What to do with my Kona explosif pro

[Explosif Phil]

You are right, XC trails haven't changed that much. Some improvements such as suspension and disk brakes really are improvements, but many others are marketing strategies to sell a product that isn't bought regularly. I keep up with the guys I ride with locally (Sketchy MTB / Kent) using a rigid steel bike, but after an hour or so my shoulders ache due to past injuries and this is why I haved finally swapped to 80mm travel suspension forks.
I think because your frame was never intended to be used with Sus forks sell the bike and buy or build a Retrobike tha suits your riding style. The quality of parts from BITD tends to be much higher. My Z2 forks are an engineering masterpeice, and everyone knows steel frame KONA'S Rock !
Be a leader not a follower . . .

 

[assti]

I was always under the impression that I rode all tracks back then without suspension so I should be ok now.
That was until I went to Cannock chase, Rode the tracks a few times now and love it but think it would be a lot less bone, shaking and eye wobbling with a bit of front suspension at least. Brakes and gears seem up to anything so it is mainly the suspension side of it.

 

[al-onestare]

It's your bike - do what you want with it.

My 2 pence would be to keep it as is and give it a full restoration. If you're cycling fairly regularly, invest in a more modern machine for that and use the Explosif for every now and then - when you want a back in the day blast.

 

[RadNomad]

x.

 

[RadNomad]

It has been said here that your 1992 Explosif frame was not designed for suspension forks. That maybe true but i'm not yet convinced there's any real difference to the later frames. Is there really any merit to the "most frames were suspension adjusted from the mid-90s" claim?
If you look through the old catalogues it seems to be the other way around i.e. fork manufacturers were making forks to fit existing rigid frame designs. I suggest this because front suspension tricked into the Kona range more and more through the '90s without any significant (at least as far as i can tell) change in geometry. It seems that it wasn't until later (for Kona meaning the post Joe Murray / classic sloping top tube era) that frame geometry was altered significantly for suspension.
According to the catalogues, 1992 Explosif had the same head angles (70.5 or 71 degrees depending on frame size), same seat angle (74 or 73 degrees depending on frame size) and a tiny difference in wheelbase of 0.3", taking a mid-sized 19" frame as an example as the 1996 Explosif. The 1992 was rigid, yet the 1996 had suspension.
Based on this i don't see any problem whatsoever fitting suspension forks on your 1992 Explosif, provided they are short travel as was already suggested. I did the measurements on the rigid forks of my LavaDome and found the new 80mm Rockshox in the LBS (i.e. SID RL, RLT, XX etc) to have exactly the right length, taking appropriate sag into consideration. But they don't have canti mounts.
Unless i've missed something - which is certainly possible - i think you could fit suspension to your '92 Explosif and end up with exactly what you're looking for - a retro rocket with a bit of comfort.
Your challenge will be finding forks with canti brake mounts in great condition.
Right then, what did i miss...? Hit me with it!

 

[assti]

Think as long as I can find some suitable suspension forks I am going to go down the route of replacing the forks and seeing how it goes. Worse case scenario , I don't like them and the project 2s go back on.

So what short travel forks would be best suited for the explosif frame????????

 

[Pyro Tim]

Pace RC35, IMHO

 

[FluffyChicken]

I was always under the impression that I rode all tracks back then without suspension so I should be ok now.
That was until I went to Cannock chase, Rode the tracks a few times now and love it but think it would be a lot less bone, shaking and eye wobbling with a bit of front suspension at least. Brakes and gears seem up to anything so it is mainly the suspension side of it.

I've always ridden suspension since ~1992 and don't like going back. I loved my 2" of travel, oh and still do

 

[Kona lover]

I have a 92 explosif in gold like the one above which I have just taken off a pair of orange Z1 bombers. Can't remember what size frame either 18 or 19" I think.

They are 1 1/8" steerer with 160mm length of which 50mm is threaded.

I don't ride anything that rough to really need susp forks so are putting P2's back on.

 

[assti]

Kona lover, are you interested in selling the bombers??