It must be the cold.
Because what other reason could there be to find myself stroking the monitor, when I saw this:
1993 Kona. Also known as "Al's Insanity"
I used to have a really nice Kona but sold it when the Emperor turned up with some new threads. That one up there is even older. About 1993, which is WAY before I even started riding Mountain Bikes. Although those of you privileged to have seen me ride would probably prefer the more accurate “Short legged man being inconvenienced by a bicycle”
This one was built before the advent of suspension forks, fat tyres and the marketing fallacy that without a ‘integrated component stack of class leading technology” you would die the instant you hit the trails.
It is not without problems. Some of them are technical around old standards and the need for some advanced shed-bodgery. Others are more ethereal, but rooted in a houseful of bikes already and the proximity of a rolling pin. After the Pace, I said no more. Then I bought the Jake. Which reminded me how good Kona’s are.
You see. It’s not my fault. And I have a whole box full of spares – okay none of which will actually fit but that’s just you lot being negative. Shame on you. Anyway I’m going to sell the Roadrat. And some pedals. So basically we’re looking at the financial instrument of extreme dubiousness “Cost Neutral”.
In no way related new, those of you wish to read something that is not merely an electronic prod to my vanity, try my friend Alan’s blog. He doesn’t write much but what he does makes good sense. Almost the opposite to me then 
That looks mint. Used to ride everywhere on one of those… until it snapped.
Yeah but you snapped a handlebar! It is going to be spending most of it’s time cruising buff dusty singletrack and transporting me to the pub.
If I buy it. Which of course I won’t. Because that would be silly.
Signed
Mr. Silly.
Likewise. 10 years I had out of it. Raced it, commuted on it, toured on it, stuck a child seat on it and in the end I SSed it. Snapped on the RH chainstay. Damn.
Does it come with the nice pair of slippers?
May well be a ’93 frame, but as bit of a Retro Kona Geek I have to point out that they’re ’94 decals.
No it doesn’t Mr Cummins. But that’s fine as I already have some. And in terms of breaking it, I’m not too worried. First we have Andy “component destroyer” Shelley who has a bit of a history with bike parts and now someone whose mistake was to singlespeed it.
It probably broke out of shame.
Will – thanks. Looking forward to the howls of derision when I fit riser bars. If I bought it. Which I might not be doing. Yeah right.
Normal service appears to have been restored….
When do you want to sell it Al?
The year/decal mismatch is balanced out by mine, which is a ’95 with ’96 decals
As for breaking them, mine was broken before I got it, but I wasn’t going to use that dropout anyway 
Obsessive Compulsive Frame Replacement Disorder…
I have a 1992 Lava dome with no decals at all, threaded Impact Head Headset, P2 fork, original stem, original seatpin, ORIGINAL DX Thumbies. Its mainly in one piece but probabaly need a few drive train bits. i might build it up this winter…
It’s like Retroholics anonymous in here today? What next, someone pitching in with a Penny Farthing!
No Penny Farthing, but I confess to a ’94 Explosif (castellated downtube, luvverly and light) and an ’04 Explosif currently in the stable. Chainstay failure at the dropout was common for Konas in the early 90s – I know of 3 that went that way. We evolved a great trailside fix for two of the snappages, which bound the broken bits together with the front mech cable, an allen key and a zip tie. Class.
Thanks Huey. Perfect timing considering the post ^^ up there
Timing is everything, eh? Especially mine! “I’m sure it will be ok”…
so *that’s* what an inbred was based on.
No the Inbred was based on whatever a blind welder could create using nothing more than old scaffold tubes and a crate of Tennants Extra Strong Lager.