Kona Explosif 1997 team edition

[al-onestare]

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Paying Pip a visit, he couldn't resist a few shots - and I'm stoked he did!

I finally got her clean and reconstructed after Phoenix. She's sporting new boots for the season ahead after I finally got through the pair of XC Pro's. They'd lasted really well all things considered so I had a new pair to fit. Marked 2.1 they clearly aren't and barely come to 1.8 which are hopeless for me, so the re-issued Smoke and Darts make an (another) appearance.

Hurry up spring!

 

[wadsy]

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Nice pics

 

[magas]

Re: Kona Explosif 1997 team edition - AZ action

great prics of great bikes

 

[Paul R]

Re: Kona Explosif 1997 team edition - AZ action

Cracking pair of kona's

 

[al-onestare]

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Back in the day no-one I knew had satellite TV. I had no way of watching MTB racing apart from VHS copies of Mud Cows and the like (which I was never really interested in). I was a student too so funds were wasted on all the usual crap with anything left over going towards my '95 then '96 Cinder Cone.

Social media came up trumps yesterday when this channel came up in a feed. It's got some incredible footage so after enjoying and chuckling at Jonny T in his Kapun 93 skin-suit, I had a quick look for any 1996/97 action:

BINGO! Grundig 1997, Napa Valley. Lesley - at the ripe age of 37 - coming 4th, riding the rasta-flames Hei-Hei (and later on Dario doing his best in the men's - can anyone ID the rider at the start behind Bart?). Sure it's fuzzy, but you can pause and see it - green forks and all.

For me, there's something special seeing the bikes I fawn over being ridden hard, the way they were intended, by the riders up this point I've only seen photographs of.

Hopefully there's more to find

 

[1552]

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Love watching these old vids, really takes me back and reminds me why I love this era of MTB.
It's always interesting to try and pick out what kit was being used and what the build spec was on the bikes.
Interesting to see most were running m950+ xtr, or magura/gripshift except Volvo/Cannondale still running canti brakes?

 

[al-onestare]

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Well, as if finding another 97 Caldera in one day wasn't enough, thanks to boxxer, we have, I think (I have seen a smaller version before but I'm pretty sure that's based down in Florida and this is much further north on the east coast), another "team" Explosif. More details to come hopefully. Maybe the Canadian flag means it's seen some race action...

What a day!

 

[Sjh1986]

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I have a thing about the old Konas - lovely bike that

 

[al-onestare]

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Whilst the winter months roll by and the fleet wait for drier climates, IG and social media continue to throw-up some quality, previously unseen/hidden away insight. We touched on the 96/97 to 97/98 team transitions previously and last week, this brilliant picture of Dave came up which once and for all confirms that the team were riding painted HH's for most, if not all of that season, before the (in)famous rasta-flames versions we're familiar with. All the HH signs are there. Can you spot them?

:shock:

So many brilliant things about this picture not least that helmet! And if anyone has a pair of those shoes in size 10 hit me up! And is he really riding Scratch and Sniff tyres? I can't imagine he is - there're terrible - but the labels look an awful lot like them In terms of timing, my take is this was taken in the second half the season as he's running V's and XTR M950 drive-train.

 

[romanrinos]

Even matching socks to the Troy Lee Helmet.

From the top tube angle, it seems likely that this was also the 96' Hei Hei KK that they made in 6al4v - stiffened up for the team riders.