[mud'n'sweat]

Just got it built up and out for it's first maiden voyage. I'm loving the new frame. My previous frame was a 1991 Trek 8700 ZX Carbon (carbon tubes with aluminum butts and stays... carbon in all the wrong places). The Kona is absolutely buttery for a HT. Gotta love the steel

Build spec's:
2006 20" Explosif
White Industries ENO crank 32T
Chris King cog 16T
Sram SS chain
Mavic Crossland's
Avid BB7's
Easton EC70 riser bar
RaceFace Dues XC 90mm stem
Thomson seat post
Oury lock on's

Anyways, here she is....

 

[BikeGeek]

Nice build!

 

[macko]

That's a clean lookin' bike. Great setup.

 

[TreeSaw]

Beautiful!!!!

 

[ATOMICFIREBALL]

Nice ride.
My Trek 6700 alu frame is fast but beats me up a bit..My friend has a FS & hardly ever get's off the seat over tree roots & rocks..It makes me want another FS frame.Or, maybe a steel hardtail frame ?

 

[BikeGeek]

My friend has a FS & hardly ever get's off the seat over tree roots & rocks..It makes me want another FS frame.Or, maybe a steel hardtail frame ?

29ers roll pretty nice over the roots too.

 

[MMcG]

29ers roll pretty nice over the roots too.

Indeed they do!

Do they help with your Log Hopping BG?

 

[Echo]

Sweet ride! I love my Explosif. Mine has the Platinum OX tubing, I definitely drool over those new ones with the Dedaccai tubes

edit: a singlespeed should not have a computer

 

[moff_quigley]

Nice!

 

[mud'n'sweat]

Steel is a dramatic difference over aluminum in the resonance arena. Definitely way less harsh when the right steel is used.

As bike geek mentioned, 29er's help with that too. The only thing to keep in mind is local terrain. In my area, the 29er's aren't the best choice. They are less responsive in tight twisty single track and slower to accelerate. I'd love to own one, but it's just not feasible as it doesn't match my local trail layouts.

 

[N8 v2.0]

:trophy_br

 

[Multi Grooves]

I've just purchased the same frame (not literally) as my original black Dedacci explosif was recently stolen [Fu**ers!]. I'm not truly ready for SS purism so I'm going for a SS XT crank and 8 speed out back. What I want to know is if anyone has this type of ride with a rigid fork as I'm gonna do? what are the pors and cons? As I'm bang in the middle of London now, most of my riding is on road. The marzochcci Marathon race on my last steed that got very little use. Oh! I'm also gonna go for racing bike 700c wheel set. Any info on this is much appreciated.

 

[mud'n'sweat]

I rode this frame with a rigid fork for a few rides before I put my new Reba race on it. It felt good but ultimately left me too battered on my local trails. I think a 1x8 is an EXCELLENT idea. The old 8 speed drive trains I still have laying around are the best I have ever had. Smmoth and relatively reliable for a geared drive train.

Good luck on the new build, post some pic's when it's finished!

 

[Quo Fan]

Sweet ride. Steel is real. I love my steel frame. I'm looking to replace it with a disc ready frame (steel, of course).

 

[mud'n'sweat]

In my area, the 29er's aren't the best choice. They are less responsive in tight twisty single track and slower to accelerate. I'd love to own one, but it's just not feasible as it doesn't match my local trail layouts.

I will be eating these words soon. I've got a niner build already started and I'll be giving the big wheels another try. I've got some more open terrain that this bike should be perfect for.