maybe it was the build I had on it but it just seemed effortless to ride, and with a tb p2 was also one of my lightest and most responsive rides

That's interesting, I've never heard anyone speak so highly as that of the 98 Kilauea before. I've never ridden one myself, but I would say that the 98 Explosif (853) is of all my Konas the closest in nature to the 96 Wanga (Tange Prestige). I find the Wanga nicer to ride than any of my Konas, if not perhaps quite as fast as the 96 Explosif. How it compares to the 96 Bizango (Prestige Ultimate Superlight) I still hope to find out one day! And then again, although the 853 Explosif is very good, it is completely put in the shade by the Rock Lobster 853 as far as I'm concerned.

These comparisons are all down to personal tastes and physical characteristics though. Everybody always thinks they want the lightest possible frame, but they really aren't suited to heavier riders. I only weigh ten stone, and perhaps that's why I prefer the Rock Lobster take on 853 to the heavier Kona design. If I was heavier, maybe I'd prefer something stiffer like the Explosif, or even a Blizzard.

 

[Faghetaboutit]

Each to their own on the stays as with most things in life! As for the Kilauea, the 1998 has Reynolds 631 tubes and out of all the mid to late 90's steel hardtails I've ridden I rate this as the best, maybe it was the build I had on it but it just seemed effortless to ride, and with a tb p2 was also one of my lightest and most responsive rides

That's interesting, I've never heard anyone speak so highly as that of the 98 Kilauea before. I've never ridden one myself, but I would say that the 98 Explosif (853) is of all my Konas the closest in nature to the 96 Wanga (Tange Prestige). I find the Wanga nicer to ride than any of my Konas, if not perhaps quite as fast as the 96 Explosif. How it compares to the 96 Bizango (Prestige Ultimate Superlight) I still hope to find out one day! And then again, although the 853 Explosif is very good, it is completely put in the shade by the Rock Lobster 853 as far as I'm concerned.

These comparisons are all down to personal tastes and physical characteristics though. Everybody always thinks they want the lightest possible frame, but they really aren't suited to heavier riders. I only weigh ten stone, and perhaps that's why I prefer the Rock Lobster take on 853 to the heavier Kona design. If I was heavier, maybe I'd prefer something stiffer like the Explosif, or even a Blizzard.

I couldn't possibly comment on a rock lobster as I have never even seen one in the flesh let alone own/riden one but for the 98 Kilauea it was just such a great frame. I have, at one time or another, owned or ridden most of the 90's kona steel range and I just never rode one that was as solid and direct as the mustard Kila. I can't describe it really it was just so much stiffer than all the rest, while never being harsh on the all day stuff!
I can honestly say I would turn down a HOT in favour of a mint 98kila, it was just that nice

 

[konaman1]

I am waiting for the endless rain to stop to have the inaugural ride on my '96 Bizango :twisted:
On the subject of 90's Kona's, l can say many have passed through my hands but the one i have kept the longest and will always keep hold of despite it looking unloved is my '95 columbus max Explosif which I find comfortable i think due to the very fine rear stays but stiff enough for steep climbs and laying down the power(after coffee, before cake), my 97 version whilst very responsive was nowhere near as comfortable in the saddle. My late model '98 Hot in 853 however was very stiff and unforgiving to ride, note that the stays were very thick and the tubes quite large in diameter for a steel frame. Both frames weighed in at around 4.2lbs I have owned and ridden the Kilauea models 96, 97 and 98. The 96 and 97 are essentially the same frame divided only by colour and dog collar canti vs vee brake cabling. A common misconception is that this Columbus cyber model is the lightest frame Kona produced. Not true on my scale, both 18" bare frames weighed in at 4.2lbs. Both fun to ride and quite lively but both were tested with a tb p2 so think gentle south downs way style testing! The 98 model I had was also an 18" but heavier at 4.5lbs and made of Reynolds 631. Fun to ride but I found it quite harsh and similar to my Hot. What I have found with Kona is that the later into the 90's the heavier and stiffer the frames got.
I weigh a shade under 12 stone so perhaps not heavy enough to warrant an 853 Kona frame but then I prefer lighter more supple tube sets.
The Bizango is billed as a race frame but it is light so I'm hoping it could be the one to usurp my 95 Explosif