retro kona sizing 1992 question

ricktabor1

Hi,
I'm considering buying an old 1992 kona fire Mountain..... really want the steel frame to make a tourer. Does anyone know if they measured the same way then as now ? I ask this as I am.looking at a bike that measures 18 inches from centre of bb to top of seat tube........ will this be an 18 inch frame?

Any help will be gratefully appreciated as it may prevent me from wasting my cash.

cooldad

No idea but one of the anoraks on www.retrobike.co.uk might be able to help.

BoarderGreen

you have to watch old kona bikes, there big thing was 'radically' sloping top tubes for better stand over clearance.

Def the guys on retrobike will be able to help you identify the size of the frame........and tell the serial numbers for the original parts................and have a copy of the kona 1992 catalogue...............uk, european and american.............not that they are geeks at all, not at all.


and by the way i def have NOT been on there to try and find original forks for my 97 nail trail :oops:

supersonic

It makes little difference to be truthful, as you can just use a longer seatpost (unless you need it right down the bottom). Much more important is what the reach is going to be. They tended to be shorter back then for a listed frame size. Good news is that old kona catalogues can be found online.

ricktabor1

Thanks for the advice. I'll go and ask those massive geeks now.... obviously I won't call them geeks to their faces!!

Like you say suoersonic, I'm worried that the bike may be really big, rather than too small.

ThePriory1978

My 2009 Caldera 18" frame was very very close to my old 1994 Cinder Cone 18" frame. The 2009 frame was chunkier and maybe a quarter of inch smaller, other than modernized geometry that was about it. The Kona Hardtails have hardly changed from day one. What size fitted me then still fits me now.