My Kona Kula 'Custom' - upgrades (pg2)

mattbarnes

After acquiring a 2008 Kona Kula Deluxe frame from the classifieds forum here on Bikeradar, it went through a bit of a change (shotblasted and powdercoated) and the results are as folllows...








First ride


And the spec is as follows:
Frame: Kona Kula Deluxe (shotblasted and powdercoated in 'Steel Grey')
Forks: FOX F100X
Wheels: HOPE Pro2 Hubs, Stans 'Olympic' Rims, DT Revolution spokes, DT alloy nipples, KCNC Skewers, Continental 'Light' tubes (Front and Rear)
Tyres: Specialized Sauserwind (Front and Rear)
Brakes: Avid Juicy 7 levers with Ultimate calipers, Straitline lever blades
Bars: KCNC SC Bone flat bar
Bar Ends: KCNC
Stem: KCNC SC Wing
Headset: Crank Bros Cobalt
Seat Post: KCNC SC Pro
Saddle: SDG Ti Fly
Front Shifter: SRAM XO trigger shifter
Rear Shifter: SRAM XO Gripshift
Front Mech: Shimano XT
Rear Mech: SRAM XO
Chainset: Race Face Next Carbon double conversion with TA Specialties rings - 40t/26t
Bm Brkt: Hope Stainless steel
Chain: KMC Superlight 9Spd
Pedals: Crank Bros. Eggbeater SL with titanium spindles
Cassette: Shimano XT
+ KCNC Seatclamp, KCNC headset spacers, Jagwire cables, Titec foam grips.

The Big Cheese

I really really like this..... top work

mattbarnes

Thanks.

Proof, if any were needed, that you don't have to spend thousands to have a decent bike. She currently weighs in at 20.86lb and I'm hoping to bring that down with a few upgrades.

zerolight

Good grief Matt. I considered respraying that frame as I never really got on with the colour. That looks stunning. Great job. I'd never have know that was once my frame!

zerolight

Good grief Matt. I considered respraying that frame as I never really got on with the colour. That looks stunning. Great job. I'd never have know that was once my frame!

Don B

Really like that. The colour scheme is easy on the eye too.

Cferg

20lb? That's a brilliant looking bike there, really light too! Well done

jklash1987

I realy like this!!

D-Cyph3r

Christ on a cross thats a narrow bar. Looks good though man.

duke duvet

Woah! What a great bike, light and cracking paint job. Bet it rides a treat too.

I own a Kula Supreme 08 , same scandium frame as yours I believe. My frame really is in need of a respray and I have been searching for someone localish to spray it etc. Could you let me know who did the paint and decals on yours please?

Just a quick point though. When I looked into powder coating kona world recomended that under no circumstances should scandium frames be baked in an oven (part of the powder coating process I understand) as it weakens the frame.

Now I'm no expert and I dont want to be all negative or anything but when it was sprayed did you check this out?

mattbarnes

Thanks for all the positive comments. To be honest, this is my first Kona because I've never fancied any of their bikes (mainly because of the paintwork - shallow, I know) but after having had this a little while now I think I've been missing out. Its a fast XC bike that I'm hoping to use for a couple of races next year but the geometry is a little more relaxed than the usual race whippets so can be used every day on the local trails. Bonus.

Woah! What a great bike, light and cracking paint job. Bet it rides a treat too.

I own a Kula Supreme 08 , same scandium frame as yours I believe. My frame really is in need of a respray and I have been searching for someone localish to spray it etc. Could you let me know who did the paint and decals on yours please?

Just a quick point though. When I looked into powder coating kona world recomended that under no circumstances should scandium frames be baked in an oven (part of the powder coating process I understand) as it weakens the frame.

Now I'm no expert and I dont want to be all negative or anything but when it was sprayed did you check this out?

I got it powder coated at http://www.bettablast.co.uk/bettablast/home.html

Just outside Whitley Bay, near Newcastle. Absolutely brilliant service and the staff are very helpful and approachable. I've had a couple of frames sprayed by them and the results are always first class. This cost me £43 to have it shotblasted and powder coated - bargain. I've had other frames sprayed by 'specialist' frame sprayers who charge four times this amount, take 8 weeks to get back to you and then the finish isn't great. I'd go back to bettablast any time.
The KONA decals came from eBay and the pinstriping I got from CRC. I struggled to find any genuine KONA decals and these ones seem good quality. Besides, genuine decals would probably cost about £150!

No, I didn't look into whether or not the frame should be 'baked'. I'm no expert either, but I fail to see how going through the baking process would weaken the frame. Surely its already gone through this when it was given it's original paint job. I'm sure some mechanical engineer will tell me otherwise though. To be honest, it's not as if I'm going to be doing huge gap jumps or massive drop-offs on in; I'll be keeping my wheels well and truely on the ground.

MountainMonster

That's a nice looking bike! The color scheme works well, and the decals look quite nice. The spec looks good too.

duke duvet

Thanks for the info, the guys who did the work sound top notch, I'll definitely be getting in touch with them. I've found a place who do replica decals too - CCA signs in Dunbar. Cant wait to crack on with mine now.

I think with the paint that as long as it is baked at a low temperature it will be fine, sure the guys at bettablast know more about it than I do - my spraying experience involves airfix spitfires painted badly many moons ago! I'm probably being overly paranoid.

