RIP my late 90s Kona Lavadome :( And how to replace it ...

whocrushedmykona

Hello

I have owned a Kona Lavadome for nearly twenty years but sadly last month it was crushed to death against a lamp post by a reversing truck. On the plus side I wasn’t on it at the time though that means I don’t know who the utter **** was that did it.

So I have no understanding of who the quality manufacturers are any more as I haven’t bought a MTB in 20 years! The lower spec Konas seem to be getting average reviews only. The current Lavadome being a good example. The manufacturers I remember are Kona, Marin, Muddy Fox (did they do bikes?), Diamond Back, Mongoose ... actually the last two might be going back to my BMX days! Ooh just Googled, they make MTBs! Are they good?

I’ve watched some intro videos and realise that these days I can expect numerous improvements over a 20 year old Lavadome.

I’ve Googled best hardtails under £750 too and it just says get a Voodoo Bizango or … get a Voodoo Bizango. I looked at one in Halfords and thought it was a bit … um … gaudy.

So to turn this post into actual questions

1. Who are the best manufacturers these days for my budget?

2. Is the current Lavadome a dud or not? I *** LOVED *** my old Lavadome so maybe I’ll love a new one too? If there’s one thing poorly spec’d on it, what is it and what would you change it to? What about the Shred or other Kona models? I love Kona … but maybe that’s just because it’s the only brand I know?

3. Is the Voodoo Bizango really the nuts and should I just get that?

Other things to know: 67% town bike, 33% trail use. I’m 5’9”. Want a hardtail. Can spend around £750. Can’t think of anything else.

Thanks
Jim

Ps. If you know the utter ******* total **** that crushed my beloved Lavadome please let me know. I have a special place in hell reserved for him/her I had the frame checked. The geometry's all off and generally gone whack-a-doodle. Shop (that I trust) declared it unsafe.

billycool

Sorry to hear about your loss. My mate is bit of a retro nut and really loves his Kona bikes (most from mid 90's).

Based on your bike usage, I'm not even sure of you need a HT bike. Would a gravel/CX/urban type bike not suit you better?

As for the brands - yes, things have changed. If you did want a sensible HT then Vitus (from CRC) get good reviews and there are some buying guides on-line that can help.

Calibre (Two Two) from Go Outdoors seem to be well thought of as well.

There such a choice nowadays and it can be a bit confusing.

You could always buy/build what you had before? My mate gets a lot of his stuff from Retrobike and eBay. It's a labour of love thing apparently....

billycool

Just seen this for £150. Proper retro!

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... 2&t=384160

whocrushedmykona

Thanks for replies Billy Cool. Cute Kona!

>Would a gravel/CX/urban type bike not suit you better?

What are examples of this product category?

billycool

whocrushedmykona wrote:

Thanks for replies Billy Cool. Cute Kona!

>Would a gravel/CX/urban type bike not suit you better?

What are examples of this product category?

These types of bikes are ideal for road riding but can be used for light trail use as well. There are different categories that cross over a little.. You can also fit flat bars and not drop bars. Just thought it might suit what you do better if you aren't really going off-road much.

https://www.evanscycles.com/buying-guid ... nture-road

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/group-test ... kes-136748

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/lates ... ide-187448

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/ro ... avel-bikes

swod1

or even a hybrid type bicycle with a short travel suspension fork would be an option.

have a look on chain reaction cycles and take a look at vitus hardtails they are generally good value and spec

whocrushedmykona

Thanks for the links. They look like good bikes but no I think it's a mountain bike I'm after. I did used to take the Lavadome out on the Downs and throw it around a fair bit. I will have a look on Chain Reaction and check out Vitus. I seem to remember they won one of the best ofs I was looking at.

whocrushedmykona

No love for modern Konas then? They not the brand they were?

billycool

whocrushedmykona wrote:

No love for modern Konas then? They not the brand they were?

TBH it's a brand I'm less familiar with.

All of my HT's from 1990 to present day (the last one I bought was in 2006) have been Specialized. I really used to rate them. They still make good bikes, but I don't think they are as well specced or value for money anymore. I probably wouldn't buy another. There are so many other brands out there now. I look at the spec and not the brand nowadays.

My FS is a Norco and I bought that 2nd hand last year because it really suited/fitted me, the spec was good and the price even better. I'd never heard of them until then. It's a great bike for me. Get a lot of pleasure from it.

I'm not sure that brand loyalty exists as much as it did. We all want more bang for our buck and will look for the best deals.

No idea what modern Kona's are like.

cooldad

If you loved your Lava Dome, build another. Plenty of bikes or bits for sale.

My Explosif ended up costing a few hundred, and although it looks a bit rough, it's all top end parts.

keef66

I'm a roadie but occasionally blunder into the wrong bit of the forum. Last time I bought a MTB I was looking at Gary Fisher and Marin as the aspirational brands, and suspension forks were still new and expensive technology. That was a while ago...

For some reason I have Calibre Bossnut bouncing about in my head as last year's best bang per buck in the knobbly tyre world?

whocrushedmykona

Pretty! Sadly my technical skills aren't up to a franken-Kona

kajjal

cooldad wrote:

If you loved your Lava Dome, build another. Plenty of bikes or bits for sale.

My Explosif ended up costing a few hundred, and although it looks a bit rough, it's all top end parts.

That’s a nice looking bike, I have a mid 1990’s orange c16r hardtail which I still ride in the mountains today. Real men ride early 1990’s mountain bikes with no suspension and calliper brakes, they were great fun but completely brutal.

cooldad

My girlfriend must be a real man. Her old Marin. We do have more modern FS bikes for actual gnarly trails though, as we are both getting on a bit.

whocrushedmykona

I'm enjoying the retro love-in believe me, but ... what do I replace my dead Lavadome with?

cooldad

Voodoo Bizango, obviously.

Voodoo's designer is Joe Murray, who designed the classic Konas BITD.

https://halfordsblog.com/2017/08/01/joe ... voodoo-qa/