Weird Kona Explosif, likely fake but maybe not?

[Guigui58]

Hi all,

This will be a job for the Kona nerds! I just bought what I though was a Kona Explosif on Kijiji for almost nothing! I just finished to remove the parts, now only the frame remains. There are many red flags which make me believe that might not an Explosif like I originally though...

What is legit :
- It had mostly Deore XT components (front and rear derailleurs, brake levers, canti brakes, cranks), the rest was Deore DX (hubs, top mount shifters).
- Decals.

What is less legit :
- Appears to be made with something else than Tange Prestige Concept, tubes are not oval shapped like they are supposed to be and the Tange sticker is missing on the seat tube.
- Frame weights a ton, a little over 6 lbs.
- I suspect that the bike has been re painted, there seems to be 2 layers of paint where the cables rubbed on the head tube.

What is weird :
There is a Tange Champion No. 2 sticker on the downtube. To my knowledge Kona never used this tubing for their mountain bikes.

What did I buy today? Did somebody tried to make himself a homemade Explosif using a lower end frame and good components? Is it some weird Explosif made of something else that Tange Prestige Concept? Or a legit Explosif and I missed something in my research?

Note :
We can't see well, but serial # starts with F1 meaning it is likely a 1991 model made in 1991 in Taiwan.

 

[eric_james]

interested to see what it is

 

[JCS]

I don’t think that’s a genuine Explosif as it doesn’t have the ‘bulge’ at the bottom of the seat tube.
That seat tube looks ovalised at the bottom, like the lower end cromoloy frames.
That’s a 1991 frame as it has the plastic cable guide on the seat tube and the brazed on seat post clamp.
I think all Kona models were available in black in 1991, so possibly a lower end model in black that someone has added an Explosif sticker to.

 

[FluffyChicken]

6lb, sounds dull but like nothing will break it?
FM/Hahanna frame in Kona Black.

Sound a bit like my old Townsend that came with 200GS and ended up with XT and stuff.

Unless anyone can tell you how to move it up to a CC/LD frame.

 

[Oldtat]

I have a 91 Hahanna that looks identical

 

[JRGSXR]

After close inspection, I’m leaning towards the previous 3 posts. Squashed bottom to the seat tube, and the weight of the bare frame indicate Hahanna/Fire mountain.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Squashed bottom (ovalised) is not a good indicator of anything other than it's not the bulged out ovalised bottom of the Explosif.
That style ovalised seattube/bb junction was used in the very top end tubing as well, until larger diameter tubes came about.

 

[Guigui58]

Thank you everyone for the replies! I also come to the conclusion that this is most likely a Hahanna / Fire Mountain. My 1991 Cinder Cone also has the "squashed" bottom, but it is the same size and the frame is lighter by 1 lbs or so.

Somebody must have really wanted an Explosif and made himself one!

The Tange Champion No. 2 sticker is still weird since the Hahanna / Fire Mountain both used Kona cromoly tubes. I also don't see why somebody would it there and removed the other sticker on the seat tube...