Enjoy riding your Kula, looks the bis

mattbarnes

Yeah, they are very knowledgable. I enquired about getting my Kinesis Maxlight XC pro2 reprayed because the paintwork is notoriously poor on those frames but they wouldn't do it for various technical reasons involving the baking process, carbon fibre, bonding and various other techno-babble I didn't understand. Its encouraging to see that they won't just take on any old project just to take your money.
Turnaround is outstanding too - I had this frame back within 5 days! And thats the longest I've waited; I had my first frame completed within 3.

What I would recommend however is what you do post-production. It is absolutely imperative that you get the headset tube and bottom bracket shell re-faced and the threads re-tapped. Unfortunately, I learnt the hard way and destroyed the threads on my expensive Hope BB.
When they do the shot-blasting, bits of the old paint get into the BB shell. Then the frame is powder coated and baked and the dust/muck bonds into the threads causing the problems I discovered. As I said, a problem easily solved by your LBS and their re-threading tools.

Cferg

So if I wanted to get a frame powder coated, I'd take it to my local powder coaters as a frame only, no BB headset obviously, but not an old one to protect the inside of the frame? Was your bike completely down to the shell when you took it? So once it'd been done the inside of the BB was the same colour as the rest of the frame or do they tape it off and what not?

Cheers

mattbarnes

Cferg wrote:

So if I wanted to get a frame powder coated, I'd take it to my local powder coaters as a frame only, no BB headset obviously, but not an old one to protect the inside of the frame? Was your bike completely down to the shell when you took it? So once it'd been done the inside of the BB was the same colour as the rest of the frame or do they tape it off and what not?

Cheers

I took the bare frame - no headset, BB etc. It was stripped bare. I'd imaging they wouldn't undertake the project if you were to leave components on in case of any damage and then you turn around and put a claim in against them. Its easier to get your local shop to reface everything.
They bung up all the holes such as the head tube and BB shell but clearly some of the dust and powder from the whole process makes it's way into the frame. Its not the end off the world though and it has no adverse effect on the frame.

coomber

This looks brilliant, really top job and always nice to have something unique.

ravey1981

This bike looks awesome! Cracking job!

kona_matt

oooooo, i like that, very nice 8)

joshtp

WOW! thats by far the nicest Kula iv ever seen! it looks lush... really light too! nice one mate!

mikeyj28

I am loving the bike!! Great paint job and it is lighter than my Kule Deluxe.

Do you have a picture of the frame/bike before the work was done so that we can see the 'before' and 'after'?

milos24

Hi,

great bike. I am big Kona fan. I just have one question for you. I got Kona Kula Supreme 2009, a I bought same seat clamp as yours. The problem is the diameter. Original Kona seat clamp is 30.7 mm, and KCNC SC11 is 31.8 mm, so it gave me some cracking sounds. I put Kona seat clamp back and cracking sounds stopped. Do you have problems with this seat clamp?

joshtp

milos24 wrote:

Hi,

great bike. I am big Kona fan. I just have one question for you. I got Kona Kula Supreme 2009, a I bought same seat clamp as yours. The problem is the diameter. Original Kona seat clamp is 30.7 mm, and KCNC SC11 is 31.8 mm, so it gave me some cracking sounds. I put Kona seat clamp back and cracking sounds stopped. Do you have problems with this seat clamp?

youv bought the wrong diameter one, you need the 30.7mm version.

milos24

joshtp wrote:

milos24 wrote:

Hi,

great bike. I am big Kona fan. I just have one question for you. I got Kona Kula Supreme 2009, a I bought same seat clamp as yours. The problem is the diameter. Original Kona seat clamp is 30.7 mm, and KCNC SC11 is 31.8 mm, so it gave me some cracking sounds. I put Kona seat clamp back and cracking sounds stopped. Do you have problems with this seat clamp?

youv bought the wrong diameter one, you need the 30.7mm version.

There is no 30.7 mm version of sc11 seat clamp, only 31.8 mm and 34.9 mm. So if yours is 30.7 mm, please tell where can I get it.

Thanks

mattbarnes

Here's the before picture. Thankfully, I can't take credit for the photo - this was one of the one's I got to examine the goods before I bought it.



It wasn't in a bad way, far from it. In fact, it was immaculate but I just wasn't keen on the colour scheme and had it changed. In my opinion, Kona need to go back the the drawing board with regards to their colour schemes. Less is more and all that.
As I said previously, I was never much of a Kona fan but I am now!

My seatpost is 27.2 and the clamp is 31.8. I haven't had any creaking noises but I found the KCNC clamp does have to be wound up quite tight to avoid the post slipping.

milos24

OK, it is not the same frame. You have correct diameter for your bike, my seat clamp was too big. The diameter of seatpost is 27.2 mm also, but seat post diameter is 30.7.

I like color scheme on my bike.

mattbarnes

In my opinion, Kona need to go back the the drawing board with regards to their colour schemes. Less is more and all that.

:shock: Never has my point been proven more than at this moment.

Cferg

mattbarnes wrote:

In my opinion, Kona need to go back the the drawing board with regards to their colour schemes. Less is more and all that.

:shock: Never has my point been proven more than at this moment.

Hahaha, brilliant!

mattbarnes

A few alterations and my Kula's fighting weight is now down to 19.6lb. A change of forks, brakes, tyres and decals (thats where the real weight lies ) and its lost about a pound.




You never know, I might finish it one day...

jay12

looks fantastic.loving the colour scheme

dc71

Matt, where are you hosting your pics from, they're not loading for me. Looking forward to seeing your kula