Kona 'Explosif' frame - expert opinion please!

[Boron]

Hi - just picked this up on the cheap for a project.

However, upon closer inspection I am in doubt as to whether this actually is an Explosif frame. It doesn't appear to be repainted, but I suspect it might be a lesser chromo frame (Fire Mountain? Caldera?) that's had a 'sticker upgrade'.

Any way to tell what the frame is originally? The seat tube is ovalised into the BB but otherwise no distinguishing features. I can get the serial number under the cable guide on the BB if that would help.

Thanks for any help :|

 

[FluffyChicken]

serial number would help, as would he sun buggering off to I could see my computer screen, that or I really need to buy some blinds.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Is the ovailsed seatube bottom a bulged out oval.
Is that a bit of ovaling I see at the front of the top tube ?

The stickers are not correct though (not V's and downtube cabling)

 

[LikeClockwork]

Re:

It's this one, isn't it....?

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=357891

 

[Boron]

Re:

Heh! Yes, that's the one. Seems we went through a similar thought process.

I adopted the "buy first, ask questions later" policy as I also spotted it late. It seemed worth a punt (and seeing the letters 'Explosif' triggers a sort of pavlovian reaction in me which I can't override). Turned out it was a genuine sale and the owner for good reasons didn't know much about it (son's bike lying in the garage unused for years as you rightly surmised).

No ovalisation of the TT; just the seat tube.

Frame numbers: F309--88 (one or two digits unreadable). And also 4I 58. I'm guessing Fire Mountain, but year...?

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

93 or 94, but I think 1994 as although in mobile reply i cannot see the code I think it was F309xxxx so 1993 Sept made?

You cannot tell model from the code, you may be able to of you knew others close to it.
With no ovalising of the tubes or bulged oval seattube it's not an explosif or a kiluea (concept tubing) of either year.
It does have a bulge butted seattube by the looks of it (the smooth but toward the top tube)
So could be the standard range tubing. So a Cindy/Lava frame.

Can look in more detail at a later time if others haven't already.

 

[Boron]

Re:

Thanks for the response, yes you're right - 1993 it is.

I emailed Kona who have been helpful but it seems the frame numbers weren't conclusive, as you say. They have narrowed it down to a '93 Explosif, Kilauea or Cinder Cone.

Not sure if I understood your comments about the seat tube: it is ovalised at the bottom but not the top. Research shows the following pics but maybe there's no way to tell for sure….?

Cinder Cone
http://www.pedalroom.com/bike/1993-kona ... e-mtb-8714

Kilauea
viewtopic.php?t=36888

Explosif
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=256622

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

Bulge butting is just the smooth butting of a tube, but on the outside, nothing to do with ovals.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

This is traditional ovalising of the seattube
On the Cindy

This is different to the newer style Tange used on its higher end tubing.
Explosif/kilauea

 

[ovlov440]

Stickers are definitely not original as the 1993 sticker design was much smaller and cleaner.

Kona list the weight of a 1993 Explosif as 4lb 4oz (bare frame) so maybe that is going to be the only way of telling for sure.

Difficult to tell from the photos but is the frame black or very dark green?

Also I thought the one way to tell an Explosif is if it had a fluted downtube....