engo

I have a question for anyone who may have bought one of these frames by Canadian builder Mike Mulholland, and I hope it doesn't fall into the same category of question as "so how much do you get paid?"

I have the impression that this is a respected brand, and I wonder what the price of a frameset was new. Has anyone here got one? Do you remember what you paid?

Merci beaucoup!

Neil

T-Mar

Very nice and well made frames. The original price will depend on the model year and tubeset.

engo

Thanks T-mar. Narrowing it down, a frame from c. 1990 made from Reynolds tubing?

T-Mar

I'm not trying to be difficult, but Reynolds made a wide range of tubing. Do you know which exact tubeset?

engo

Thanks for asking diplomatically! Don't worry, I don't think you're being difficult, merely precise. Unfortunately I don't know about the tubing yet. I hope to look at the frame tonight, so I can ask then.

I didn't realize that there was a significant difference between types of Reynolds or Columbus tubing when it came to value. I guess this is another one of those complications one has to learn about when learning about classic bikes.

Thanks for trying.

Neil

jet sanchEz

Is it this one? The track frame from the Canadian Cyclist classifieds section? It looks great, the seller had listed it about a month ago for the full bike at $500:

engo

No, it's not that one, though I understand that Cyclops primarily focused on track frames. It's actually a road frame I'm looking at. OK, at least I have the price of one other Cyclops bike now, even if it isn't exactly the same! Thanks.

vjp

I am not sure what they cost new but I believe that for the most part they were custom made so the price would depend on how crazy you wanted it.

I had 3 and now I am down to one, a Reynolds 753 match sprint/points bike built for Kurt Innes in 89/90. It is in very nice condition and I am sure on ebay it would go for around $700 for frame and fork.

engo

Quote:

Originally Posted by vjp

I am not sure what they cost new but I believe that for the most part they were custom made so the price would depend on how crazy you wanted it.

I had 3 and now I am down to one, a Reynolds 753 match sprint/points bike built for Kurt Innes in 89/90. It is in very nice condition and I am sure on ebay it would go for around $700 for frame and fork.

Thanks vjp, that's good to know. I went and took a look tonight, and I found out this bike was build for a woman who raced in the early 90s (the seller's wife). I figured based on what I knew and the fact that the size was right, it was worth the price to me, so I went for it.

The pics below aren't great, but the lugs are very nicely filed, and the paint is in great shape. The seller told me the frameset was a mix of different Reynolds tubing, including Reynolds 753 and/or 531, but he wasn't sure exactly (17 years fogs the memory). In addition to the frameset, the seller also threw in:

Shimano 600 headset, rear derailleur and downtube shifters (7sp)
Shimano 105 aero brake levers and calipers
Dura ace AX front derailleur
3ttt bars and stem
cambrio rino seat post
generic WSD saddle

Grand total: 325$

I just hope my girlfriend likes it (I'm building it up for her as a Christmas present). Yes, keeping this a secret for the next two months may just kill me.

Thanks to all who replied!
Neil

jet sanchEz

Yup, that is a sweet bike, Cyclops always had the best headbadge....

T-Mar

I think that is a fair price. If it is a mixed tubeset, made for a racer, the heavier 531 was probably used used in the down tube and chainstays. She'll be riding one of the best.

moki

While we're on the subject:

this one's just weird. I think the cranks have been powdercoated.





I find that even on ebay most used custom frames are a good value, as compared to Italian and British marques. Customs just don't fetch the price of a "hot" brand, even though the build quality is almost always superior. In the past year, I've seen a good number of stunning US-built custom frames and bikes go for well under $300, probably less than a quarter or a fifth of their original cost. Compare that to a decent (or even indecent) Bianchi, Colnago, Basso-Pogliaghi, Ciocc, or whatever.

Nice pickup.

engo

Thanks! The fact that this bike will be fairly unique in Ottawa is one of the appealing features to me. I was fortunate that the original owner ordered the exact size my girlfriend needs. Seems that 54 square is not too common.

I'm guessing some of the undervaluing happens because people don't know about the builders, and aren't willing to shell out for an unknown commodity. Finding out about Cyclops was a bit of a challenge. It's probably the same for many micro-builders.

tuz

Nice catch! Saw the add too and was tempted.
Now that track frame is yummy and looks my size. After trying the forest city velodrome I'm waiting for a nice vintage track bike and put it to good use...

engo

It's funny, the guy I bought the frame from sold that blue Cyclops track frame last month. He said it went to someone in T.O.

nerdsgirth

Here are some more Cyclops pics. This is a 57cm road frame. It has yet to be cleaned up. Dropout was cracked and repaired.

