What is this please?... Kona?

stedlocks

Senior Retro Guru
Feedback
View
A friend has recently got hold of this....

03426E1A-6B56-4513-8E45-019826AE1D43-1515-0000035C1719975A_zps4dd30be4.jpg


7DE00A96-6D93-476F-A95B-1CB511661C3F-1515-0000035C13681403_zpsb63f241d.jpg


C61BE1E7-85C1-4317-95A1-AE641990524C-1515-0000035C07094C52_zpsa7399f63.jpg


It had hope hubs, pace forks, and some other nice bits... But it also has profiled, grooved down tube. I know I've seen this somewhere. Any ideas?
 
Nice!!... '93 Explosif?

What do the dropouts look like? Frame number?

...don't want to get your friend's hope's up but there was another Kona frame with a similar downtube :mrgreen:
 
We_are_Stevo":1ju0jdxi said:
Did the Explosif have the rack/mudguard mounts on the drop out?

I can't remember...

My '94' does :)

:shock: Is that down tube fluted? It looks like it is, does that make it a '94'?
 
Canuck":327do9bn said:
Nice!!... '93 Explosif?

What do the dropouts look like? Frame number?

...don't want to get your friend's hope's up but there was another Kona frame with a similar downtube :mrgreen:

Kona Hot?
 
Looks like it could be Kona. I didn't see any glaring anomolies to say it isn't but your pictures don't show all details. I reckon it could be a 1993 frame because:
i) Up to 1992 the rear seat stay rack mounts were completely different on steel Konas so it's at least 1993.
ii) From 1994 onward the rack mount on the rear drop out was further to the rear as far i can tell - certainly on the lower-end steel Konas.
Your frame has similarities to the below pictures of two other 1993 Kona frames which i found on the internet, such as location of rack mounts, routing of cables, flaring of seat tube at the bottom bracket. So it might be a 1993 Kileauea or Explosif. A close up photo of your rear dropouts would help a lot.

Hmm but having written all that i just noticed your fluted down tube comment so that changes things a bit. Don't know which model had that. :?: Above info from 15mins internet research so open to debate!
 
RobMac":19q5qa2b said:
We_are_Stevo":19q5qa2b said:
Did the Explosif have the rack/mudguard mounts on the drop out?

I can't remember...

My '94' does :)

:shock: Is that down tube fluted? It looks like it is, does that make it a '94'?


+1 my 94{now owned by pompydave} had the fluted/detailing to the down tube :cool:

Ernie ;)
 

Attachments

  • purple explosif 002.jpg
    purple explosif 002.jpg
    107.4 KB · Views: 367
  • purple explosif 007.jpg
    purple explosif 007.jpg
    160.1 KB · Views: 367
It's not mine, it's a friends :0)
I'll get up to him later in the week to see if be wants to sell!!

He'll be happy to know what he has.... It's what I thought, but I wanted to ask you mob of knowledgeable buggers!!
 
1993 and 1994 Kona Explosif used the Tange Ultimate Ultrastrong downtube you are talking about. Call it Ribbed (Tange's name), Fluted (no idea where that came from) or Splined (Kona's name) or any other name you care to call it.

The serial will give the year of manufacture, just first few bits.

As for other tell tale differences between the two you'd need Anthony as he would know.
Probably something like the rear stay setup changed, doubt you can tell that other than the 1993 had 'a hole in the' dropouts and the 1994 had 'filled' dropouts'
 

Latest posts

Back
Top