'05 Kona Coiler
EarlofBarnet
Posts: 673
I've had a few nice bikes over the years, but since having kids money's been a little tight (plus most of my spare cash has gone on cars). Anyway, I bought the following in June/July '09 to get me back out on the trails:
2009 Saracen Mantra 3. Excellent specced bike for the money (was just over £400), so had to be bought. The intention was to evenutally replace the frame for an Orange Patriot - I'd had one before and loved it.
Roll on a couple of months, I spotted a 2005 Kona Coiler frame on eBay. Price was good, had an upgraded shock, so a deal was done. I wasn't overly fussed with the frame being the latest model, there's money to be saved in models a few years old (and you essentially get the same product).
Majority of parts were swopped from the Mantra on to the Coiler. Got a cheap set of 2003 Marzocchi Bomber Junior T forks on eBay and a cheap Hope 20mm bolt through wheel too (both bought for the price I sold the forks off the Mantra for - Tora 289's). The job was on!
The result:
Still haven't properly rode it yet though! Managed to break one of the QR20 levers and am still trying to sort one from Windwave. Fingers crossed, should have the replacement part tomorrow, then I can hit Whinlatter over the Christmas break.
What do you think? Not a bad bike for the money's its cost to put together!
Plan is to strip the bike in spring and have the frame powdercoated (might do the forks too).
2009 Saracen Mantra 3. Excellent specced bike for the money (was just over £400), so had to be bought. The intention was to evenutally replace the frame for an Orange Patriot - I'd had one before and loved it.
Roll on a couple of months, I spotted a 2005 Kona Coiler frame on eBay. Price was good, had an upgraded shock, so a deal was done. I wasn't overly fussed with the frame being the latest model, there's money to be saved in models a few years old (and you essentially get the same product).
Majority of parts were swopped from the Mantra on to the Coiler. Got a cheap set of 2003 Marzocchi Bomber Junior T forks on eBay and a cheap Hope 20mm bolt through wheel too (both bought for the price I sold the forks off the Mantra for - Tora 289's). The job was on!
The result:
Still haven't properly rode it yet though! Managed to break one of the QR20 levers and am still trying to sort one from Windwave. Fingers crossed, should have the replacement part tomorrow, then I can hit Whinlatter over the Christmas break.
What do you think? Not a bad bike for the money's its cost to put together!
Plan is to strip the bike in spring and have the frame powdercoated (might do the forks too).
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Must owe me around £600 at the moment, which isn't too bad in my opinion. Still got to sell the old Mantra frame too, which might bring the total down a few £'s.
I've got the Tektro Auriga Comp brake off the Mantra on at the moment. I did 'up' the front brake to a 203mm and the rear to a 180mm, but have since reverted back to a 180 front and 160 rear (to try and save a few grams). Good brakes though, definitely recommend them (esp for the £). I've had Hope Mini''s and Shimano LX discs in the past, and can't say I can tell the difference between them all (although the Hope's were a work of art).0 -
Spec Sheet:
Frame: Kona Coiler 2005 - Fox DHX 4.0 shock with pro-pedal
Fork: 2003 Marocchi Bomber Junior T (150mm) - QR20 axle
Front Wheel: Hope Bulb hub 20mm bolt though axle, Mavic D321 rim, silver spokes
Rear Wheel: No brand disc hub and rim - all black
Chainset: Truvativ Blitz
Bottom Bracket: 'Power spline' Truvativ jobbies
Disc Brakes: 180mm Front, 160mm Rear Tektro Auriga Comp
Front Mech: Shimano SLX
Rear Mech: SRAM 5.0
Gear levers: SRAM 5.0 (9sp)
Stem, handlebar and seatpost: No name0 -
Looks good and as a Colier owner I know how they are tough they are but I would check the Kona website on the compatibility of dual crown forks.You may need to register to view the posts so not sure the link will work
http://forums.konaworld.com/index.php?showtopic=11262I
It says in the technical forum
"A dual crown fork will feed much force into the frame than a single crown so it's very important too keep it within the stock limit. The stiffer fork already equates to the effect of a longer lever. I've seen bikes from all brands, and all types destroyed after an impact while using a dual crown fork, and that includes ones designed to use them. A longer travel fork will increase the chance of overloading the frame, and hold the bike at a sub-optimal angle.
A dual crown fork will feed a more severe cycle into the frame.
