# 1989 Kona Fire Mountain



## ededwards (Dec 21, 2007)

A couple of months ago I was looking through some 1989 TdF magazines and saw an advert for Konas with a photo of the Explosif (imagine, a mountainbike in a hardcore road magazine! Can't imagine that happening now). I always remember how cool I thought the splatter Konas looked when I first saw them at Evans in Waterloo in late 1988 and this ad bought the memories flooding back. I decided that I'd have to get one, preferably an Explosif, but that I wasn't going to search high and low or pay serious money.

Shortly afterwards the Fire Mountain pictured came up, in my size and at a good price. I seized the day and was pretty pleased when the box arrived. It's had a hard life (although the splatter paint can hides blemishes much better than a 'flatter' finish), the wheels are pretty rough but the rest was original bar seatpost, saddle and pedals (I added an old Rolls I had and some SPDs just for ease of use). I did also change the rear mech for a slightly newer LX (early 90s I think) that I had lying around as the slop in the original was something to behold.

So, not a pristine example by any means but sound enough and hopefully the U brake won't protest too much at the thick, sticky clay on the local singletrack.


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## sho220 (Aug 3, 2005)

Nice...Love them old Konas! :thumbsup:


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## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

That model year had great paint, though, IMO, the yellow Lava Dome was fugly.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

my first mtb was a garage made, gas pipe tubing, all sorts of bmx stuff gathered together in a bad way w/ 26 in wheels. 
then i went to London for a year and bought a 1990 blue GT karakoram at Convent Garden Cycles. it's still w/ a friend..
1989/1990 were good years for mtb paint.


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## mainlyfats (Oct 1, 2005)

bushpig said:


> That model year had great paint, though, IMO, the yellow Lava Dome was fugly.


I never understood people walking out the door with those splatter TBG bikes when, in the shop I worked at, they were right next to the Rocky Mtns.

Having said that, those splatter bikes are still all over the place in Canada and I probably see one a week - often upgraded like ededwards above - but still on the road.


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## shovelon (Mar 16, 2006)

Hmmm, as a hardcore Kona hater, I actually like this one. Maybe there is hope for me yet.

Good one! :thumbsup:


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

I like those 80s Konas and I actually like that paint. Winning was a cool mag. I remember they did a neat writeup on Tomac's '87 race bike. .


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