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

[haggis]

Going by the dropouts it's a '93 or older. The OP didn't mention a fluted down tube, he said an ovalised seattube where it meets the bottom bracket. Pretty sure that's a Tange Prestige tubeset as it was only the Tange ones which had the ovalised section, my '95 Kilauea with Tange Prestige Concept tubing has the same ovailsation on the bottom of the seattube. Hence its minimum a Kilauea possibly an Explosif. But if the seller is saying its a Kilauea with those traits I'd happily take that as gospel.

Am sure there was a Kona frame numbers thread on here a few years ago if you can be bothered searching.

 

[Rampage]

Re:

The early ones didn't have the extended seattube so you will only have a couple or years to search through in the catalogs. Check frame measurement to determine year / model etc.

 

[haggis]

Post 3 mentions ovalised seattube and Tange prestige tubing.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2165&hilit=Kona+numbers

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

That a 1993 model
It dates as made 1993 January farmed out from Fairly.

Lukily that year
Explosif was easily identifiable with its ultra strong fluted/ribbed downtube
Kilauea was also identifiable by the concept tubing which means the tubes, most notable the top tube was bi-ovalised in opposite directions at each end. Not to the extremes or sizs Max-OR was but still obviously not round when you're at the bike. Oh and a bulge buttes bottom of the seatube which is quite different to the standard ovalization of the time.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

Found a picture showing the distinctive bulge butting


viewtopic.php?t=218013