That's a good looking bike!! I like a 26" 90's MTB for a commuter. I like to use a regular 26" fork on them. They did not have much suspension travel, so those regular forks work well for me. They may spice up the handling a little too.
Thanks so much! This was my first foray into replacing suspension forks with ridged ones, so I used the one with the correct amount of correction. Maybe next time I’ll cram a regular one in there.
Josh, you are an inspiration. I've had a Mongoose Beast with problems sitting in the garage for years. Your videos inspired me to get some new parts and get it back on the road. Now it's such a pleasure to ride it. Keep up the good work Mr. Inspiration Man.
Hey friend… nothing quite like that satisfying feeling of making something worn out new again. Thanks so very much for the kind words. I’d rather encourage someone to do something for themselves than influence them to buy something.
I think you are right… only because someone else said the same… and I don’t make any claims about knowing anything. Thanks so much for the kind words and insight.
Hey… thanks so much!!! I’m a big fan of the kool stops. These pads are vintage Ritchey branded kool stop pads. I need to change out the cable links between the two sides to get them set up correctly. I appreciate the kind words. Happy today!
I missed you at the steam show I was there early Friday. There is a small swap/show at Bicycle Heaven in Pittsburgh this Sat. and Sun, I am taking some stuff to sell. The museum is worth the drive!!!
The early to mid 90's KONA bikes are great bikes . The frame geometry really isn't that bad compared to most bikes of the same era . I own a 1991 KONA HEI HEI which I ride at least 4 times a week as an Urban adult BMX bike . The 91-92 in particular are extremely rare , but I just happened to get extremely lucky finding my Hei Hei at a thrift store for $50 😂. Although an idiot during the early 2000's replaced every component with cheap bike shop parts and also removed and replaced the decals which is a shame as the HEI HEI had the best of the best parts for the era . I've replaced all the low grade components and retromoded it as a city bike with very nice components as I love this bike. Although I've yet to re-sticker it with the correct decals as I like the look of raw Titanium. The Explosif frame is basically the same thing minus being Titanium , very nice bike 👍👍
Nice bike. I have run into the same issue with chain rings on an SLX crank and went with Wolftooth. That’s fine for bikes I am building for myself, but it gets expensive in projects that I make for others. For those projects, it’s good ‘ole 104 BCD cranks.
Nice frame for the commuter build but personally that one I would have passed on / old 90s Kona with that particular spec and condition are like unicorns now. That bike was almost the best money could buy in the day and even though not comfy to ride some people would have just tuned it and taken it out to the show and shines.
You got some high end parts on that dude. Those forks look like they would fit 700c/650b/29". Are they rigid forks? Im looking for a good deal on some rigid forks. Send me the link, if you dont mind friend. Btw, your pumping out the vids lately. I'm ready for that midlife crisis vid about that lil oasis you found awhile back. No pressure lol
Eh… no Chris king or Paul components nonsense. I collected up parts over last winter… and the shop employee discount was huge in deciding on parts. They are 26” forks with 80 mm suspension correction, this the big gap. You could probably fit 650b in there. Here’s what I used. www.modernbike.com/soma-curved-mtb-canti-fork-26-1-1-8---black I’m planning on a mid week mumbling to cover Erie cycle fest, and some developments with duathlon and music. Then the crisis ride… then maybe the beach cruiser and the Roger.
@EriebyCycle Wolf Tooth, Race Face, Soma, Shimano Ultegra Groupset, Wald rack. You did very well my friend! Great vid and looking forward to what you have next. That bike is awesome! You killed it!!
Thanks friend. I like that people act like they plan this all out, and maybe they do. I just throw shit at the wall and hope it sticks. I lucked out with this one. I am however, beginning to have my doubts about the 1x drive train for anything other than off road bikes.. or there's some formula, or (chain-line) measurement that I'm not aware of. This drive train is good... but I feel like it should be better than it is. maybe I'll screw with it some more during the autumn monsoon season.
@EriebyCycle I had the same problem on one. I didn't like the slant and no matter the indexing of my derailleur, it still skipped. So I took off the axle in the rear. Realigned the axle. Just loosened the cones and moved it over slightly. I'm talking like 2.5 threads over. Nothing drastic. It worked. I see some use chain tensioners for it. Also in the front I see some use spacers on the drive side of the BB, but this was on a square tapered BB, so I couldn't do that. Resetting the axle worked best I think. Had to repack the bearings anyway. I couldn't find any knowledge on the slant. Though, I did find that it's going to slant on a 3× too. Apparently you can set the limit screw to where the derailleur cage drops lower to give it some slack to help ease the tension on the slant. Maybe these ideas may help you, idk. Maybe BikeShop Dan might know something. Let me know what you find out if you look into it.
