• This topic has 14 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by murf.
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  • What sus forks for 92ish Kona Explosif?
  • konabunny
    Free Member

    I’m building up a 17″ Kona Explosif for a light female rider. She rides gentle singletrack (no downhill or mad jump skillz). Would like a reasonable used suspension fork but doesn’t have a ton of money. Excessive lightness/awesomeness would just be a waste, realistically. Would remote adjustment/lockout be unreasonable?

    What would fit the bill? I know sod all about sus forks because I’ve either always had rigid or just ridden whatever was already fitted/found in a skip.

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    Don’t think ’92 Konas were specced or even designed with suspension forks in mind. If it was me I’d keep it rigid, keep it light, keep it original (P2s?) – especially for ‘gentle singletrack’, just play around with tyres, seat and grips for extra comfort. If sus forks are a ‘must’ then stay at 80mm, any more would likely put the geometry off, not to mention extra loading forces on a frame not designed for such.

    80mm forks for a bike of that era? Need to find retro forks in good condition. Z2 atoms, PaceRC35 etc… canti brake mounts will be needed so rim brake specific required obviously. Have a read here

    hot_fiat
    Full Member

    ’92 kona frames were ‘suspension adjusted’, but only to a point. I think they were designed for 80mm travel forks. 100mm seems to be min available these days so whatever you fit it’ll mangle the handling a little. Further confounding the problem is that many forks are now tapered steerer only. Avoid retro forks. Elastomer sprung junk that we all used to rave about. Really, they were all crap. How’s about a set of rockshox xc32? Air fork, so tuneable for lighter riders, dirt cheap and available in 1 1/8″ CRC for about £140.

    richardk
    Free Member

    I put some old Manitou Sixes on my old Kona. 80mm travel as per above, and the handling wasn’t affected.

    Unfortunately, they may have killed the frame though. It all worked well for 10+ years of handling my XC riding without suspension, after less than a year with suspension the frame bent at the top tube/head tube and down tube/headtube junctions. Not sure if it was coincidence, or the that the frame wasn’t up for the stresses. Either way, I’d proceed with caution if you value that frame.

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    Agreed all elastomer forks were crap, but not all retro forks were elastomer. Marzocchi Bombers were some plush and stiff forks, low maintenance too. I’m still recommending rigid tho 😉

    Andy-R
    Full Member

    hot_fiat – Member
    Avoid retro forks. Really, they were all crap.

    Except Marzocchi, and for a Kona it has to be Marzocchi anyway, it’s practically the law.
    For period correctness you could try and find a set of XC51’s but personally I’d just fit a set of 100mm Z1’s from around 1997.

    beanum
    Full Member

    Weren’t ’92 Kona’s fitted with a 1″ headset? If so that’ll really restrict your choices..

    cookeaa
    Full Member

    If you’re on a budget I’d suggest looking for some early to mid 00’s Marzocchi MX Comps, they came in 80mm (100mm versions can be spaced down too), they’re Air sprung so they can be adjusted to suited a lighter rider, probably not as light as a more current fork but they’re very simple, easy to maintain forks…

    Straight steerer, IS Disc and V mounts, QR, its all a bit “Old School” these days but perfectly suited for what you need IMO…

    letmetalktomark
    Full Member

    92 were 1 1/8” but used a quil stem and their own Impact headset.

    IIRC they were originally supplied with a rigid fork with an AtoC of 390mm.
    I thought that these weren’t suspension corrected.

    Later 90’s rigid Konas were supplied with 410mm AtoC rigid forks.

    390mm AtoC + Sub 60mm travel (Mag 31, Manitou 4 etc)
    410mm AtoC = Approximately 63-65mm travel
    425mm AtoC = Approximately 80mm

    All that said I have always thought that Konas have benefited from a slightly longer fork.

    For the OP I would have thought either go retro with a super reliable Marzocchi like a Z2 with 65mm travel or run a modern(ish) Reba and space the fork to around 80mm or just under.

    I ran a Kona of this sort of age with a 2008 Reba set at 70mm.

    1994:

    1999:

    zippykona
    Full Member

    I started at 65 mm, went to 80 and that felt fine. 100 was way too much.

    konabunny
    Free Member

    thank you all very much for your advice. I will sit down and try to think it all through! cheers

    PTR
    Free Member

    I used to my 93 Cindercone on Manitou Spyder R forks.
    I still use the bike now, but for shorter rides with my son, I’ve refitted the original P2s, it rides great, really sharp steering, it will cover the same ground as my full usser, but slower. the only downside is that I would not want to ride it all day, a couple of hours is fine.

    40mpg
    Full Member

    Konabunny, is it the black 92 Explosif which originally had Suntour Microdrive kit, or the slightly later (more 93) one which was 2-tone grey and had XT/XTR?

    I have an original pair of Rockshox Quadras (60mm travel I think) from the later one, might need some new elastomers though!

    I do remember even these affected the handling though!

    njee20
    Free Member

    I’d try and get some old SIDs on eBay, likely dirt cheap, very light, short, more than adequate for her use.

    murf
    Free Member

    I’ve got 80mm Fox RL 80’s on mine.
    Nice and light, work well and haven’t changed the handling.

    Oh, on a 1996 Cinder Cone.

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