1992 Konas - why all thumb shifters?

[Beagle2]

I’m rebuilding a purple 1992 (?) Kona Kilauea.

I want it to be authentic but usable….

Even the Explosif had thumbies in the 1992 catalogue. Surely shifter pods / Sti had caught on by then?

Even my 1992 Raleigh Activator had them.

 

[stevet1]

Thumbies were more reliable, and lighter. Also probably cheaper...
All hail the thumbie!

 

[mk one]

I'm sure there was a similar thread just the other week

 

[DrDaveTampa]

Cuz they are awesome. Especially if you're buying vintage parts, they pretty much last forever, near as I can tell. Mainly because they are simple, but also because they have very little plastic except for some of the bushings. Makes you feel connected to the bike, makes you appreciate the fine derailleurs you have on there. In the age of steel everything felt expensive. In the age of plastic, nothing does. Plus you never have to tune your derailleur. Gotta tune your thumb but you get used to it.

Swap the left and right and mount em upside down, you might like em

 

[raidan73]

Excerpt from the 1993 catalogue...

 

[DoctorRad]

Swap the left and right and mount em upside down, you might like em

If you want underbar shifters which are kinda like thumbshifters, SunTour made wishbone shifters… if you can find them. The high-end ones are actually pretty heavy, as they're solid metal, whereas the lower end models have hollow plastic levers.

I used to love the pair that I picked up in Germany in '93, but having fitted another pair to a bike around 2010, I found they got in the way and stopped you gripping the full circumference of the bar on more gnarly terrain.

I think they were all 'officially' 7sp, but can be used with 8sp by utilising a ghost click

 

[Once A Hero]

Aside from my first ATB (Townsend 2000), and my second MTB (ProFlex 550), all my off-road bikes of the 90's came fitted with STI's of some type whether it was Shimano or Suntour. So I never really appreciated the simplicity of thumbshifters or spent much time using them.
I've got more sets on bikes now than I ever had back in the day.

 

[Beagle2]

Wow, I never realised they were such a cult item.

Ok, ok I’ll try some Shimano thumbies on it. Guess Dx or XT

Love the 93 catalogue extract. The cynical me adds a final line… and they are cheaper.

 

[raidan73]

Wow, I never realised they were such a cult item.

Ok, ok I’ll try some Shimano thumbies on it. Guess Dx or XT

Love the 93 catalogue extract. The cynical me adds a final line… and they are cheaper.

Other cynics have suggested the possibility of an overstock

 

[greencat]

Yes, what was good marketing and poss inventory overstock management has now become the stuff of teary eyed nostalgia around the Kona brand.

The first generation of STI was utter dogshit in terms of reliability, and I was sufficiently burned that I didn't try it again until the early 2000s.