@@billywood9717 I have some spacers in the drive side of the bb… it’s close but I could probably play with it a little more. The derailer is made for a bigger cassette… this one only goes to 34 teeth and there isn’t any b limit left. I could actually take the derailer off the link it comes with and mount it right to the frame. We checked the frame alignment, and the derailer hanger… though it wouldn’t hurt to re check that. It’s really just down to fine tuning… but the fit between the cassette and the freehub body just pisses me off. The tolerance for new parts should be tighter than that.
@@EriebyCycle no other way to learn that that, its a great frame but Konas have slow handling optimised for mtb, theri old frame were ahead of time in mtb geometry, that is especially why a lower ATC lenght might make it more responsive (head angle will decrease so it will trail less)
That's a good looking bike!! I like a 26" 90's MTB for a commuter. I like to use a regular 26" fork on them. They did not have much suspension travel, so those regular forks work well for me. They may spice up the handling a little too.
Thanks so much!
This was my first foray into replacing suspension forks with ridged ones, so I used the one with the correct amount of correction. Maybe next time I’ll cram a regular one in there.
Josh, you are an inspiration. I've had a Mongoose Beast with problems sitting in the garage for years. Your videos inspired me to get some new parts and get it back on the road. Now it's such a pleasure to ride it. Keep up the good work Mr. Inspiration Man.
Hey friend… nothing quite like that satisfying feeling of making something worn out new again.
Thanks so very much for the kind words. I’d rather encourage someone to do something for themselves than influence them to buy something.
Josh’s channel is great! Love the approach and thoughts.
Always enjoy the vids Josh.
Paul, Auckland NZ
@@ReCycledCycler Thank you so much!!!
One of the nicest bikes I’ve seen around here. Kudos Josh!
Thank you friend!!! That’s top honors!!!
I like it. Nice work. Good job on the wheel build. I've only built coaster brake wheels and have never had to dish a wheel before.
Thanks Randy (and Nova.) I’m not an expert by any stretch of the word… but it’s pretty easy if you have the correct spokes.
It is an awesome video! Great build too. Nice job on the wheels as well. ❤
Thank you so much!!! I’ve learned a lot from you, your kind words are most appreciated!!!
If I recall correctly, that was a race model for Kona - great job giving it a modern conversion for daily use!
I think you are right… only because someone else said the same… and I don’t make any claims about knowing anything.
Thanks so much for the kind words and insight.
Hi,Josh,from the UK.Good video,and a great 'thought-thru' spec.on your build. Better than all the main makers offer,by a long shot.
Well shoot!!! Thanks so very much for the kind words! I really appreciate that… a lot! Happy today my friend!
That's a sweet ride. Every time i build a wheel i end up snapping spokes after a few weeks.
Enjoy the ride ✊
Thank you! I haven't broken any spokes yet, thank heavens!
Nice setup!
Thank you, Frankie!!!
Sweet Kona and nice work piecing it together. You could try some kool stop pads for increased braking power. The black walls look sharp 👌
Hey… thanks so much!!! I’m a big fan of the kool stops. These pads are vintage Ritchey branded kool stop pads. I need to change out the cable links between the two sides to get them set up correctly.
I appreciate the kind words.
Happy today!
I missed you at the steam show I was there early Friday. There is a small swap/show at Bicycle Heaven in Pittsburgh this Sat. and Sun, I am taking some stuff to sell. The museum is worth the drive!!!
Nuts! I was there Saturday.
Maybe a trip down this Sunday.
That's a damn fine looking bike cuz - nice find.
Many thanks!!!
Nice build up and great vid! Wolf Tooth are expensive but they are really the best. I ride 1x on the road and they have been awesome for years now.
Thanks friend! Much appreciated!!!
It's definitely an awesome bike.
Thanks friends!!!
The early to mid 90's KONA bikes are great bikes . The frame geometry really isn't that bad compared to most bikes of the same era . I own a 1991 KONA HEI HEI which I ride at least 4 times a week as an Urban adult BMX bike . The 91-92 in particular are extremely rare , but I just happened to get extremely lucky finding my Hei Hei at a thrift store for $50 😂. Although an idiot during the early 2000's replaced every component with cheap bike shop parts and also removed and replaced the decals which is a shame as the HEI HEI had the best of the best parts for the era .
