2004 Kona Explosif Refresh

Seeing mikesnowdons thread on updating his Cinder Cone (Original thread: http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... highlight=) inspired me to do something similar with my Caldera.

I wanted a disc mount and sliding dropout (to run an Alfine set up), so I set about pricing up getting it modified. Ideally I wanted to modiy it myself (have a go a brazing on the disc mount and guides) but I bottled it as I didn't want to ruin the Caldera trying to replace the dropouts (sentimental reasons - 21st birthday present from my then girlfriend, now wife).

Anyway after pricing up the modifications it looked like getting another frame would be a better idea. Then ebay turned up this 2004 explosif;

With disc mounts already on the sliding dropouts, it was pretty much what I wanted to turn the Caldera into, but it needed a but of a tidy up.

Hacksaw came out and off came the canti bosses, then the oxy-acetelyene bottles were drafted in to remove the top routed cable guides and then braze on new ceeway supplied hose guides and cable stops below the top tube and seat stays.

I also moved the rear mech cable stops to suit the the Alfine cassette joint cable routing. (Black paint was to protect the bare frame and check that my filing hadn't marked the frame).

Then it was off for blasting and powder coating. One of the most difficult thing was to decided on the colour. In the end I went for what looks like 'gloss primer!'. Gil_M did some excellent work with the decals ('98 style but with the 'Race light' logos, rather than the 2004 clump style logos).

I'm really pleased with how it came out, and that I didn't mess up putting the decals on.

to be continued... (hopefully the finished article)

That's looking fab so far, loving the colour.

That's looking well nice, good to see 'battleship grey' making a comeback

Nice work! Have you done brazing before?

Oooooh get some grey Fox Forx to match?

Thanks!

The colour is RAL7012 Basalt Grey, it's more 'Fergie' grey (as in tractors) than battleship grey.

I hadn't brazed before (I've done some TIG welding though). It was surprisingly easy really, I clamped some mole grips on the old triple cable guides and gently heated them up, the weight of the mole grips pulled them off when the braze melted. I then used the old guides on a piece of steel tube for practicing with. The brazing rods I had seemed to melt more readily then the stuff Kona had used. I think silver solder would suit cable guides better as this has a lower melting point and you can probably get away with a MAPP torch (they sell them in B&Q for about £30).

I haven't joined tubes together by brazing but I might get an old frame from the tip and cut it up to practice with. Then maybe try adding a brace on the rear triangle of the Caldera ready for adding a disc mount.

Nice one