josh.d

Hello, I recently acquired this vintage MTB Frame and built it up as an all purpose bike mainly to haul my daughter around in a bike trailer.

It's branded Explorer 444 and can't seem to find much info on it. It's 4130 Cro-Mo construction and I figure it's an 80s to mid-90s build by the geometry and paint scheme.

It has fender/rack eyelets, canti mounts, no rear derailleur hanger or front derailleur braze on, and no mounts for DT shifters.

I built it up quickly with spare parts but it rides quite well and I like it for the purpose it serves so I will refine it a little bit down the road with bigger tires and nicer components.

















Here are some pics, thanks in advance for any replies.

Clang

I'd say mid to late 80's. It doesn't have mounts for DT shifters because it would have been specced with a riser bar and thumbshifters. You've done a nice drop bar conversion, so maybe also post a pic of this bike in that thread.

Unfortunately, the brand Explorer is hard to google because it's so generic. Your best bet for more info might be T-Mar showing up. Maybe he'd recognize the formatting of the serial number. P8181514

If you kept the original parts, you might be able to find out the year with the Shimano date code website. Shimano date codes

josh.d

Thanks for the reply Clang. Yeah, I figured it was a mid-80s flat bar/thumbie bike originally, just trying to post some specifics on the frame if the pics didn't clearly show the details.


I bought this as a frame only so I'm clueless as to what came on it originally. I wonder what kind of RD setup it used. It's setup with a cheapy claw RD setup (Shimano TY300) currently that works fine but I've found with a claw adapter and the "normal" campy mount derailleurs I had laying around (Shimano LX and 600) it really didn't shift all too well and the wheel alignment with larger 650b tires was troublesome.


@T-Mar, does the serial format look familiar to you at all?


Thanks,

Josh

2cam16

Nice build! Love the paint fade. So did it come with the claw rd or is there a dropout rd mount?

josh.d

Thanks!

No, like I stated in the OP and last post, it was just a frame when I acquired it and it doesn't have a RD mount. I'm using a cheap Tourney RD that was made for claw use until I can find something a bit nicer that works better than the stuff I had laying around when used with a claw adapter.

madpogue 

Did it include the headset? Maybe there's a component date code there somewhere.

Also, did you happen to see anything stamped on the steerer tube? That would tell you more about the fork than the frame, but they often include mfr. year.

josh.d

It did come with the headset. I didn't thoroughly inspect the headset or steerer tube when I had it apart for grease, but that is a great idea to gather some more clues.

Thanks for the input!

Miele Man

Without an integral derailleur hanger, and the fact that it's an MTB frame, I'd say it's probably at the lower end of the hierarchy as far as quality of the frame goes. However, it's a fantastic candidate for a touring bike conversion because it has double eylets on the front fork as well as on the rear dropout. that means you could mount a front rack without having to use clamps to hold it to the fork.

It looks like you've done a wonderful job of converting it to a dropbar bike.

Cheers

josh.d

Thank you.

My inquiry is a general curiosity in regards to the origin and manufacturer of the frame.

I agree with your assessment. At best it was probably a middle of the road frame. I fiigure it was most likely an entry level mid-80s MTB/ATB with mid-range components. The fact I can't find any stock photos from a catalog or any photos of a similar frame/make/model has my interest piqued =)

Josh

Miele Man

I asked a bicycling business expert on a newsgroup and he has never heard of a brand called Explorer. Interesting. I wonder if Explorer was the model name?

Irregardless; it looks like you'll have a nice touring bike.

Cheers

jetboy 

Peugeot had an "explorer" model MTB, but that does not look like it.. does it feel French?

JacobLee 

I remember that fork dropout from my 85 CyclePro Skyline. I think it came with axle nuts instead of quick releases, and a little tab on the washers fit into that slot above the axles. Lawyer tabs, in a way. My fork dropouts cracked there after about five years of teenage abuse.

T-Mar

Given the P8-prefix my leading candidate would be 1988 manufacture by Pacific Cycles, a Taiwanese manufacturer best known during this era for manufacturing the lower end Lotus models. The TIG construction, Uni-crown fork and fade paint are all consistent with this era. If the OP wants corroboration on the year, they could remove the fork, which is likely a Tange model that would have a date code stamped into the steering column.

The dropouts are stamped, rather than forged, indicating entry level. The presence of the cutouts on the front dropouts for the axle retention washers also suggest entry level. CrMo but no mention of butting suggests plain gauge CrMo tubing and possibly only for the main triangle. My overall impression is a 1988-1989, entry level model.

josh.d

Thanks for the reply T-Mar. Figured it was entry level given all of the "features" of the frame. Appreciate the insight on the serial.

Miele Man

What I find interesting about many Entry Level bikes from the 1980s early 1990s was that many of them whether road or mountain had the double eyelets on the front fork that many higher end bicycles did not have. Those double eyelets sure make attaching a front rack and fender easy without having to use a long bolt to do it.

Cheers

josh.d

Just an update on this frame.

I took the headset apart and closely inspected the steerer tube and didn't find any marking.

I also looked over the HS closely and didn't find any marking there either.

Josh

Hudson308 

Interesting.
Nearly every MTB frame I've separated had something stamped on the steerer. Usually Tange.

josh.d

Its quite possible any marking has been painted over. The steerer is painted yellow like the frame and fork.

I'll go over it again and take pictures.

josh.d

No visible markings anywhere, same with the headset.

Excuse the crappy pics: