Help with frame ID please
 

I can’t post photos yet since I’m a new member so I’ll do my best to describe what I have:

I’m in Eugene OR

At a garage sale I found a gorgeous sparkly copper framed bike, painted by Joe Bell. it has your “standard” road/touring geometry with a level top tube. It has double braze ons at both front & rear dropouts. Rear dropouts say Brev Campagnolo on them. Lugs are all Nervex. It has diamond-shaped bottle cage mounts on both the top and bottom of the down tube.

The head badge is interesting and what I’m hoping will be the identifier: it’s either engraved, brazed or cast into the head tube, not attached with glue or pins from what I can tell. It is a slightly raised ovalised circle with a debossed capital C with a serif at the top.

Other than that it has campy brakes, brake levers, simplex teardrop downtube shifters, a Suntour Cyclone GT rear derailleur, campy front derailleur, Sanyo Dynapower bottom bracket dynamo, and a perforated triple ring crank from stronglite.

I’m happy to try and email/DM photos if it helps.

Thanks y’all!!!

Pic Assist - https://www.bikeforums.net/g/album/e...um_id=28510420

https://www.bikeforums.net/g/picture/28510426

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3de1d2089.jpeg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...772eadeb8.jpeg

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slightly earlier than may appear at first glance

has been the recipient of work

rapier pattern chain stays pretty much rule out a non-anglophone origin


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sure would like to see more pix, especially of the head tube/"badge" but I cannot open that link to the OP's gallery (assuming there are more than just these 2 shots).
What I can see is: don't recognize that serial number series (but somebody might) however the features I can (maybe) ID make me think it's a custom built touring rig, does it have SHORT Campy DOs (1010B) which may place it in circa very late 1970s to 1980s?
is that a Stronglight BB and what is the threading of it?
For that matter is there anything FR such as the HS threading, stem or handlebars?
I think OP may be describing Mavic Simplex Retrofriction shifters....is the rear 126 (6-SP spacing)?

Thanks for that pic, cb400Bill: it's too low-res to be sure of much but could be a custom brass piece maybe brazed-on the head tube and again reinforces the notion this is a custom frame or one that's been re-worked (as well as re-painted).

It's interesting that it has bottle bosses under the downtube but none on the seattube.



https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...271da8a3a.jpeg

The long number has the right number of digits to be a previous owner's SSN, right?

There are more photos but I don’t know how to help show them.

I think it has the short dropouts from what images online show comparing the 1010A vs B.

couldn’t tell you anything about the BB, haven’t opened her up at all.

rear is indeed 6spd, and I was told from a local shop that they are desirable “teardrop” simplex shifters. I don’t see simplex on them, but I do see it on the seat tube retaining nut thingy.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7a71c00d93.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5a3f7c6242.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e960ad57e1.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2cb01e2700.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6fe1a83995.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6d6f91bb79.jpg
I wonder if any non-French builder would build such a French bike.

No proof, but the font used on the headset is similar to one used on Currys

There was a builder named Calvert in Eugene in the 70's and 80's--maybe you have one of his?

Now those are more like the pix we need, thanks Lattz ! But still can't see what the DOs are but there are certainly interesting (and custom builder) details such as the umbrella pump clip brazed on! Two eyelets on the forkends, "whaletail" Nervex Pro headlugs with the reinforcing flanges, the internal wiring for dynamo and F&R lighting.
I do think that first line of "serial numbers" could well be (the owner's) SSN as himespau surmises, but what are the others?

Rystjohn what size seatpost?

Also Mea Culpa: I called these retrofriction shift levers by the wrong FR brandname, they are Simplex (or perhaps Spidel) the Mavics look entirely different.

That is a nice frame! I like it a lot, especially the pump umbrella. It would make a very cool randonneuse.

That is a feature it shares with the Miyata road touring models of the mid-eighties, like the 610 or this 1985 Koga-Miyata Randonneur:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...88681e0a72.jpg

In the photo that shows the bottom bracket and serial number it looks like there's a groove running down the underside of the down tube. Am I hallucinating?

Shifter cable with a fair amount of off-focus blur?

looked carefully and no logical reason for such a groove that size in that place, I'll guess it's a reflection (in shiny paint) of the top tube.

That's true. According to Deee-Lite, Groove is in the Heart.

Mystery Solved!?
 

Apparently this was made by a gentleman named Dan Cunningham who was good friends with Joe Bell. He didn’t make too many frames so he’s not super well known.

Anywhoo, I wanted to update the thread to let anyone who was curious know.