By Ambassador Alasdair McAlley
In March, this year we lost a pillar in the Kona family, Pip Mock. You may not have heard of him, but I promise by the end of this week you won’t forget him.
I met Pip through his detailed knowledge sharing on Retrobike. His knowledge about Kona was second to none. Pip had a distinct view on the future, present and past, and unlike many who are rooted in a view, that the good old days are utopia, Pip was able to see through the nostalgia and bring a modern, forward-thinking twist. His and our obsession with Kona bikes goes beyond the brand and the product.
Kona have always done something different to the market, walking the line between cool and uncool, and whilst we might not have agreed with everything they did, that was part of the obsession we shared and why we are attracted to the culture. Pip represented that perfectly.
His legacy, and one I maintain on his behalf, is his cataloguing of rare Kona bikes. He started with the titanium framed Hei Hei and Haole, before moving onto classics like the Hot and Ku. He built up a global list to the point that people across the world actively shared their details or champion his list to others, seeking serial numbers, stories, and pictures. Pip catalogued the detailed history and evolution of the brand and bikes, far beyond what anyone has done before.
His personal collection of Kona’s was unique, totaling 17 bikes and 17 years of production from 1993 to 2010, with beautiful examples of mass production and custom bikes.
Whilst classified retro or vintage, he built them to ride as they were intended, often with a mix of modern components, bringing them bang up to date.
As a tribute to Pip, we’re going to feature 4 of collection starting tomorrow with the super-rare 1998 Ku. Join us then in celebration!
