Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Help id a South African frame, or opinions

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JonnyHK
06-23-09, 09:19 PM
(X-posted from C&V - no help there on this one)

Hello All,

I'd thought I could enlist your help to id this frame, or to merely offer an educated opinion on it.

Pics here...http://www.flickr.com/photos/22511891@N07/sets/72157620253358291/

All I know from the seller is this:
- "top level triathlon bike" purchased in South Africa in 1987
- "professionally repainted" a few years ago
- "can't remember brand, but Reynolds 531 rings a bell"

OK...
The Shimano equipment is good, but wasn't top of the range.
Certainly looks like it was used by a triathlete with that silly saddle position and a ridiculously long 3T stem.
Repaint might have been applied well, but surface prep was lacking (deep chips just covered over).
Interesting 'older' features such as cable routing on top tube and also for front derailleur.

Any ideas? Lugs or shape of fork blades ring any bells for anyone?

I'm thinking that it might clean up ok as a single speed commuter (no, I will NOT be hacksawing anything off the frame!). Eyelets for fenders are nice, as are the screw thingys on the dropouts (what are these called anyway).

Raiden
06-23-09, 09:20 PM
Link doesn't seem to be working
JonnyHK
06-23-09, 09:30 PM
Link doesn't seem to be working

fixed.

Sorry

JonnyHK
06-24-09, 07:17 AM
Bump.

More details I forgot to add...

Asking price for whole bike is HK$1500 ono (roughly US$190). I would only be interested in the frame (cranks are nice though...) and was thinking of offering the equivalent of US$100 (HK$775).

Considering I can strip it down myself and then get a professionally done top quality repaint with clear coat for about US$130, do you think it is worth it?
ianjk
06-24-09, 12:30 PM
Do you already have wheels/tires/chainring/etc? Not sure of the availability of bikes or cost of shipping out there, but once you add it up, you are probably going to be close to the price of a decent SS/Fixed bike....
JonnyHK
06-24-09, 08:35 PM
Do you already have wheels/tires/chainring/etc? Not sure of the availability of bikes or cost of shipping out there, but once you add it up, you are probably going to be close to the price of a decent SS/Fixed bike....

Already have a box of parts and another SS to strip if needed. Not really able to get a SS/FG bike cheaply here and figured that a lugged 531 frame (if I can confirm that it is) would be costing a lot more than the cheapest full bike option (the Soma Delancey is over US$700).
queerpunk
06-25-09, 05:41 AM
there were probably tens of thousands of low volume framebuilders in the 80s. that may have been made by one of them.

the lugwork doesn't look particularly inspired so i'd doubt the seller's claim that it's a top level triathlon frame.

it could be anything, probably isn't very special, and would make a solid bike.