Help! Trying to ID frame

Hi, just bought this 26" steel hardtail. Reasonably to very light frame 4.1lb with headset cups . It has Ritchey dropouts, a forward facing seat post bolt guide, s shaped stays and a disc mount. Very curious as to what make and model it is - has Kona stickers on it and previous owner said it was a Kona. Serial Number is B00080013. Any help would be appreciated.

Early 2000s Explosif?They had Ritchey dropouts.

Keep coming back to the Explosif so thanks for that.

Can't stop looking at the s shaped stays and curved bridge - it really is a lovely frame from when I first started getting into bikes proper. Going to strip and repaint dealing with some minor areas of surface rust and maybe resurrect an old set of Fox talas forks to go along with it.

I would say this is not a Kona Explosif.

Both 2000 and 2001 Explosifs were Scandium Aluminium. The next year Kona returned to Steel for the Explosif, which was True Temper OX Platinum, but as you can see in the pictures below, there are glaring differences - no integral Seat Post Clamp, Straight Seat Stay Brace. Then the 2004 had sliding Dropouts.

2003 Explosif




Pip

Thanks Pip - yeah I can see the differences - back to the drawing board.

It's really for curiosity, it's a lovely thing and will be enjoyed, saying that i'd love to get to the bottom of it.

Merlin (Nottingham) did a Ritchey Logic frame, it looks nearly identical except for the disc mount?

If it was repainted theres a disc tab and cable guide could have been added at the same time

*stays are a bit different at the seatclamp area though

I’d be one happy boy if it was a Merlin! Thanks for that, really helpful

Not too many manufacturers used the curved brace AFAIK, so that should narrow down the search. No idea if kona did. Saracen did, I have a pipedream that does (scion 853), not sure if they were making frames with v mounts though.

I'm sure there are others.

Thanks everyone, update from Kona is that it’s not a Kona!