# Help me stop reminiscing



## kilf (15 Feb 2011)

Hi Guys

I've been out of the mountain-biking scene for a good while now and I wanna get back into it and get a bike similar to the best bike I ever owned period.....a 1997 Kona Lava Dome.

I loved everything about it the beautiful racing green colour but mostly the feel. It got me into mountain biking so much that, After having it a year I upgraded to a 1998 pahoehoe things were never the same after that the pahohehoe felt dead by comparison didn't inspire me to ride harder or somehow mystically propel me along like the lava dome 

So im putting it down to the steel frame and I want that feeling back the bike was made from "kona butted chomoly" I dont knows much about steel tubing but I know I liked that bike I imagine this tubing is cheap but what would it be comparative to? Reynolds 520,631,? would 853 feel as zingy ?im wondering because I wanna build a steel hardtail (or buy a complete bike something similar on the bike to work scheme )...so any info recommendations/info from those that know would be most welcome

P.S i dont really wanna go second hand id like new do you think Genisis latitude 00 might fill my requirements. Was also thinking of a kona explosif frame build

Please help


pic of my old lava dome here



http://forums.mtbr.c....php?t=411738Hi

scroll down to big pic...

thank in advance 

Kilf


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## Cubist (17 Feb 2011)

Your prayers are answered. One-One do steel frames and rigid or sprung fork bundles. Check their site, awesome bikes. Go Ti if you can afford it!

http://www.on-one.co.uk/c/q/frameset-bundles


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## Tollers (22 Feb 2011)

That Kona was lovely. I'm reminiscing too lately....about a Saracen Tufftrax '90 and Peugeot Ranger '88. I must be mental!  Hope you find your dream bike again. Why not get a second hand Lava Dome frame and rebuild it? You know you want to!


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## I like Skol (24 Feb 2011)

He He. I am one step ahead of the game. My bro has one, possibly from a few years earlier and he has had it from new. It is currently languishing at the back of his shed until I can rescue it and administer a little TLC. I remember the weird but stangely enjoyable feel of the flexy steel frame compared to all the rigid aluminium bikes I have owned. That picture looks like the one except his had different coloured decals and the forks are a kind of metallic brown.

He has agreed to long term loan it to me as he also has a road bike and a full-suss MTB.

His Kona has some history as once when he was back in Manchester visiting his in-laws the bike was stolen from the garage. I apprehended some tattooed scrote riding it around a month or two later and decided to take it back (I stopped him and called the police) so in a way it is my bike anyway because he wouldn't have it if it wasn't to me


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## henshaw11 (25 Feb 2011)

Comparable to One-One is Dialled-Bikes - ie the Prince Albert.
Or more expensive, Cotic.

And not forgetting Orange..


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## Zoiders (26 Feb 2011)

One-one, Orange and some other pricey options as others have mentioned but have a look at the Genesis range by Ridgeback. 

http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/mountain/latitude/latitude-ti-xtr

Ridgeback used to do skinny steel bikes as their bread and butter before an ill advised foray into lumpy aluminium in the noughties, back on form now.


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## Muddy Ground (27 Feb 2011)

Those Genesis bikes look really good, but don't forget Ragley or PACE.... Orange for me lost the plot with their hard-tails a good few years ago.

www.muddyground.blogspot.com


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## BenDeason (26 May 2011)

Do it cheapo way. I got a bargain on an old explosif frame that had its dropouts changed to horizontals. Best thing is it came with a seatpost, seat and some lovely retro xtr cranks. Eventually it built up single speed with carbon pace forks and carbon bars for a fraction of the price of a new bike. Great fun to.


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## lukesdad (26 May 2011)

Last year I rebuilt my Fuji steelite it had been hung in the shed for 8 years. What was i thinking of ?


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## Twizit (27 May 2011)

Must be something in the air. 

Am currently being tempted by either an On-One 456 or if I feel a little more flush maybe a Ragley Piglet. Currently accumulating bits for a full build up


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## GrumpyGregry (27 May 2011)

Something from Singular Cycles would be nice...

My 'throwback' is a 90's Kona Kilauea tange prestige frame and fork off cheap off ebay built into an SS-ATB pub bike.


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## KenG (28 May 2011)

I have a 95 Kona Hahanna and an On-One Inbred, both are a joy to ride and the On-One has similar geometry to the Kona so rides very much the same, here they both are -


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## Globalti (5 Jun 2011)

I once had a Kona Explosif, it was deep blue and silver. I regret selling that bike more than any other I've sold, even though I replaced it with a Hei Hei. Again, it's something to do with the ride quality of a good steel frame, something like a good pair of skis....


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## hotmetal (6 Jun 2011)

Globalti said:


> Again, it's something to do with the ride quality of a good steel frame, something like a good pair of skis....



Blimey! If having a steel frame makes you slide down every hill I'll stick to my ally one… *SCNR*


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