Ya prefer the RMs then, right? Which tubing was it made from in those years? If I remember correctly, the 97 was made from Colombus tubing, not sure about the 96 though. Nice bike btw. Thx for the pic.Fluffbomb said:My '96 Explosif.
Chainstay cracked a couple of years ago so had it repaired and repainted white.
The specs changed now as I'm using it as my winter/commuter bike but I still love it.
I have to admit that it hardly compares to my old Rocky Mountain Blizzard (stolen) and my new RM Vertex though.
Fluff
I agree re the RM geometry. How's the Explosif's build quality compared to the Blizzard? Atm I'm browsing the net re. any issues with the sliding dropouts found on the latest Explosif's / Unit's - got any experience with those? Thx for the previous reply.Fluffbomb said:The '96 was Columbus Max OR tubing for the main tubes. Not sure what the back end was.
Maybe a newer Kona would be better but the Explosif back end is less forgiving than both my Blizzard or Vertex. I also find the shorter top tube on the RMs better for more technical trails.
Thx the reply, Fluff. I'm not planning to ride the Explosif in SS neither. Gonna get the Kona since I have a lot of parts lying around (most of them are mid-to-high-end stuff) and a basic n' heavy Gary Fisher Mamba frame fitted with LX stuff. Therefore I'll use most of the stuff I have lying around and shift the best parts from the GF onto the Kona and reverse the GF almost to its original state.Fluffbomb said:The Blizzard was a bit nicer finished than the Explosif from what I recall (it was stolen 5 years ago). The Explosif's welding is pretty compotent and I've never had a problem with the dropouts, BB shell, head tube or the seat tube (no slipping posts). Still it is almost 10 years old so its probably wrong to compare it to a new frame.
Not being into singlespeed I've not tried any of the sliding drop out frames. I have seen threads on the UK forum of Singletrackworld.co.uk so could be worth asking on there as well.
I'm sure the Explosif will be a good addition to your stable of Rockies!
Cheers,
Fluff
The original blue's cool, i would think.... hmmmm white maybe. If I were u, i'd opt for powder-coating. What about the decals?allygmitchell said:I'm very happy with how it rides (it's my first steel frame since my first ever MTB). I'm running a fork with adjustable travel but tend to keep it with 95-100mm travel most of the time.
I'm thinking about treating it to some TLC next summer - remove the canti bosses, fit some crud catcher bosses on the downtube and a respray. The big Q is: what colour should I go for???
Yeah, I quite like my current colour although it looks a bit flat in some lights (spot the bike pimpMervyn_b said:The original blue's cool, i would think.... hmmmm white maybe. If I were u, i'd opt for powder-coating. What about the decals?
I have 2 Rocky Mountains (the Blizzard & the Hammer) - both of them are powder-coated. I strongly think it's much more durable - Haven't found a single scratch or stone-chip. I take great care of all my bikes. It looks to me that Kona's paintjob isn't very durable - looks like they get scratched quite easily. Try to contact your local Kona dealer about the decals - or you can design your own!allygmitchell said:Yeah, I quite like my current colour although it looks a bit flat in some lights (spot the bike pimp). I was toying with the idea of powder/baby blue too... Also, is powder coating harder wearing than the original finish? I haven't found the original paintjob to be that hardwearing - I take care of my bikes yet it's still pretty shabby after 18 months use. And yeah, I ain't sure where to get decals from - can anyone help?
Thx for the info. Agree re. the "proper" look. I'd probably do the same. Will be getting mine next month most probably. Looking forward for it!allygmitchell said:Cheers! I'll ask around about decals before I go ahead with the respray as I really want original decals for that 'proper' look.
Forgot to add in my earlier posts that I've had no issues with the sliding dropouts - they're not the prettiest but they do the job very well IMO. I've bent the rear mech hanger/dropout in a crash but just bent it back into shape and have ridden it with no problems since!
I am having problems with a slipping seatpost though - I'm using an old FSA post (as in the pic) but am going to measure the seat tube diameter just to confirm the size. Although I'm sure it is 27.2...