1simplexnut

hi everyone ,

Looking for help identifying frame manufacturer of this red beastie. Not mine but an internet contact who has asked me for help to identify .

Any help gratefully accepted .
Came with reasonable equipment . bit of a mix though .

Mavic gp4 rims campagnolo hubs
durace cranks , brakes
suntour rear der
Have some pics, more info to come hopefully

Bike tinker man

Looks early 1980s is there any frame number that can be traced? as you may well know: - pull the forks out, any name there on the stem? seat post diameter they are normally stamped with date all helps in narrowing the field down.

Aubergine 

Fascinating array of components on the bike. Is that headset Galli? I put one on my Stevenson touring bike in 1980. My guess (and I emphasize it is a guess only) is that the bike was a custom frame equipped with the buyer's choice of bits.

1simplexnut

hiya have suggested to owner to pull the forks . apparently no serial numbers (bet there is somewhere)

seat post diam is 26.8

also now have a shot of seat cluster now

Steiner74

good luck any stamps on the lugs. where are the s/n located. what is on the drop outs? maybee try the framebuilders forum with the lugs. other than that looks like a decent bike but you can never go from the components yano?

1simplexnut

hiya , a little more info has come to light . campagnolo dropouts and fork tips . I know what you are saying about the components . \my bunch of steeds bear no resemlance to their found condition . things change and the only thing consistent is the inconsistency :-0

Bike tinker man

The seat post at 26.8 mm is not the most common of sizes, (we already know the approximate year) if it were 25.4 mm be a waste of time following this route up: but have your friend cross reference to Sheldon Brown’s excellent web site there is now a much expanded seat post diameter / manufacture’s cross reference, once he has a list of potential candidates then look each one up on Google check the hits & do cross checks on the photos, takes time, I’ve done it on a few occasions.

Assume the BB width is 68.mm, be another big pointer if its different.

As you say there must be a frame number somewhere

SJX426 

A pic of the cutout of the bottom lug, on the top side as well as the one on the seat lug might help. Numbers on the frame may or may not help. The Colnago Superissimo in my stable does not have any meaningful numbers.

1simplexnut

right here we go with more pictures .
I saw these lug cutouts while searching on flickr but cant seem to find them now (sigh)

hopefully these shots will give some better clues ?

repechage

The bike in profile looks French. The fork crown suggests that too.
What is the threading?
Off the shelf connection hardware.
The braze on water bottle reinforcements and 26.8 seat post suggest light tubing.
If its French.
As its apart, what is the frame weight?
I think the Allen key brake attachment scheme is not original.

Domed stay ends are not as common on upper tier French frames though.

1simplexnut

yes I thought French too originally but the camp
dropouts threw me . Will get the threads checked .

1simplexnut

hiya , not galli, is shimano 600 ? or durace ? weird looking nut !

Erzulis Boat 

My first thought was French too, but that looooong wheelbase for that era seems out of place!

I restored a French racer for my buddy (it's his bar bike) and the wheelbase and angles are from that era when they hit the limits on wheelbase and angles. I think maybe a Rigi might be tighter in the rear. It's the squirrelyest (word?) bike I have ever ridden. Too much fun.

What looks so French to me is the lugs.

1simplexnut

threads confirmed as british . both fork and bottom bracket . The search goes on . Didnt Saronni have lugs like that?

1simplexnut

Has been suggested by some other sources that frame may be a Raleigh ?
Any thoughts on this . ??
The top of the seat stays dont look right to me for Raleigh.
Will have possession of the frame shortly after some heated negotiation / bartering etc

1simplexnut

frame weighs approximately 2100g

1simplexnut

Another bunch of photos .

Possibly an Olmo ? the rear derailleur guide on back stay is pretty unusual
The cut outs look very similar to some Olmos i have seen while browsing google

What thoughts anyone ?

1simplexnut

heart shaped lugs seem pretty common ho hum

Wulf

Could it be a Dutch frame? Has many details of a pre 84 Batavus but those had wrap-over seat stays.

unworthy1

Could be Japanese: there were a few made with Campy ends and the 26.8 would be fairly common for some Tange tubes (but also for Columbus Aelle if this was an Italian job). It looks like work of a small-output maker since no serial number and these oddball details.
One tiny clue that might clinch it is the HS crown race diameter: 27.0 would confirm JIS, 26.4 would throw this back into "confusion".

T-Mar

If it was Tange, I would also expect a date coded steerer tube on the fork.

unworthy1

True, true...and WELCOME BACK, T-Mar!!!
It's still a stumper but are we certain that the fork is original?
I'll say that the Campy ends and over-all "smell" of it seems like it's very plausible. And no "rifling" in that steerer that I can see so still might be Aelle tubing
But then this frameset has no familiar "smell" to me at all!
Maybe the OP will discover more clues as he strips all the paint (which he seems to be doing).

T-Mar

Well, if we assume Columbus Aelle, then it is no older than 1978 but by that point I would have expected, short Portacatena dropouts.

1simplexnut

hi folks , thanks for your input . fork crown is 26.4

1simplexnut

Hi there appreciate the input . absolutely nothing on steerer tube