Whooooop! Finally sourced a tiny 98 Kona Explosif :D
- Thread starter mamadirt
- Start date
No makeover for me I'm afraid - I'm all spent up now
- it's gonna take me some considerable time with a fine brush to get it looking half presentable. Ordered some nice Ritchey finishing kit though, bits and pieces for a wheel build including blue rims and I managed to source a nice pair of Indys as planned for not too much cash. It's going to be a busy summer.
Here we go then - bit of a pic heavy update. Frame arrived yesterday looking every bit as rough as I expected and I love it to bits already .
Downtube has a minor dent and a couple of very big badly retouched gouges . . .
Seat tube has been roughly cut down to 13.25" so I think will need the slot carefully extending . . .
One of the brake mounts in pretty rusty but looks sound although there's a suspect looking crack at the top of the non-driveside seatstay - I'll keep an eye on that one . . .
Dropouts appear to be sound although pretty devoid of paint . . .
As mentioned previously, although it's crying out for a respray I really want to try to keep it original so retouching that lot of going to be a major challenge. The lacquer over the decals looks like someone has taken a sledge hammer to it (think broken glass) but I remember having a similar problem with my '98 Muni. Kona offered me the option of a replacement frame or team kit - I chose the latter as I couldn't bear to part with it and I loved that little frame until it died (along with its Indy Cs) in an argument with a storm drain :cry: , This is going to be a bit of a tribute build to my old Muni . . . RIP Marshall Newt! I'll try and get an old pic scanned if you promise not to laugh.
Let the games begin . . .
.
Downtube has a minor dent and a couple of very big badly retouched gouges . . .
Seat tube has been roughly cut down to 13.25" so I think will need the slot carefully extending . . .
One of the brake mounts in pretty rusty but looks sound although there's a suspect looking crack at the top of the non-driveside seatstay - I'll keep an eye on that one . . .
Dropouts appear to be sound although pretty devoid of paint . . .
As mentioned previously, although it's crying out for a respray I really want to try to keep it original so retouching that lot of going to be a major challenge. The lacquer over the decals looks like someone has taken a sledge hammer to it (think broken glass) but I remember having a similar problem with my '98 Muni. Kona offered me the option of a replacement frame or team kit - I chose the latter as I couldn't bear to part with it and I loved that little frame until it died (along with its Indy Cs) in an argument with a storm drain :cry: , This is going to be a bit of a tribute build to my old Muni . . . RIP Marshall Newt! I'll try and get an old pic scanned if you promise not to laugh.
Let the games begin . . .
No immediate plans for a respray although I may just treat it in the future. I've spent the best part of today T-cutting and retouching the head tube and decals and I'm pretty pleased with the results - it's not going to win any beauty contests in its current condition but it's gonna be a rider not a carpet queen and looks loads better already. I have a new WTB grease-guard headset on the way so will post more pics once it's fitted.
Definitely a labour of love this one - day and a half with the touch up paint and it's now looking like this . . .
as opposed to this . . .
I'm pretty pleased with the results so far and enjoying every minute of it. The paint and lacquer is pretty thick but very brittle so the gouges remain (although somewhat smoother now) but hey, they're testament to the frame's gritty past.
as opposed to this . . .
I'm pretty pleased with the results so far and enjoying every minute of it. The paint and lacquer is pretty thick but very brittle so the gouges remain (although somewhat smoother now) but hey, they're testament to the frame's gritty past.
Thank you! I'm really really enjoying this one - 2 solid days of tlc (good job there's plenty of cycling on the telly at the mo') and it now looks like this . . .
Seat tube has been tidied up - I decided to leave the slot and not extend it as my seatpost is a good fit so should clamp firmly. Those stays are going to be a real challenge though :? . On the plus side, although there are several small dents peppering the stays and downtube, I've removed the paint from the suspected crack at the top of the seat stay and it appears to be sound .
I'm really really enjoying this one - 2 solid days of tlc (good job there's plenty of cycling on the telly at the mo') and it now looks like this . . .
Seat tube has been tidied up - I decided to leave the slot and not extend it as my seatpost is a good fit so should clamp firmly. Those stays are going to be a real challenge though :? . On the plus side, although there are several small dents peppering the stays and downtube, I've removed the paint from the suspected crack at the top of the seat stay and it appears to be sound
.
