1991 Explosif sizing question

[DocBraunson]

so i believe that i just bought a 1991 Explosif as its serial ends with 91 and is prestige concept. the issue is that i measures 18" c-c and 21"ct. according to the 91 Catalog they only offered a 20". so if it is a 91 it must be a 18" sized frame. Maybe its a 92 made in 91 because the 92 catalog shows a 21" size and also in the 93 cat it shows a 21" and specifies that they measure c-t.

it looks like i have 1992 21" to me do i????

if so i am only 5'10"and this would be to big for me correct?


doc

 

[hamster]

As to the fit, it's really hard to generalise - it depends a lot on your leg length relative to your torso.

If you find it comfortable then that's fine. If you are too stretched out or scrunched up then clearly not.

 

[Anthony]

I don't believe the year of any Kona is indicated by the end of the serial number, but if you think it's either a 91 or a 92, then that is determined by whether it has a braze-on seat clamp (up to 91) or not (from 92 on). If it has a braze-on clamp facing forward, it's a 91.

As to size, my belief (not widely shared, but I'm fairly confident of it) is that in 91 and 92 Kona measured size from the outside of the bb shell to the top of the seat tube. So if the frame measures c20.75 on a c-t basis, it would be a size 20. What is the length of the head tube and the c-c length of the top tube? That will help to fix it.

A side-on picture would also help.

 

[DocBraunson]

thanks Anthony! yup its got the braze-on seat clamp facing forward, 25" c-c top tube and 6 3/4" head tube. its apparent that whatever the "size" its a larger one... so build or not to build is now the question. thanks and let me know what your final verdict is!

 

[Anthony]

Hey Doc, your 6 3/4 = 17cm head tube is just what I'd expect of a 1991 size 20, but you'd need to be six feet ten for a 25" top tube! Just hoping you really meant 23"/58.5cm, but you had a champagne breakfast (well it is Friday). If so, that would also imply 1991 size 20.

Is a bike with a 23" top tube too big for someone of 5-10? Well I'd say it would be too big with its original 15cm stem (that was intended for height range 6-0 to 6-6), but with an 11cm stem it would be the same length as a 1991 size 18, which should be fine. And the longer head tube could be an advantage, as the problem with some of the older frames with 39cm a-c forks is that the bars are so low.

So allowing for the fact that I'm making a lot of flagrant assumptions and guesses (well it is Friday), I'd say it's possible you might find it too big in the end, but it's well worth giving it a try.

Does it look like this one, or is it purple?

 

[DocBraunson]

top tube is 23" actually...damn champagne... and yeah it looks just like that! black and came with the 1 1/8th threaded P2 and 150mm Velocity. honestly this would probably see more road than anything else so maybe it will work nicely. either that or i try to pass it onto someone who has been wanting one of these and search for one smaller....but i just can't let go. Thanks once again!