I've replaced all the low grade components and retromoded it as a city bike with very nice components as I love this bike. Although I've yet to re-sticker it with the correct decals as I like the look of raw Titanium. The Explosif frame is basically the same thing minus being Titanium , very nice bike 👍👍
Good info. Thanks a bunch!
Nice bike. I have run into the same issue with chain rings on an SLX crank and went with Wolftooth. That’s fine for bikes I am building for myself, but it gets expensive in projects that I make for others. For those projects, it’s good ‘ole 104 BCD cranks.
Thanks for the kind words! If I were to do it again, I’d use the original Sugino cranks that were on the bike when I got it.
You really put together a great bike. Fenders though...
Thanks friend. Fenders are still a possibility. For now this is a dry weather bike.
Nice frame for the commuter build but personally that one I would have passed on / old 90s Kona with that particular spec and condition are like unicorns now. That bike was almost the best money could buy in the day and even though not comfy to ride some people would have just tuned it and taken it out to the show and shines.
I’ve retained all of the original parts just in case.
Get some Ergon grips. All my bikes have them now. Would never go back to round again.
Thanks, I’ll have to try them.
You got some high end parts on that dude. Those forks look like they would fit 700c/650b/29". Are they rigid forks? Im looking for a good deal on some rigid forks. Send me the link, if you dont mind friend.
Btw, your pumping out the vids lately. I'm ready for that midlife crisis vid about that lil oasis you found awhile back. No pressure lol
Eh… no Chris king or Paul components nonsense. I collected up parts over last winter… and the shop employee discount was huge in deciding on parts.
They are 26” forks with 80 mm suspension correction, this the big gap. You could probably fit 650b in there. Here’s what I used. www.modernbike.com/soma-curved-mtb-canti-fork-26-1-1-8---black
I’m planning on a mid week mumbling to cover Erie cycle fest, and some developments with duathlon and music. Then the crisis ride… then maybe the beach cruiser and the Roger.
@EriebyCycle Wolf Tooth, Race Face, Soma, Shimano Ultegra Groupset, Wald rack. You did very well my friend! Great vid and looking forward to what you have next. That bike is awesome! You killed it!!
Thanks friend. I like that people act like they plan this all out, and maybe they do. I just throw shit at the wall and hope it sticks. I lucked out with this one. I am however, beginning to have my doubts about the 1x drive train for anything other than off road bikes.. or there's some formula, or (chain-line) measurement that I'm not aware of. This drive train is good... but I feel like it should be better than it is. maybe I'll screw with it some more during the autumn monsoon season.
@EriebyCycle I had the same problem on one. I didn't like the slant and no matter the indexing of my derailleur, it still skipped. So I took off the axle in the rear. Realigned the axle. Just loosened the cones and moved it over slightly. I'm talking like 2.5 threads over. Nothing drastic. It worked. I see some use chain tensioners for it. Also in the front I see some use spacers on the drive side of the BB, but this was on a square tapered BB, so I couldn't do that. Resetting the axle worked best I think. Had to repack the bearings anyway. I couldn't find any knowledge on the slant. Though, I did find that it's going to slant on a 3× too. Apparently you can set the limit screw to where the derailleur cage drops lower to give it some slack to help ease the tension on the slant. Maybe these ideas may help you, idk. Maybe BikeShop Dan might know something. Let me know what you find out if you look into it.
@@billywood9717 I have some spacers in the drive side of the bb… it’s close but I could probably play with it a little more. The derailer is made for a bigger cassette… this one only goes to 34 teeth and there isn’t any b limit left. I could actually take the derailer off the link it comes with and mount it right to the frame.
We checked the frame alignment, and the derailer hanger… though it wouldn’t hurt to re check that. It’s really just down to fine tuning… but the fit between the cassette and the freehub body just pisses me off. The tolerance for new parts should be tighter than that.
Why would you use a suspension corrected rigid fork and not a shorter lenght axle to crown? Handles far more responsivly for commuting
Because I didn't know that. My whole schtick here is I'm learning as I go.
@@EriebyCycle no other way to learn that that, its a great frame but Konas have slow handling optimised for mtb, theri old frame were ahead of time in mtb geometry, that is especially why a lower ATC lenght might make it more responsive (head angle will decrease so it will trail less)
@@oreocarlton3343 Thanks for the info. Maybe I’ll swap the fork come spring time and see how it is. Thanks a bunch!
@@EriebyCycle looking forward to it, bikes with different fork rakes handle very differently and would like to hear your impressions
I love old MTB but i hate rim brakes.
I feel like that’s fair.
I’ve found that a set of salmon colored Kool Stop pads and rim brakes work good enough for me.