A longer than stock dual crown fork gives an exponential negative feedback loop.
It just takes one bad day, or a single big moment of getting it all wrong."0 -
Never knew that, thanks for the pointer there Nick.0
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cool bike, nowt wrong with slightly older stuff, that fork may be a little too long for the bike though as nick says ^, coilers aren't designed for them, maybe go for marzocchi Z1's or Z150's at 150mm travel, much better all round bike and still enough travel to soak up the hits. You could probably get some for a similar price to the jnr t's. Enjoy the bike though
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Got my eye on some Z1's on flea-bay, but they're only 130mm. I wanted some forks to match the 6" of rear wheel travel, the Jnr T's seemed ideal. Recon it'd be ok to run 130mm's on the front?
Really appreciate the feedback though, good to get some opinions on the old girl.0 -
i think 130mm will make it low on the front. i would go for 150mm or 160mm0
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if you want to do freeride-y all mountain-y stuff, i think 130mm could be a little short of what you want, i had some 130mm z1's on my old patriot and they bottomed out a lot, i then had some jnr t's just like those ^ which i found a bit big and heavy for the bike - miles of buttery soft travel though. I then got some Z150's with 150mm travel and they were juuuuuust right
I also have some pikes on my scott with 140mm travel which are very nice, they might suit the coiler quite well, but a bit pricey.
I think 150-160mm single crowns are what you want though. Maybe some rockshox domains if you can afford them, the ones with u-turn, 115-160mm0 -
Just need to find some cheap single crown 150mm forks then. Don't think I'll get some as cheap as the Jnr.T's though
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even if you have to spend quite a bit on the forks IMO it would be money well spent0
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yeah, it's worth spending as much as you can on forks, they'll totally change the ride.
Get some Z150's, i was selling some for £70 a few months ago and still very few serious offers, worth looking on singletrackworld etc0 -
I'll keep my eyes peeled and see if anything comes up at a good price. Thanks for the advice.0
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nice looks good man. the forks aint to bad either, i used ti have a set and they took one hell of a beating and didnt show any signs of wear. nice one.0
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Think I've sorted a set of Marz 66RC's for a reasonable price. They're currently set at 170mm, but can be reduced to 150mm by flipping an internal spacer. Will post pics if a deal is struck 0
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Oopps:
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The guy will hopefully post them on the 29th, so should receive them just after New Year. Job done.0
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The guy will hopefully post them on the 29th, so should receive them just after New Year. Job done.
Recon they'll be ok left at 170mm travel, or should I reduce them down to 150mm straight away?0 -
sweet, they look nice i've seen people run them at 170, so it may be ok, but have a bash with both setting and see how you get on. Personally i think it would make for a better ride at 150mm. 0
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Brilliant, will do.
Will leave it a few rides after the forks are on before treating it to anything else. Thinking of changing the chainset to an SLX double ring job, or maybe a Raceface one. Might loose a few grams whilst also being stronger/better. Would also like a better stem and handlebar.0 -
see it starts off being a budget build like mine but i can never stand not having the best i can get and it gradually gets more and more expensive!
I think a new stem would be a good investment, something no more than 50mm, like a raceface diabolus would be good, you can get them on the cheap used and the bike will handle so much better with a shorter stem. Speaking of which, i'll have a black truvativ hussefelt DH stem for sale after christmas for 31.8 bars if you want that for £12 posted, perfectly good stem in good condition.
As for bars, i think the wider and flatter the better for freeride, the raceface atlas 1/2" rise look really nice especially with the finish, a bit pricey at £59 though. I have some truvativ hussefelt dh bars which are pretty nice, wide and flat too, they may be for sale after christmas too, if not, they're pretty cheap brand new anyway.0 -
Sounds great, just let me know when you're ready to sell.0
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hi mate
the stem is yours if you want it, i'm going to wait until my birthday on monday to see if i get the bars i was after, if i don't then i'm keeping the hussefelt ones, if i do then they're yours too. Drop me an email at sam.james2009@hotmail.co.uk if you're still interested0 -
Quick picture from Whinlatter today. Not quite the ride I wanted, but was interesting in the snow
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Maybe wait for the snow to go. Was really hard work today, for little reward. Recommend Conti Mountain King tyres for the snow (and generally), they grip really well.0
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oh yeah by soon i meant in the next few months, not quite THAT soon, i would be camping after all!0
