Show Us your Lotus
01-18-19, 10:31 AM
#76
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I recently picked up this old Lotus frame from eBay and am trying to identify what model it could possibly be. I am leaning toward the theory that it's a 1984 Legend that has been heavily modified with custom braze-on frame elements like the re-routed brake and derailleur cable holders, bike pump peg and extra water bottle mounts. The first letters of the serial number are very indistinct but appear to read "something-H19219" which if the first letter is actually D that would put it right in the middle of a run of 1984 Lotus Legend frames and there isn't any place else in the series of known Lotus production frames serial numbers where a _H19219 would fit the pattern.
Lotus Legend Bicycle
I have an 84 Lotus Legend Compe. Serial # DH19408 I will post a picture. Sorry to be the bearer of terrible news, but your frame has been wrecked and is bent. You can see the damage in your pictures. Picture #2 shows it plain as day. I would get a refund unless you bought it knowing it was damaged. I have a Miyata 912 with the same damage.
Last edited by seypat; 01-18-19 at 10:44 AM.
01-18-19, 10:39 AM
#77
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Miyata frame with same damage.
01-18-19, 10:41 AM
#78
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1984 Legend Compe.
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01-18-19, 01:06 PM
#79
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Yes I'm aware of the damage - I didn't pay much for it and I'm considering having it repaired. The seller surprisingly turned out to be three blocks from my house so I also didn't have to go to much effort to fetch it. I'm also aware that it should have been originally chromed in places but it appears that the frame was completely stripped - probably so they could add the custom braze-ons - so there's no trace of any chrome plating anywhere. Either that or the bike was some kind of one-off prototype, but if it was I don't think they would have stamped a serial number on it.
01-18-19, 01:14 PM
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Hey, what is the length of your chain stays on that Legend Comp? I measured this frame estimating from the center of the crank axle to where I thought the center of the rear axle would be and came up with 16 7/8" on the drive side. Frame size seems to be 60cm and I was guessing that would make the geometry closer to a "sport" geometry like the Legend model rather than competition geometry like the Legend Comp. But that's just a guess.
01-18-19, 01:30 PM
#81
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Hey, what is the length of your chain stays on that Legend Comp? I measured this frame estimating from the center of the crank axle to where I thought the center of the rear axle would be and came up with 16 7/8" on the drive side. Frame size seems to be 60cm and I was guessing that would make the geometry closer to a "sport" geometry like the Legend model rather than competition geometry like the Legend Comp. But that's just a guess.
01-18-19, 01:52 PM
#82
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Here's an Eclair that I got for a song and am setting up for my wife.
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1987 Mercian Pro, 1985 Shogun 500, 197? Falcon San Remo, 1972 Peugeot PX-10, 1972 Schwinn Paramount P13-9, 1971 Peugeot PX-10, 1971 Raleigh International, 1970 Raleigh Professional Mark I
Curator/Team Mechanic: 2016 Dawes Streetfighter, 1984 Lotus Eclair, 1975 Motobecane Jubile Mixte, 1974 Raleigh Sports, 1973 Free Spirit Ted Williams, 1972 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Philips Sport
1987 Mercian Pro, 1985 Shogun 500, 197? Falcon San Remo, 1972 Peugeot PX-10, 1972 Schwinn Paramount P13-9, 1971 Peugeot PX-10, 1971 Raleigh International, 1970 Raleigh Professional Mark I
Curator/Team Mechanic: 2016 Dawes Streetfighter, 1984 Lotus Eclair, 1975 Motobecane Jubile Mixte, 1974 Raleigh Sports, 1973 Free Spirit Ted Williams, 1972 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Philips Sport
01-18-19, 03:22 PM
#83
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This is THE most common frame damage and frame repair outfits all claim they can fix it. Park Tool in fact used to make a special tool just for this repair.
01-18-19, 03:33 PM
#85
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Hey, what is the length of your chain stays on that Legend Comp? I measured this frame estimating from the center of the crank axle to where I thought the center of the rear axle would be and came up with 16 7/8" on the drive side. Frame size seems to be 60cm and I was guessing that would make the geometry closer to a "sport" geometry like the Legend model rather than competition geometry like the Legend Comp. But that's just a guess.
Last edited by seypat; 01-18-19 at 03:45 PM.
01-18-19, 03:41 PM
#86
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01-18-19, 03:49 PM
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Center of crank spindle to front of dropout bottom is 15 3/4". To where the axle sits in the dropouts is 16 1/4". 56cm frame. The dropouts are Campagnolo not Suntour. Your dropouts have eyelets which would make it the Legend not the Compe. That is the crank that came on the Legend as well.
Thanx! All those clues point to a Legend rather than a Legend Comp.
01-18-19, 04:08 PM
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Center of crank spindle to front of dropout bottom is 15 3/4". To where the axle sits in the dropouts is 16 1/4". 56cm frame. The dropouts are Campagnolo not Suntour. Your dropouts have eyelets which would make it the Legend not the Compe. That is the crank that came on the Legend as well.
