The post in my ’92 Fire Mountain is 26.8.
I can run a Panaracer in 1.95 in the back, but nothing more.
Upto ’91 the seat-post collar was part of the frame (did I read that up the page somewhere too?)
This was at less than a month old …
(It’s still got it’s F&R reflectors on, threaded forks and quill stem too, none of that fancy new threadless headset malarkey).
Since then it’s been raced, toured on, had suspension, got through several wheelsets and untold component upgrades and is now set up with disc only 29er project 2’s but with a 26″ front wheel (with a Bonty 2.35) and it rides brilliantly.
The next stage in it’s evolution is to give it the same front end as my Swift; so it’ll be getting loop-bars, and a set of Salsa Enabler forks, but sticking with a 26″ 135mm OLN front wheel (rather than a 29er like the Swift has), and there is a WI screw-on freewheel somewhere in it’s future too.
Yeah yeah, so the garden has overgrown a little bit in the 20 years between the pictures … 😉
My Explosif, owned by me since new and still in regular use offroad as SS or fixed.
Dropouts replaced by local framebuilder Charlie Ralph at Alves after the chainstay snapped, I also got him to do a rear V-brake cable stop… the paint, dents, and all the other cable stops I left as evidence our time together (and coz I was skint at the time).
My mates got my 94 Kilauea (19 inch) with near original spec that he might be willing to sell if anyone is interested. he’s based in Cornwall (Bodmin).
oooooooooh – i’ve just purchased a complete 16″ Hahanna off ebay for £60, not too old as ahead, i think its gonna get the WI SS treatment, ….now i just need to collect it and inform the wife that it may not actually be for her :/
You look at a 90s Trek and you just want to put it in a skip. All these bikes just want me to put them in my front room so I can look at them.
I love you all!
Your friend has good taste, I’ve got a DX v-brake on the back of my Lava Dome
That DX v brake is mine 😆 i lent it to him years ago, i might have to wrestle it back off him in exchange for some Avids. I have the other DX’s on the front of the Cinder Cone (to go with the red Sid’s).
Thanks Donk for the rear v brake adaptor- its made the bike look all tidy 😀
Still trying to scrape £30 for a seatpost and collar before i can go ride 😥
Think it’s 26.8, but my friends calipers are broke too.
More pretty scenic pics to follow when i can go ride 😀
I havn’t read if you found the v-brake collar, but what I did was to use the existing collar, that I see you still have. I replaced the bolt with an old barrel adjuster from a rear mech, turned the collar 90 degrees and ran the cable through it.
oooooooooh – i’ve just purchased a complete 16″ Hahanna off ebay for £60, not too old as ahead, i think its gonna get the WI SS treatment, ….now i just need to collect it and inform the wife that it may not actually be for her :/
Turned out to be pretty tatty and its 21.5″ett too short for me so the Mrs gets it!
My 92 Lava Dome recently rebuilt into 7 speed guise (using almost all the old components) with uber practical mudguards for child trailer towing duties.
i love the old steel konas.i always wanted one,but alas alak i never did buy one (although i was close to buying a lava dome 1989-90? like this one 🙂
i have seen a lovely explosif (the old copper coloured one) on the k & a canal near bradford on avon.
i suppose my charge duster is the nearest i will get to riding one of those konas (it is pretty similar looking to the kona frames also tange prestige tubing 🙂
My rather trick (trick as in the original term for bling) 1993 Explosif. Just resprayed and covered in some rather drool worthy componentry. Maguras, Mavi ceramics on Goldtec hubs, Royce BB, Middleburns, XT drivetrain with gripshift. It’s basically a minter and will get its first ride on the Retrobike southern ride at Leith Hill very soon
I could probably pick up a new frame for that price. Once you’ve factored in a respray and that it’s my commuter it’s not worth spending the money, I’ll only be needing to fix something else soon after.
My Explosif frame has cost me a gnats under £400 including buying the frame, forks, paint, frame mods and decals but it’s perfect now. It’s not worth it in ££££ but, hey, it’s mine and it’s unique. 🙂
I’ve been trying to break my Explosif for 15 years. I have a love/hate relationship with it. When the chainstay snapped at the dropout it wasn’t “killed” enough so I got it fixed… I need to rip the headtube off it or destroy the main tubes… then, and only then, will I call it properly dead 😈