'New' bike – Classic Kona content

So this has taken a looooong time for me to collect the bits, get the frame sprayed and modified and build, due to various work related delays, but here it is: The bike I always wanted!
I dropped lucky with a Marin covered in retro bling off Fleabay, and some of the bits (eg – Bottle cage) took some finding. I never intened it to be a faithful restoration, but the colour is as close to the OE one as I could find at Argos (It’s a 1993 USA spec frame. They were singele colours where the UK ones were a grey/colour fade) The parts are a mix if stuff I would have liked to upgraded to if I’d have bought the bike new in ’93. The only thing that is wrong is the seatpost, I need to swap it for a silver one. But anyway, I’m proud of this one, so here’s some pics 🙂

The frame as I bought it
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IMG_2519[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

And freshly painted
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IMG_3223[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

And finally finished
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IMG_3493[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_3495[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_3501[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_3500[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_3505[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_3510[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_3498[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_3502[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_3504[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_3496[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

Spec
1993 Kona Explosif, Triple Butted P2s, Velocity stem, Kona bars(Frame moddeed with open cable guides for Maguras, cable hanger removed from stem)
8Sp XT mechs, Sachs gripshifts
Magura HS33 brakes
XTR headset
Middleburn crankset spinnging on a Royce Titanium BB (Oh yeah!)
Salsa Skewers
Ringle H2O bottle cage
Green Goldtec hubs, Mavic ceramic rims, NOS Tioga Tyres
Syncros seatpost, SDG saddle

Weight is a smidge over 24lb with pedals and bottle cage

Is that the one with the externally butted down tube?

Cut that rear skewer down before you do a mischief.

Lovely.

that’s lovely 🙂

Brant, yes, it’s sort of ‘fluted’ externally.

Good idea on the QR! 🙂

awesome!

Fluted! That’s the word.
I was a photoshoot rider (not really a test rider) when that model got reviewed in MBUK. Had my wacky 1991 sunglasses on. We were ragging them around peat cloughs up on the moor at the back of Oxenhope.
Lovely lovely frame.

that does look lovely, even if it pre-dates my mtb’ing experiences by 10 years…

That looks well nice Peter. 😀

Ace!

That is very nice indeed.

Cheers guys 🙂

The stem and forks are a bit too ‘gold’ really, they should have been a champagne colour, but without spending £££££££££££ on a special colour that was as colse as I could find. Looks ace in the sunlight though!

Nice work – almost seems a shame to get it dirty…

That is genuinely lovely Peter – you’re going to have to be very careful not to leave it unattended if I’m about …

nice.
if you ever need a spare set of tioga psychos – think i have some in the shed.

HTTP, I think the Psychos might be for ‘display purposes only’ to be fair!

ADH – I thought you might like that… You still got yours?

ohh I’m liking that. Classy.

Yup, I still have my ’98, still riding it every week. Its looking a bit tatty compared to that mind! I think the only original bit left on it is the seat post collar too 🙂

I did buy a ’94 lavadome, but didn’t have time or space to restore it. Some very kind soul donated me a ’97 Aha!, so that is my summer project.

I’d still like to track down a Kona Hot or something. Or maybe another explosif and keep it retro and tarty, like yours.

me likey muchly, however it only scores a 9.5 because the front needs dishing a tad to the right.

that is so nice. Hat doff’ed sir.

first time i’ve EVER seen a retro ike that i’d want.

that is proper. absolutely classic, and exactly the era when i first bought magazines and got into riding.

Lovely job done sir. Wish I still had my 97 explosif, a lovely bike.

the front needs dishing a tad to the right.

I see what you mean from the pic. I might be OK and that’s just the angle of the pic, it might not. But I’ll check it, thanks for pointing it out.
Not quite got the brakes set right yet, either, that might not be helping.

ADH, I saw a Hot last year at a bike jumble. Frame only, origional paint, good but not perfect condition. £250.

The thing is I think they’re the same tubeset as the Explosif, just welded in the USA or Canada. Lovely bike for the bling value alone, mind!

I once rode a Hei Hei with Ti P2s, Ti Velocity and Ti Bars on it. Those forks were about £700 at the time, stem £250 IIRC. That was 1993-ish!
Had a visitor at the quarry some years ago, long story short, he had a Diamond Back Team Titanium with Ti P2s on it. Bastard wouldn’t sell it to me though, would rather leave it in his shed gathering dust, he’d not ridden it in years apparently. Gahh.

Oh, my (geek alert!) spreadsheet tells me it’s cost £750 to build/spray etc. Minus a few, err, traded items, real outlay is around £250…
🙂

that is exactly what a bike should look like

Got to say, that is a beaut.

Out of interest what would the geometry be on that? 93 pre-dates my mtbing by 4 years..

That is Sweet 🙂

I have a ’94 Kilauea but with non-retro components.

Have thing about Kona bikes.

Nice. If you want some trustworthy tyres with a retro look, Charge Splashbacks would be good for the summer.

Very nice, I’m a fan of retro Kona’s.

Lovely, but needs some Yeti grips. 😉

Oh my, that is quite lovely! My explosif is still sitting in the shed with some original parts on it…Really impressed with the respray, it looks immaculate. Where did you get the stickers from?

stunning, well done!

lovely bike – nice build too. What dogbert said.

That is v nice, I’m very tempted to restore my 93 cinder cone.

Who did your stickers?

My old 95 Kilauea was probably my favourite ever bike. Bloody loved it. I was gutted when it finally succumbed to a broken chainstay. If anyone is after some original threaded p2’s, stem and seatpost cable guide then let me know. Think I’ve still got the flat bars too.

thepodge – when I had my ’92 Cinder cone resprayed I got the stickers from Gil M The cycleshed or he can be found on the Retrobike website.

That looks great, love the colour. But then again my 97 Explosif was resprayed by Mercian in Derby the same colour and now has 96 decals on it.

when I had my ’92 Cinder cone resprayed I got the stickers from Gil M The cycleshed or he can be found on the Retrobike website.

Thats where mine came from! Lots of faffing with proofs (my fault. I wanted it MY WAY!!!) but we got there in the end! His work is top quality, and very good value IMO.

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’93 Explosif ~ Peter[/url] by PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr

therealhoops – Member
me likey muchly, however it only scores a 9.5 because the front needs dishing a tad to the right.

I’ve just got home and rushed off to check it!

It’s actually just about spot on, if anything a tad too far right actually! I reckon that I took the pics in haste and the wheel wasn’t straight in the dropouts to be honest. The brake booster does make it look worse, even looking dead on from the front

🙂

Congrats, that looks dead good. The only thing that spoils it is the saddle in my opinion. That brown colour looks **** and oesnt really go with the rest of the bike – I think you should change it to and old selle italia in a colour of your choice.

😆