01-18-19, 05:04 PM
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1987 Lotus Excelle
This 1987 Lotus Excelle is one (I've had seven Lotus bikes) that I acquired years ago for my #2 son to ride. The aero-style brake levers came from the previous owners. I replaced the brakes with better stopping dual-pivot brakes and pads and switched the pedals to something that would accommodate the huge sneakers he usually wears. He has put some miles on it since but is now available for sale reasonably if any lotus fan wants a frame this big (25"). I found an identical Lotus Excelle in a 23" frame that fits him just a little bit better and I already have two other 25" Lotus bikes. The 23" Excelle I found on eBay came dusty and dirty but after cleaning it became obvious that it had never been ridden - just stored. That's the second Lotus I've bought recently that came in unridden condition. It looked like this:
01-18-19, 05:22 PM
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01-18-19, 08:01 PM
#91
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Thanks, it is. We got it set up late in the season but she got in a few rides and seems to like it a lot. My wife had been riding a 2010 Cannondale Synapse that she never settled into. From her descriptions I guessed she’d be more confident with a classic touring geometry. This 48cm popped up on a local CL for a very low price. It had some changes from stock, notably the rear derailleur and crankset but the rest was pretty much original. I had a set of 700c wheels on hand, and since these photos were taken I’ve changed the cockpit to shallow drop bars and short reach Tektro levers with matching interrupters. She didn’t want brifters. I’ll be swapping in a Shimano Arabesque long cage rear purely for esthetics because she admired it on another bike, and I may get a set of Compass/Rene Herse tires on it for the comfortable ride they provide.
01-18-19, 08:35 PM
#92
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Maybe after a month of PT, I'll consent. My lotus is sacred... bicycle?? oops, sorry. wandered in by mistake.
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01-18-19, 08:42 PM
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1983 Lotus Classique, 1984 Lotus Excelle
My first Lotus bike, a 1983 Lotus Classique purchased in 1984 from a bike shop a block and a half from my house. I spent weeks leisurely test-riding every bike he had and this one stood out as handling best and riding much more comfortably than all the others, even the higher-priced Lotus models. Custom half-step gearing and bar-end shifters were part of the original sale. Original large deep-drop bars swapped out for Nitto Noodle and custom stem, along with new Brooks saddle and leather extras and bag more recently.
The second Lotus bike I bought is the 1984 Excelle pictured below, also in Ice Blue paint, purchased the following year from the same shop for the woman who became my wife. Shown as modified in recent years to be more comfortable for city riding.
Last edited by Classiq; 01-18-19 at 09:06 PM. Reason: fix
01-19-19, 09:26 PM
#94
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01-20-19, 12:21 AM
#95
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1987 Lotus Excelle
I bought this bike off eBay for my oldest son. I added the B5N Brooks saddle (years before a local bike shop had a box of half a dozen of them marked down to $5 each so I bought them all), the dual-pivot brakes, the pedals and clips for his big sneakers, and the saddle bag. It got stolen about five years ago.
01-20-19, 01:02 AM
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Two 1984-5 Lotus Clissiques
The first '84-5 Classique (Lotus produced the same model unchanged for two years) I picked up off eBay or Craigslist and rebuilt for use as a city bike back in 2011. Most of the accessories plus the seat, fenders and bottle holder are Velo Orange parts. The bag is a government surplus item from Switzerland, I think, that I adapted to a VO bag holder. Handlebars, brakes and levers came from a local shop with oodles of used and NOS vintage parts.
The second '84-5 Classique I picked up off eBay or Craigslist in 2015, and customized for my oldest son to replace the Excelle he had that got stolen. When it arrived I was shocked to find that it was dirty but in almost completely unridden condition. The original tires (desiccated) were still on it but the mold flashing wasn't even worn off and the brake pads had no wear marks at all. Had some minor nicks and scratches from 30+ years of storage but it must have been indoors the whole time because there wasn't any rust, even on the chain. Half-step gearing, bar-end shifters, dual-pivot brakes. Bag, saddle, leather sew-on bar covers & misc. from VO.
The second '84-5 Classique I picked up off eBay or Craigslist in 2015, and customized for my oldest son to replace the Excelle he had that got stolen. When it arrived I was shocked to find that it was dirty but in almost completely unridden condition. The original tires (desiccated) were still on it but the mold flashing wasn't even worn off and the brake pads had no wear marks at all. Had some minor nicks and scratches from 30+ years of storage but it must have been indoors the whole time because there wasn't any rust, even on the chain. Half-step gearing, bar-end shifters, dual-pivot brakes. Bag, saddle, leather sew-on bar covers & misc. from VO.
Last edited by Classiq; 01-20-19 at 01:03 AM. Reason: fix
01-20-19, 01:31 AM
#97
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1987 Lotus Excelle customized
This is the 23" 1987 Lotus Excelle pictured earlier in original stock set-up, as now customized for my #2 son. New Brooks Flyer saddle, bar-end shifters, half-step gearing, dual-pivot brakes, VO Sabot pedals, clips, bottle holder, etc.
01-21-19, 10:06 PM
#98
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This is as close as I’ve gotten to a Lotus thus far
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
01-22-19, 09:14 AM
#100
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Well I don't actually use it, it is just resting there. I bought two when someone was selling them just in case I ever got a Lotus.
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk