Genuine Kilauea, or not? Is it even a Kona!

[al-onestare]

My detective skills are nowhere near as good as others on here but I'll give it a stab. F3, I think, means a 93 production run. That would, potentially mean it's the year of the dual fade schema, which, if blue / green, would make it a Cinder Cone (sadly not an Explosif as it hasn't got the fluted downtube, although not all of those had that back then either).

It's a real mish-mash of parts, and, for me at least, I think the respray and decal work is pretty nasty. Of course, it's yours so do what you want with it!

 

[stedlocks]

Thanks mate.... I agree with the decal/paintwork....if I can find a p2 fork, I've got plans for it though! The rear drop outs have a kind of little 'bar' that runs across them, as opposed to the later years when the drop outs were one piece, so I think you are correct with the ageing.... Oh well, a cindercone is still pretty nice!

 

[suburbanreuben]

Re:

You could have warned us about that chainset...

 

[stedlocks]

I know...it's minging.
The plot thickens though.....I uncovered some more of the paint and found a good clear bit....it's a kind of minty green...almost pastel. So, I googled 'pastel green vintage kona mtb', and several pictures of 1988 explosifs came up. It seems to be the exact colour too..



Now, the dropouts are the same, but with 2 mudguard braze ons, instead of the one on mine, and the top of the seat tube is different, but it does look like the original colour......did 88 explosifs have a fluted down tube? ....I know it's not, but what other konas were that colour?
Come on detectives.....solve the mystery!

 

[unkleGsif]

Re:

88's had U brakes on the rear, who's posts are in a totally different place to v/canti posts

Earlier ones also ran 1" head tubes and the geometry was much different, with less sloping top tubes and longer head tubes

They also had little cable noodles / pipes that ran the cable innet around the seat tube junction

 

[mrdryskull]

Re:

Pulled out my Explosif and took some pics,,yes,seat tube is bulged.
F1021948

 

[stedlocks]

That looks identical... Thanks Mr!
Is the downtube fluted?

 

[Splatter Paint]

Re:

Not an 1989-90 model, to many differences in the design as pointed out above. Post '91 for sure. What size seatpost does it take?

SP

 

[mrdryskull]

Re:

No,,I think only the Hot had fluted down tube,T.E.T. made,,the explosif was Taiwan,,I remember the Hot had differend downtube decals with lines to show off the ridges of the flutes..looked at my other Explosif frame,# H7HU 5657,,97, different dropouts than catalog,but same as my 97 Caldera...No Bulged seat tube .

 

[We_are_Stevo]

Re:

I'm inclined to go along with LGF's later Cindercone theory; the green Cindercone has always been my favourite...