Aerobots

Wow, all your bikes look great! I'm a big fan of Cyclops bicycles and I've been searching for one of their cyclo-cross frames in a SMALL size like 49 to 52 cm. At this point I'd even take a road or track frame. Any leads would be really appreciated!

localtalent

That track frame is gorgeous, wish I'd seen it

BC Dub

I bumped an old thread to keep the info on Cyclops a bit better condensed. Here is my bike. The majority of its parts appear to be from the original build, and it was a full custom no doubt. Hope you guys might know more than I do about the obscure tubing and custom details. I'm also not sure which 8 speed group it has. The front wheel and stem/bar have been changed since I bought the bike. I'd done up this list for a local forum so the rest is copy/pasted. Any information is appreciated.

Morgan



Cyclops TT

frame: Cyclops 58 square with some unique features listed below
fork: original with both eyes
headset: Campy, the one with four flats
stem: Nitto Pearl 10
bars: Ritchey Pro 42 c-c
grips/bartape: black cork
seat post: ugly, fortunately short
saddle: Vetta TT
shift levers: 8 speed (Athena?)
brakes: Campy aero
cranks: Campy 175mm
chainring(s): 53/39
pedals: Dura Ace spd
bottom bracket: unsealed
front wheel: Campy Vento 40.5mm 16 spoke
rear wheel: Campy 8 speed 32h to Mexico rim
cogset: 13-14-15-16-17-18-21-24
tires: I like to get this bike sideways so I take the freegan approach to tire choice.
tubes: 60mm valve up front
front derailleur: same group as levers/cranks/brakes
rear derailleur: same group
housing/cables: need to be replaced
computer: sigma
bottle cages: two
bottle: oak bay bikes
lights: yes
extras:
- "Da Vinci 1492 Beryllium Double Butted Tubes & Stays" sticker, appears to be fillet brazed
- aero top tube, down tube, seat tube, and seat stays
- seat tube extends 10 cm above top tube
- 1 mm of exposed seat post above clamp
- curved seat tube
- aero dick extension below bb shell
- 385mm chain stay length
- Columbus dropouts
- wishbone seat stay

Within a month of acquiring the bike, I had accomplished three of the longest single rides in my life: 220 km, 320 km, and 410 km. It tried to toss me at km 225 of the 400 with a 65 km/h speed wobble. Steep head angle X many other factors makes this thing susceptible.

I poached the bar and stem from this bike and put them on the 58x56.5 Marinoni for our 1400 km tour in August, but now it's back in action exactly as you see but with the saddle slightly lower and further back (minus the handlebar bag mount which I will never put on this bike again).

Oh, and it came with a bunch of spare parts including Campagnolo headset and BB wrenches as well as two track rings and a pile of cogs. Needless to say, a bike that I will have trouble letting go of.

BC Dub

And the other Cyclops that I purchased as a frameset for a friend in fall 2008. It's a track bike with the original owner's name on the top tube (a female track racer from Ontario in the early '90s). 49 c-c seat tube and 51 c-c top tube. The double wishbone seat stay is pretty awesome.

After I told her I would confiscate the bike if she considered changing the fork to add a brake, my friend rode it for a bit on the street and then concluded that brakeless riding in the city was not for her.

She has since started racing regularly at the Burnaby Velodrome. Just this weekend she crashed it in a race, dusted herself off, and got back on to finish the race after a few neutral laps.

This photo is from the first night we got the bike running, so much has changed since then.

randyjawa 

Believe it or not my first find of 2010 was a Cyclops frame and fork set. I am unsure of the vintage since the frame has not arrived yet. The frame set was listed about a month ago on Craigslist, Toronto and my son finally got around to picking it up for me. Thanks Josh.

The bike is in great shape according to my son, sporting only a blemish or two in the candy blue paint. Reynolds 531 butted tubing and Campagnolo drops should make for a decent quality frame set.

And, believe it or not again, I looked at another Cyclops the day before my son grabbed the one in Toronto. The local fellow was trying to get $500.00 for his bike but it was not Reynolds and had no name drops fitted. The component grouppo was a mismatch of parts. The bike is a 58cm and he finally offered it to me for $350.00. The bike is black and yellow and in nice shape. But I am going to pass on the purchase - for now.

I should add that I have been looking for a nice Cyclops in my size for several years now. I do hope the frame set lives up to its reputation. I will post pictures when I get the bike. As for anyone thinking about purchasing a Cyclops. Be careful on model and go for it. Almost every Cyclops I have seen was a cut above except the one I viewed a couple of days ago.

YoKev

Oh wow, these are some nice looking frames! I'll be watching for a frameset to pop up this year

engo

Someone in BC was selling a road frame with the wishbone seatstay last month-looked awesome. My GF loves her Cyclops, and I'm starting to wish I had one too!

terrors

mulholland also repainted bikes and often put his decals on them maybe because of difficulty in finding original decals. I have a nice Giubilato road frame that has a great purple paint job with all 'Cyclops' decals. It is signed by him and also has the original owners name painted on. I believe the original owner had raced the bike. I will post some pics when I get a chance.

terrors

some pictures of the Cyclops/Giubilato: