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Nice to see a rider. What's your inside leg? 
Kona Explosif 1997 - "look, a golden bike!"
- Thread starter al-onestare
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33"
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aha! mine is 32/33 with a long body to make up my 6'3"
A-ha - you might be ok then - defo go with a longer stem though ;-)
Nope, there're on as nature intended them (and the top tube cable routing determines).
paulswheels
Senior Retro Guru
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Very Nice, Glad to see the old girl doesn't mind a bit of a thrashing once in a while.
No pic's but got in a 2 hour stint yesterday in the sun and whilst the paths are still boggy in places we actually had a half decent average speed. I can't praise the boots enough; they ate up the mud and I didn't have to put a foot down once. Well worth the money. Also she's sporting a modern remake Flite.
The reason for the post is another comment from a little boy out with his Dad on a clapped out Halfords special. His exact words were: "wow Daddy, look at him go - he's got a GOLDEN bike!!!"
The reason for the post is another comment from a little boy out with his Dad on a clapped out Halfords special. His exact words were: "wow Daddy, look at him go - he's got a GOLDEN bike!!!"
May 2015, here she is:
So, after the previous week's jaunt on the Kilauea it was time to compare the ride.
It probably sounds obvious - and I assume this is what Kona were trying to achieve back then - this bike is proper racey. The Kilauea is a more comfortable ride, it soaks up the bumps more than this, front suspension aside. I'm much more out the saddle on this which could be down to the size difference, but I think is more to do with the stays and tube-set. The Kilauea feels more aluminium but with a zip and zeal. This is 100% zip and zeal and very rigid.
However, because this is more twitchy, more edgy, it makes you a) be much more aware of your lines and b) encourages you to go faster. This is a good thing.
In simple terms, if I want to go super-fast and have a massive smile on my face, I chose the Explosif. If I want to go fast and be out for longer, I chose the Kilauea. Add the Manomano in for pure nut-case riding, then it's a pretty sweet stable
So, after the previous week's jaunt on the Kilauea it was time to compare the ride.
It probably sounds obvious - and I assume this is what Kona were trying to achieve back then - this bike is proper racey. The Kilauea is a more comfortable ride, it soaks up the bumps more than this, front suspension aside. I'm much more out the saddle on this which could be down to the size difference, but I think is more to do with the stays and tube-set. The Kilauea feels more aluminium but with a zip and zeal. This is 100% zip and zeal and very rigid.
However, because this is more twitchy, more edgy, it makes you a) be much more aware of your lines and b) encourages you to go faster. This is a good thing.
In simple terms, if I want to go super-fast and have a massive smile on my face, I chose the Explosif. If I want to go fast and be out for longer, I chose the Kilauea. Add the Manomano in for pure nut-case riding, then it's a pretty sweet stable
