kona explosif or not?

mark-bcn · Aug 20, 2016

Hi!

I would like to know which model of kona is my bike (model, year, etc..).

Bought in Spain, I believed it was a kona explosif since it has a rockshox mag10 fork and I know that some of the kona explosif 1994 bikes were sold with it as an option. Maybe other pieces have also been changed, briefly it has sugino pedalier, XT derailleurs, mavic 217 wheels...

It could also be that the bike has been painted in red.

I let here some images to the experts,

Thanks!

kikideparis · Aug 20, 2016

Definitively not a 94 as it got the 93 logo. The frame looks like a 92 cinder cone...
Any tubing sticker ?

Cheers
Christophe

mark-bcn · Aug 20, 2016

Re:

unfortunately there is no sticker in the tubes that allows identifying the frame

right it seems the cindercone 92 frame by the color, but definitively it's not a cindercone (look at the circled detail in the below image)

kikideparis · Aug 20, 2016

Also the groupset is more 92/93. Your right about rack mount screw. For explosif and kilauea from that era you must have the square tubing junction on the bb like the cinder cone on the last pic...cant see on your pics...

FluffyChicken · Aug 20, 2016

Frame number?

Check top on downtube for any ovalising at both ends (actually the whole tubing switches from one to the other, not as much in t earlier bikes as they did in the 95-7 bikes.)
(can't really see from the distance dirty bike photo's

Check for resprays, might be noticeable in headtube, bottom bracket tube, q/r part or seattube

1994 Fire Mountain at a guess though*, in Racecar Red or whatever it was, with some older bits and bobs put on in a rebuild.

More details of the frame.

Ignore every else ;-)

* but check it has holes in the dropout as it might not have by 1994.

one-eyed_jim · Aug 20, 2016

I think it's a 1993 Kilauea that's been resprayed.

The top tube and down tube appear to taper from front to rear, suggesting Tange Prestige Concept tubing. If the bottom of the seat tube has a flared bulge (see pictures here) that would tend to confirm. The Kilauea used Prestige Concept tubing in '93-'95, but only used that style of rear dropout in '92-'93.

Here's the Kona catalogue page for the '93 Kilauea. See what you think:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/v/M ... 7.jpg.html

Most of the parts must have been changed, but the Sugino cranks, XT derailleurs and LX hubs fit.

The Bear · Aug 20, 2016

Re:

Gonna throw this in but happy for the experts to correct but I thought that the '93 - '94 era Explosifs had the fluted down tube?

kikideparis · Aug 20, 2016

Re: Re:

The Bear":14ara6bj said:
Gonna throw this in but happy for the experts to correct but I thought that the '93 - '94 era Explosifs had the fluted down tube?

You are totaly right, easy way to Distinguish the explosif, but for 94'some have non fluted...as mine

The Bear · Aug 20, 2016

Re:

So if fluted it's an Explosif, if non-fluted it could be an Explosif!!

Thanks

FluffyChicken · Aug 21, 2016

one-eyed_jim":3up8eyt9 said:
I think it's a 1993 Kilauea that's been resprayed.

The top tube and down tube appear to taper from front to rear, suggesting Tange Prestige Concept tubing. If the bottom of the seat tube has a flared bulge (see pictures here) that would tend to confirm. The Kilauea used Prestige Concept tubing in '93-'95, but only used that style of rear dropout in '92-'93.

Here's the Kona catalogue page for the '93 Kilauea. See what you think:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/v/M ... 7.jpg.html

Most of the parts must have been changed, but the Sugino cranks, XT derailleurs and LX hubs fit.

That why I'm looking for more detailed pictures

Having that bike myself I can compare, but it needs to be a heavy frame compared to the explosif which used the same tubing.

kona explosif or not?

mark-bcn

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