Bikes of our Lives - Kona Cinder Cone 1989

Looking back at the bikes that made us cyclists...

Above: The 1990 model shown above, still with the splatter paint, but with cantis front and back and better quality Sugino/Suntour components. Awesome in its day, and a lot of fun now I'd wager.

Bike: Mk 1 Kona Cinder Cone in white with splatter paint finish, Tange double butted cromo frame, Kona Project 2 triple butted fork, Shimano Exage groupset, Ukai rims and Seatstay Mounted U Brake

Owned: 1989 - 1990

What made it great: Long, low and purposeful, it was the first sloping top tube Mountain Bike on the UK market and was totally different from the Specialized Rockhoppers and Muddy Fox Couriers that abound at that time. Bought on finance when I was a ‘young apprentice’ (to use Star Wars parlance).

It was stretched out and racy, twitchy and terrifying on any kind of steep stuff, but it was fast. It had a long 120mm stem like most XC bikes had back then and the piece-de-resistance was the Jackson Pollack inspired splatter paint finish of yellow, black and red over a white basecoat. There was nothing like it in it’s day, but within a few years, every MTB had a sloping top tube and non tapered rigid forks.

Finest hour: Riding 25 miles from Liverpool to Delamere Forest, riding the singletrack all day and riding back home knackered, fuelled only by Coca Cola and jam butties.

How did you split up? Sold to a mate down the road when beer and music became more interesting than riding bikes. What a fool…

Like many rose tinted nostalgic types, I’ve tried to find her on the internet, to no avail. The closest I’ve found is a brochure for the 1990 models, which are pretty similar.

Link: Kona Retro