British Columbia........Eh !
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Behind Bars
Devout Dirtbag
Anthony":22bwocb0 said:
The Original "Tange Prestige Concept" decal is at the base of the seat tube....right where the seat tube tapers into an Oval shape and meets the Bottom Bracket shell.
I bought this from the original owner.......and from all that I have read in old Kona books that a local friend has, it spells 1991.
BUT...it doesn't show red in any of his Kona books either.
Maybe someone could help me with a Kona serial Number Chart ????
I am new at navigating the site, so if theirs a KONA thread ......with serial number breakdowns.....I would greatly appreciate it.
Cheers,
Kevin.
Mostly the sticker is towards the top tube, as in the example shown below, but if this is an Explosif Pro, I believe it would have been painted in the US and that could explain the different practice. Albeit all the Explosif Pros I have seen had the sticker at the top, but custom can mean variations.Behind Bars":1pq3upx9 said:
The other thing about Explosif Pros (and I have no proof of this, it's just observation and conjecture), is that they are usually believed by their owners to be 92 bikes, but they all have 91 frames. i.e., they have the braze-on seat clamp, as opposed to the removable clamp that all other 92 frames had. So I would have an open mind as to whether your bike is a 91 or a 92, but it's a 91 frame either way. If that makes sense.
So far as I'm aware, the lower-end frames were all built at Giant's Fairly works right from the start, so all have F numbers. Early Explosifs have T numbers, T for Taiwan, and I don't know which factory they were built in. Around the time of your bike, they gave the Explosif contract to Fairly also, so your bike could be either a T or an F. As an example, F911 0289 is a 92 Explosif Pro, so it would be interesting to know whetheryour number resembles that.
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Behind Bars
Devout Dirtbag
I know with all Old BMX's that where made in Japan ( Like Kuwahara Laserlites ) theat the "T" in the sereal number represents "Tange" and indicates that the Bike was a Japaneese built Tange Frame.
I guess it's different for the Kona's ???
as well...I am a 21 Year Painter by Trade...and this is definatly the Original Paint and Decal kit.
It shows all the signs of chips and wear and the white/grey primer shows through.
Also...I scored it from the original owner...who bought it as a RED Bike.
==============================================
My Kona here....has the OG Prestige decal at the base of the tube as shown in this picture....and the serial number...stamped across the BB shell
( and I JUST notices that the nut holding the Plastic Cable guide the BB shell, is actually a Grease Nipple....so the BB can be greased..BRILLIANT!! )
So, my serial number is :
T9010 2241 ( would a good guess be that this means ) ;
"T" =Tange
90 = 1990
10 = October
Bike number 2241
?????????
Kev.
PLEASE!!!...excuse the disgusting greasy mess!!
:shock: :shock:
:shock: :shock:
I JUST picked this Baby up 2 weeks ago..and I still need to give it a good clean. It has "NOS" North Shore Mountain Mud
I guess it's different for the Kona's ???
as well...I am a 21 Year Painter by Trade...and this is definatly the Original Paint and Decal kit.
It shows all the signs of chips and wear and the white/grey primer shows through.
Also...I scored it from the original owner...who bought it as a RED Bike.
==============================================
My Kona here....has the OG Prestige decal at the base of the tube as shown in this picture....and the serial number...stamped across the BB shell
( and I JUST notices that the nut holding the Plastic Cable guide the BB shell, is actually a Grease Nipple....so the BB can be greased..BRILLIANT!! )
So, my serial number is :
T9010 2241 ( would a good guess be that this means ) ;
"T" =Tange
90 = 1990
10 = October
Bike number 2241
?????????
Kev.
PLEASE!!!...excuse the disgusting greasy mess!!
:shock: :shock:
:shock: :shock: I JUST picked this Baby up 2 weeks ago..and I still need to give it a good clean. It has "NOS" North Shore Mountain Mud
Joe@konaworld said T stood for Tange, but Tech@konaworld said it stood for Taiwan. I’m guessing one of them was guessing. Maybe both. But in favour of Tech, most serial numbers identify the factory of origin, and subsequent Tange frames didn’t have T numbers.
It’s possible that 9010 means October 1990, although of course that would indicate 1991 model year. And as I say is still consistent with it being a 1992 Explosif Pro, if the 92 Explosif Pros were an extra batch of 91 Explosif frames custom-painted and equipped in the US/Canada. Plenty of Suntour XC Pro would also be evidence in favour of that, as standard 91 Explosifs had DX kit.
The rest of the serial number has no meaning outside the factory control process, at least with the later F and H numbers (Giant’s Fairly and Hodaka factories). I think serial numbers are generally governed by the factory, not by whoever has commissioned the frames, so I doubt whether your frame was built at either Fairly or Hodaka.
Like you, I see no reason to doubt that the red paint is original, and that’s what leads me to suspect that it is a 92 Explosif Pro. It looks like a size 19, which would mean a c-t seat tube of 19.7” or 50cm, a c-c top tube of 57.5cm and could the head tube be 14cm, or is it 15? Difficult to tell with the tapered and ovalised tubes.
It’s possible that 9010 means October 1990, although of course that would indicate 1991 model year. And as I say is still consistent with it being a 1992 Explosif Pro, if the 92 Explosif Pros were an extra batch of 91 Explosif frames custom-painted and equipped in the US/Canada. Plenty of Suntour XC Pro would also be evidence in favour of that, as standard 91 Explosifs had DX kit.
The rest of the serial number has no meaning outside the factory control process, at least with the later F and H numbers (Giant’s Fairly and Hodaka factories). I think serial numbers are generally governed by the factory, not by whoever has commissioned the frames, so I doubt whether your frame was built at either Fairly or Hodaka.
Like you, I see no reason to doubt that the red paint is original, and that’s what leads me to suspect that it is a 92 Explosif Pro. It looks like a size 19, which would mean a c-t seat tube of 19.7” or 50cm, a c-c top tube of 57.5cm and could the head tube be 14cm, or is it 15? Difficult to tell with the tapered and ovalised tubes.
Behind Bars
Devout Dirtbag
Anthony....
first things first.......thanks so much for all the help and input!!
The Top Tube is 57.5 Cm
The Headtube is 15 Cm
and the seat tube is actually ( Centre / Top ) is 51.5 or 20 1/8ths
thanks again for all the help Ant,
peace,
Kev.
first things first.......thanks so much for all the help and input!!
The Top Tube is 57.5 Cm
The Headtube is 15 Cm
and the seat tube is actually ( Centre / Top ) is 51.5 or 20 1/8ths
thanks again for all the help Ant,
peace,
Kev.
canuckinboston
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Hey BB:
A big hello from another Vancouverite! Best of luck on the Catalyst build...I just finished my 1993 (see sig). Let me know if you need any parts...I have some spares in good condition lying around that may be helpful.
Olympics are great fun, even in the absence of cold and snow.
Cheers
Graham
A big hello from another Vancouverite! Best of luck on the Catalyst build...I just finished my 1993 (see sig). Let me know if you need any parts...I have some spares in good condition lying around that may be helpful.
Olympics are great fun, even in the absence of cold and snow.
Cheers
Graham
