# 1993 Kona Hot-Funny Back Story-Might Hurt Your Eyes



## LARRYJO (Aug 7, 2007)

This might hurt some eyes on here, but it seemed like a slow Sunday and I figured it might wake some people up

It is always funny to me how things sometimes work out in the Retrobike world.

I posted this bike at a while back in Aug of 2009, http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=502568&highlight=#502568.

He never called but last week I was looking at craigslist when low and behold it showed up. I emailed immediately and 15min later he called me to say he still had it. I told him about seeing him riding it in downtown Seattle and leaving the note but he said he never saw it. I guess it work out in the end because I picked it up last Monday.

He told me that it was a Kona Team member's bike from 1993. It had been built with full XTR and came with a Kona Ti stem and seatpost (which he still has and I am trying to aquire). When he bought it, the Team member, which he can't recall his name, took all of the XTR, except the headset, with him and built it using a mix of parts. It is a 19" so maybe a little small for me but I love the paint and matching fork.

I dismantled my 92 last week in prep for a repaint and had shelved all the parts. When this 93 came along and with its paint I thought that the parts off the 92 might be better suited for it. So&#8230;..I finished it and I think it looks pretty good. I took it out for a spin this morning and it feels a bit small but I will wait to pass judgment when I get it on the trail.


----------



## mechagouki (Nov 30, 2007)

WOW! I'm extremely jealous! A dream bike for me, that one. Very, very cool, esp. with the matching RS.


----------



## indianadave (Apr 27, 2010)

It might be wuite here because everyone is out riding! It was a bautifull day here in Indiana.
I took my newly restified 98 Trek out and rode about 10-15 miles.
Awesome looking bike man... Love the paint job.


----------



## far twiggle (Nov 29, 2006)

The tubeset doesn't look right for a hot.


----------



## Vlad (Feb 7, 2004)

Kool bike, but why did you buy it if it doesn't fit you right?


----------



## proto2000 (Jan 27, 2007)

What? It has plenty of post showing....


----------



## Jak0zilla (May 16, 2010)

Size looks good from here. /shrug

Nice bike!


----------



## LARRYJO (Aug 7, 2007)

When I bought it, I only measured the seat tube and that came out to be 19".
That would be my size but......the top tube, which I did not measure, is only 22".
The top tube for a 19" should be closer to 23" as it was with a 1992 Hot that I owned before.
Anyways, it could also be that I have been riding my 29er all summer and my Cross bike all fall so getting back on a 26" feels strange.


----------



## byknuts (Aug 9, 2008)

short tt's and fishing rod stems, no getting around it back then! :thumbsup: 

that bike looks perfect!


----------



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

weird. are you sure it's 22'?


----------



## cyclesoflife (Apr 4, 2004)

*Custom geometry?*

The person you purchased it from said it was a Kona team member's bike previously so it may have been built with a custom geometry. Check the serial number, if it has a C in it at the end I believe then that is the case


----------



## jtmartino (Jul 31, 2008)

That bike is definitely hot. Huge fan of the overly-anodized and overly-neon rigs.


----------



## LARRYJO (Aug 7, 2007)

The top tube is definitely 22”. I think that is strange as well.

It serial number does not have a “C”. That is one of the first things I checked.

Either way, I am going to make it work as I really like the color combo and it will match up well with my other Hot.


----------



## oldschoolcolo (Aug 11, 2007)

any idea on the brand of brakes on your updated version? I have the same but w/o any anno. thanks.


----------



## Shayne (Jan 14, 2004)

Avid Tri-Align


----------



## alexk (Sep 30, 2005)

far twiggle said:


> The tubeset doesn't look right for a hot.


Looks like it could have the fluted downtube that Kona used in 1993 (and maybe 1994?). There has been some discussion about this in the past and it has been discussed on Retrobike a couple of times too.


----------



## LARRYJO (Aug 7, 2007)

It has the fluted seat tube and ribbed down tube.


----------



## anthonyinhove (Nov 3, 2007)

alexk said:


> Looks like it could have the fluted downtube that Kona used in 1993 (and maybe 1994?). There has been some discussion about this in the past and it has been discussed on Retrobike a couple of times too.


The Explosif used that down tube in 1993 and 1994, before moving to Columbus Max for 1995, but the Hot used it from 1992 to 1995. i.e., Tom Teesdale used the Tange Prestige Ultimate mix for the Hot right when it came out and a year before it appeared on the Explosif, and then he didn't make the switch to Columbus. He only ever built with Tange Prestige in those times.

The fluted down tube is Tange Prestige Ultimate Ultrastrong. It is quoted as a 1.0-0.7-1.0 tube, which would be quite a hefty tube, but my guess is that it's a 0.8-0.5-0.8 tube (like the Ultimate Superlight) with 0.2mm strips bonded on to it lengthways. That is a pretty expensive way to form a tube of the same weight as a 0.9-0.6-0.9 so presumably it must have strength advantages. I mean they wouldn't go to all that expense just because it looked fancy, would they?


----------



## rjvblanchard (Jun 14, 2013)

BLAST FROM THE PAST.

I was the original owner of this bike. I used to work at Northwest Mountain Bike in Tacoma, where I raced the hell out of it.

I sold it when I was managing the ASUW bike shop on UW campus. Worst decision I ever made.

I built it up with Suntour MD. It used to have the matching Velocity stem, titanium Syncros seat post, Syncros bars, and WTB saddle. It was a classic.

Any chance you might be willing to part with it? Ever?


----------



## djmuff (Sep 8, 2004)

rjvblanchard said:


> I was the original owner of this bike. I used to work at Northwest Mountain Bike in Tacoma, where I raced the hell out of it.
> 
> I sold it when I was managing the ASUW bike shop on UW campus. Worst decision I ever made.
> 
> Any chance you might be willing to part with it? Ever?


Ah yes, seller's regret. I'm familiar with this. Welcome to the forum.:thumbsup:


----------



## steveit (Jan 25, 2004)

LARRYJO said:


> The top tube is definitely 22". I think that is strange as well.
> 
> It serial number does not have a "C". That is one of the first things I checked.
> 
> Either way, I am going to make it work as I really like the color combo and it will match up well with my other Hot.


Just curious...what's the serial number.....thanx


----------



## mechagouki (Nov 30, 2007)

Zombie thread update! I was the first person to comment on this thread, mentioning my longing for a Hot, and a decade down the line I own one! A 1994 with a fluted down tube, it's naked awaiting paint currently. I've also accumulated 7 Explosifs and a Ku along the way, because apparently I can't say no to a 19" Kona.


----------



## LARRYJO (Aug 7, 2007)

LOL! So long ago.


----------

