I am the very proud ( new) owner of a gorgeous 96 Kona explosif the olive green one.
I want to shorten the stem and also fit some pace rc 36 forks.
Im told that the bike will have a threaded stearer....is this going to cause major problems with me finding forks and stem to fit?
If you're changing the forks and the stem, the only other thing you'll need to change is the headset itself.
The headtube on that frame is almost certainly 1.125", which is the same as modern aheadsets, so you can buy pretty much any "threadless" headset you like to go with your new forks and stem.
Beware though that the frame will not like long suspension forks - either opt for short travel, or something with adjustable travel that you can "wind" in.
the original FORKS which came with the bike had a threaded steerer. If it has a headset fitted, it may well be an old-stylee threaded headset.
The frame itself will be fine with more modern forks and stem when you bash a threadless headset in. You might struggle to find a fork with short enough travel though.
Lovely bike - I have a 98 Kona
96 Kona should be 1 1/8" steerer so any forks should do. Will need to replace stem with a modern ahead, and wheel/brakes if cant find a fork that runs v-brakes.
The other consideration is that will need forks with only 80mm travel as thats what its designed for.
Apologies if all this obvious!
Noooo none of its obvious! I need all the help I can get....well it all sounds positive so far!
Shes a gorgeous bike and the 'ping' factor on the frame is sexxxxy...lol.
Ive ridden a 96 kilauea from new.. and love the old stuff!
My '95 Kilauea is still going strong (after welding back together the snapped dropout...)
As above, the steerer is 1 1/8" which is still the standard now so as long as you get that, you'll be fine.
I can't recall for certain whether the the stem and headset are for threaded headset or threadless which is the norm now though I do think it was threaded. If they are threaded, you'll need a new stem and headset (I know that '95 konas had threaded steerers and '97 ones were threadless)
Forks with 80mm travel (like Pace RC36) work perfectly with it.
spec [url= http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=1996&Brand=Kona&Model=Kilauea&Type=bike ]here[/url]
[i]My '95 Kilauea is still going strong (after welding back together the snapped dropout...)[/i]
mmm...95. The greatest vintage EVER. My Explosif is still being ridden all the time. 80mm Marathons on it. Never found anything which comes even close in terms of riding enjoyment.
I think the 95/ 96 Konas were the best !
I adore riding my 96 killy....its sch a sweet ride. Its been welded twice and still going strong ( I hope ).
At 5ft 9 I hovver between the 17 and 18'' frames. The explosif is a 19 and so will give a totally different ride....hence the shortened stem.
I don't know if I love mine just because of all the memories and riding I did on it but it is something that I could never sell on.
I'm just putting it back together at the moment as a commuter/bike to put a child seat on but I'm making sure it's offroadable since I'll still be doing exactly that when the occassion suits 🙂
In fact, here it is (repainted a couple of times since the original white)
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Nice... though I have to confess to always having a soft spot for the white killy.
OT - All this best thing ever about old stuff baffels me some what, if you take a look at the present issue of STW and turn to pg 104, it kinda backs up my thoughts.
mudguards? tensioner? Oh, the humanity. I ought to call the RSPCK
Steve_b77
If the raving about old school rides baffle you so much.....then why has the trend for steel bikes come back round again?
I have ridden my 96 killy almost every day from new...its ridden over the himalayas,lejog,ireland end to end, been welded on a tibetan plateau, sees me into work every day.....and do you know what she still kicks arse on the trails.
Guess you are right though....old school baffles me too....or is it just about finding something that works for you and sticking with it?
mudguards in Bristol for a bike that's used all year round are a must 🙂
Same for SS...
😉
(anyway it's being built up gear now though it may well have mudguards)
Steve, I read the article and TBH I found it a bit suprising - most trails that I ride now are similar to what I rode 15ish years ago when I first got the Kona. IIRC, that article took a 90s bike with a race-orientated setup onto a freeridey type trail and unsuprisingly found it a bit of a handful. No different to if you took a bang-up-to-date XC race bike on them.
I'm no retro freak - as I said above, it's the history I have with my Kona that makes me love it - but equally if it continues to ride perfectly well what's the issue? Some bikes stand the test of time (eg original Turners are just slightly shorter travel versions of many contemporary full sussers) so they continue to be fine to ride now.
geek/ Sure it's not a '94 if it's olive green? Think '96 was blue.
'94 also had a fluted downtube & a flared seattube.
97 was blue. 96 definitely metallic green.
Brack - I was only wondering, I have a Steel HT but it's a '08 Handjob with U-turn Revs on it. I know it's steel but it's a new incarnation of older styled/geometry steel frames.
The whole thing baffled the hell outta me when I was into cars too, but thats just me.
Clubber - suppose so, a better comparison may be a more of a UK trail type centre, no?
fsa orbit xl11 headset inc. starnut and top cap for 20 quid at on-one or merlin for 22 IIRC.
This was mine:
[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=y41nag&outx=600&quality=70 [/img]
Hey J love the look of that...thats how Id like her to look so thanks for that.
Have you still got that bike?
What size?
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This is my 97 Explosif. Had it resprayed for the 2nd time last year in colours similar to the 96 colours with 96 stickers. Its original colour was metallic orange/rust not blue as mentioned above for a 97
That colour looks more like a 96 Kilauea
I should have my 94 cinder cone sorted over the weekend, just trying to work out the SS gearing.
doesn't look anywhere near as nice as the last two, but that I would hope makes it less appealing to robbing buggers as its gonna be used as a town / pub bike
That colour looks more like a 96 Kilauea
Its British Racing Green done by Mercian Cycles in Derby
how do you mount discs on the old bikes? I've got a 97 explosif i fancy doing up but would like to stick discs on if possible (obviously just the rear's a problem as no caliper mount)
Mine (the blue one above) has a very retro Hope C2 with a built in mount that fits on the dropout and the brake pivot on the seatstay. You need a Hope hub with specific shorter axle.
Forks such as rebas and fox, can be adjusted with internal spacers.
I meant to get round to running spaced out 65mm travel rebas to my old steel marin, never quite got roun to it though, still got the p2's on it.
J.
Pretty much any fork can be limited to short travel - just add some spacers in with the top out bumpers to limit how far they can extend.
how do you mount discs on the old bikes?
there are after market adapters such as the A2Z or something of the sort or you could have one welded on. lots of places will do it to steel frames, some for alu and the occasional for Ti
how do you mount discs on the old bikes?
I had a mount welded on, again by Mercian when i had it resprayed the first time
My 95 Kileaua just before it snapped -
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The replica of it in it's orginal state that I made for my (then) little lad -
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Where did it snap and how?
That ickle bike is fab!
they all snapped on the right dropout by the chainstay. Yours should be ok as they changed the design
And where did you get this lovely bike brack, and where's me £20 finder's fee:)?
Fenner...horne?
Noop sorry never heard of you!?
Only joshin with ya.....you should have received it bud. Thanks again!
Top bloke!
got it, cheers 'Gonadnomad' 😆
Anybody else want me to find anything?
[url= http://www.bikeSmart.org.uk ]null[/url]
No probs....great website btw.
Could you keep an eye out for a 16/ 17 inch kona for the other half.
Max spend = £100
You know the sort Im looking for....
Hey do you want this 96 Hahanna?
and another one. Running with 85mm Rebas and feels fine with plenty of sag.
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old school steel Konas always look good
For anyone interested, just finished rebuilding my Kilauea. Rode it in today - brilliant - always reminds me of old times 🙂
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I like the muddy front, clean rear combo
Ah yes, the proper front wheel hasn't arrived yet so I had to borrow the wheel from my SS.