Re: [CR]FAQ: What make is this green tourer?

(Example: Framebuilders)

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2006 11:31:06 -0800
Subject: Re: [CR]FAQ: What make is this green tourer?
To: Morgan Fletcher <morgan@hahaha.org>
From: "Brandon Ives" <brandon@ivycycles.com>
In-Reply-To: <87y7yv90h7.fsf@209-204-185-105.dsl.static.sonic.net>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

I wouldn't call it a touring bike and unless the BB is French threaded not French either. The seatstay finish is reminiscent of something we used to call "smashed stays." The idea was that you just crushed the end of the seatstay and brazed it up. I don't think that was done in this case. I think they used a standard round top plug and hacked off the round top. Though these may just be very well finished "smashed stays", but I find that hard to believe. The Bocama lugs were pretty prolific for many, many years so the frame could have been built just about anywhere. My guess about build date would be late-70s. Partially based on my interpretation of the the SR#. I think the SR number means frame #29 in year 7x. A lot more could be told from looking into the BB shell at the mitering and brazing quality. best, Brandon"monkeyman"Ives Vancouver, B.C.

On Monday, Mar 27, 2006, at 11:00 US/Pacific, Morgan Fletcher wrote:
> I apologize for adding to the din. I have recently picked up a "French
> touring bike" with what a nice green metallic respray and no decals. I
> would like to know what make the frameset is, and maybe when it was
> made. Here are pics:
>
> http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/green_tourer
>
> It's got an approximately 60cm seat tube, I haven't yet done any other
> measurements. Components are an interesting mix:
>
> Campagnolo steel headset
> SR bar, stem, seatpost and pedals
> Phil Wood hubs, Rigida 1320 27" clincher rims, Avocet quick releases,
> 36 3x
> DT spokes f & r (still remnants of a Phil Wood sticker on the rear
> hub)
> Specialized Touring II 27x1 tires
> Ideale 90 saddle
> Galli sidepulls and levers with drop bolt rear
> TA triple cranks and bb (half-step + granny)
> Suntour Cyclone long cage rear and band-on front derailleurs,
> Campagnolo NR
> downtube shiftsers
> Eclipse handlebar bag
> thorn scrapers and a front wheel grabber to keep it from jackknifing
> Didn't catch chain, cassette, bottle cage, toe clip or strap makes.
>
> Frame has very interesting scallopped, square-cut seat stays at the
> seat
> tube, Campagnolo drop-outs with eyelets front and rear, semi-sloping
> fork
> crown. Braze-ons are; top-tube cable guides, bottle cages, big old
> L-shaped
> pump peg, shifters, cable guides on top of the bb shell, rear
> derailleur
> housing stop. Haven't yet checked frame and fork threading. Geometry
> looks... sport-tourer? It has long-ish chainstays. There's a serial
> number
> (297X or 297XX) on the drive-side rear drop-out, but no markings on the
> bottom bracket shell.
>
> What is this bike? The component set is eclectic, seems like it could
> have
> been individually sourced. Guy I bought it from didn't know much about
> it. (I had a non-bikie friend pick it up, so got very little
> information.)
>
> Thanks,
>
> Morgan
> --
> Morgan Fletcher, morgan@hahaha.org Oakland, CA, USA