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Resurrecting a 90s Legend: Kona Kilauea with BIG problems...

BCR

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This week, we have a true icon in the stand: a 1993 Kona Kilauea.

Back in the day, this Tange Prestige steel frame was the stuff of dreams. But after 30 years, this one was tired. The chain was badly worn, the cables were shot, and the original wheels had seen much better days.

The customers brief: To get this retro legend off-road worthy again.

But it wasn't a simple service. I ran into a major issue with the wheels (finding decent 26" rims is harder than you think!) and a compatibility nightmare between the Suntour XC Pro shifters and the Shimano drivetrain.

If you love retro mountain bikes, hit Subscribe to see more classics in the new workshop!

Sponsor: Big thanks to Sport and Leisure for supporting the channel. Get 10% off your order here: https://www.sportandleisure.com/bcr (Discount automatically applied at checkout)

Tools I use!- https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/bcr/lis...

#KonaKilauea #RetroMTB #BikeRestoration #BarnCycleRepairs #VintageBike #BikeMechanic #SteelIsReal #KonaBikes

20 Comments

@pappy6676 7 months ago (edited) Pinned

Blown away by this video Stewart!
Seeing the amount of work, effort, attention to detail and expertise you put into my bike is incredible. It's a bike I've loved and will always keep. I'd given it to my son and it's certainly been neglected since then (slightly embarrassed 🤦). It now rides perfectly 👍. You went above and beyond on this service.
Just as a matter of interest the bikes pretty much all original. Apart from the Forks which I probably replaced a few years after I bought it. Climbing bars. Brake pads obviously (I'm sure I've still got the original pad holders somewhere). The Suntour shifters were the originals with the bike. They never were properly compatible with Shimano gears and I Rember them being the only "controversial" part of the bike with the bike press in 93.
Thanks so much again Stewart. Off to Coed y brenin on her this weekend 😁 👍

@DominicWebb79 7 months ago

Oh no! I’ve been eying up old 90’s mountain bikes from my youth to create a pub bike and this video makes me want one even more, thank you ❤

@TimOShea-n2x 6 months ago

Still rocking my 95 cinder cone in California. No rust!
Love my bike.
Great video. 👍

@mitmon_8538 7 months ago

Love the pointer. Cracks me up every time it comes out.

@coypatton3160 6 months ago

I’m 65 at present. To be honest, even though all my bikes are index shifting (at least on the rear derailleur) I’m not as comfortable with be confident I’m in the gear I want with the SIS as I was with the friction shifting—this old fog is trying to learn a new trick. One of my bikes is a 1995 TREK 730, but it is index shifting. None of my bikes are what I would call new, all were preowned when they came to me.

@markwilliams8049 5 months ago

Those xc pro shifters were original on this,
Kona ran them with shimano 8 speed cassette just as you have .
Great video love this older stuff but also appreciate the vids on the modern stuff

@Ckswank 5 months ago

Shimano XT thumb shifters of the era had an extra click. They work great with an 8 speed!

@kevinsmith9836 6 months ago

You are much, much better at my hobby than I am :) Way better equipped shop certainly helps. I learned plenty watching you whip through what for me would be a couple weeks of work. Love these 90s Konas, I hunted for years to find a Kilauea in my size. Awesome video.

@dazzad4397 6 months ago

Bringing these bikes back to life is awesomeness, love these old bikes❤

@Dad.onthemove 7 months ago

Lets get the subs in to see that bike up on the wall 👌🏽

@rdawson808 7 months ago

That's a gorgeous Kilauea (kill-ah-way-ah). If that came into my co-op I'd grab it fast.

@alexkerpe930 1 month ago

oh i like these videos way more than seeing roadbikes

@RoyNathaniel-qx6fw 7 days ago

Great video

@dadstrainset 7 months ago

'90s Konas were always great, and out of my reach price-wise - this one is really nice. Glad to see it'll be properly used, too - I ride a Charge Duster in Tange Prestige, it's delightful.

Can I suggest you finish the videos with a few wider shots of the whole bike as it sits? Would be nice to get a better idea of what the completed item looks like & show off your work!

@twescher 7 months ago

47:38 🐈‍⬛️ ❤

@monkmchorning 2 months ago

Unless the frame is damaged, no bicycle problem is "a big problem." That's the beauty of bicycles. Strip it down to the bare frame, clean it, fix or straighten what can be fixed or straightened, replace the rest, and put it back together.

@alfbranch9739 7 months ago (edited)

I got a Kilaeua in late 1994 with a Marzocchi XC600 fork in late 94. I loved it.

@gusnuk68 7 months ago

That's bike is stunning. Great work!

@jashbaug 7 months ago

The cleaner the background the better the visuals! Much better with the grey, thanks for all the work!

@Ddraig62SPD 2 months ago

Another great trip down memory lane. Reminds me of my red Kona MuniMula running Rockshox Judy, red X-Lite bar ends, similar Shimano/Ritchey/Easton trimmings and Mavic hoops. Bought it for £300 from a good mate I used to ride with in Glentress after he upgraded to a Klein Attitude wth a shimmering paint job. I ended up putting a set of Kashima Rockshox Psylos with U-Turn/Lockout extras and some Magura 55 red hydraulic rim brakes. The head angle was comically slack in comparison to the Judy's but it was amazingly plush and surprisingly really leggy for a 26" steed. Really ate up the miles and could stop on a sixpence with those Mag brakes. I remember doing the West Highland Way on it in 2007 ... it was an absolute dream and chewed up the demanding trail. It still galls me that I sold it to my daughter's boyfriend a couple of years later for measly £150 as he was an impoverished student at the time. 6 months later he was dumped ... so I never saw my beloved Kona again :( I'm sure Karma will balance things out eventually. Love that Finish Line grease :)