Branding Shimano 600ax aero bikes.
#51
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This is just great T-Mar. And based on it being a Miki frame, along with the decades old story I have from the seller saying it was built up as a trade show display bike, how likely do you think his story is, and do you think paint and parts have been changed since it's origin?
The odds of the paint being OEM is extremely small. Fade paint schemes didn't become popular until the late 1980s. I can't recall any from this era. I've always considered the 1984 Olympic Road Race winning Pinarello to be the bicycle which started the fade paint fad.
Similarly, I place very little credence in this being a "show bicycle". Based on the serial number, the frame was built in either late February or April. Both dates are late for bicycle shows. The major USA shows typically took place very early in the new year, so I'd expect a 1982 model year "show bicycle" to have been built in late 1981.
Last edited by T-Mar; 06-21-21 at 04:35 AM.
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Norta
Hi All, new here and posting to say I just got the Norta branded frameset! Serial number 2A14440 !
Already had the 600ax brakes, and have a 600ax seatpost in the postal system!
How do these frames ride? I've reynolds 531, 1024 and vitus tubed bikes, and the loose tange-frame feels different: really heavy but very stiff (this is probably also because of the tubeshape). Building it up as a fixed gear and trying to decide if it's worth my fancy parts!
Already had the 600ax brakes, and have a 600ax seatpost in the postal system!
How do these frames ride? I've reynolds 531, 1024 and vitus tubed bikes, and the loose tange-frame feels different: really heavy but very stiff (this is probably also because of the tubeshape). Building it up as a fixed gear and trying to decide if it's worth my fancy parts!
#53
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Hi All, new here and posting to say I just got the Norta branded frameset! Serial number 2A14440 !
Already had the 600ax brakes, and have a 600ax seatpost in the postal system!
How do these frames ride? I've reynolds 531, 1024 and vitus tubed bikes, and the loose tange-frame feels different: really heavy but very stiff (this is probably also because of the tubeshape). Building it up as a fixed gear and trying to decide if it's worth my fancy parts!
Already had the 600ax brakes, and have a 600ax seatpost in the postal system!
How do these frames ride? I've reynolds 531, 1024 and vitus tubed bikes, and the loose tange-frame feels different: really heavy but very stiff (this is probably also because of the tubeshape). Building it up as a fixed gear and trying to decide if it's worth my fancy parts!
Typically, the early 1980s aero frames are very stiff vertically but relatively flexible laterally. The vertical stiffness initially gives the impression of a very stiff frame as road roughness is felt more. However, when pushed hard, the lateral flexibility becomes known through slightly less precise steering and things like chain rub on the front derailleur cage. If you're building fixie/SS, you may not notice the increase in lateral flexibility, as there will be no chain rub.
Edit: Vertical compliance issues can be mitigated, to an extent, by installing wider tyres and running lower pressures, though the tyre width will limited by frame clearances, which are often quite tight on these early aero frames.
Last edited by T-Mar; 09-05-21 at 10:45 AM.
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This is just great T-Mar. And based on it being a Miki frame, along with the decades old story I have from the seller saying it was built up as a trade show display bike, how likely do you think his story is, and do you think paint and parts have been changed since it's origin?
The bicycle has almost certainly been repainted. Multi-colour faded paint schemes didn't become popular until the late 1980s. The catalyst was Alexi Grewal's gold medal winning Pinarello from the 1984 Los Angles Olympics. Alexi's manager and sponsors couldn't agree on a colour, so they used all of them on the frame. I don't recall any multi-colout faded paint schemes prior to this.
A disproportionately high number of aero frames are represented as "show" bicycles. I can't make a definitive statement one way or the other. However, if it was my bicycle and a known "show" bicycle, I definitely would not have repainted it, as it severely reduces the value by making it harder to prove the provenance. While not quite as drastic, it would be similar to repainting a bicycle that had been ridden in competition by Eddy Merckx.