1983 Stumpjumper Sport Mixte?
10-05-15, 12:50 PM
#26
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This is really interesting. The customization seems most likely, but I am sure we all would like to know one way or another if you ever find out more. Really cool regardless.
10-05-15, 02:52 PM
#27
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It just has to be a standard diamond frame Stumpjumper that's been modified. You can see traces where the seat lug has been filed almost smooth.
Similarly, the way the twin tubes are brazed to the back of the upper head lug, with a lot of extra material, suggests the guy was trying to cover traces of where the top tube part of the lug had been cut away and filed smooth.
I see a tubing decal on the fork, but I don't see any decals at all on the frame. The frame has been (at least partially) repainted.
Finally, note the inelegant routing of the rear brake cable. Stylish mixte frames put the brake on the long tubes, with the straddle cable going all the way around the seat tube, with the cable hanger just in front of the seat tube. They did it this way because the brake was already on the seat stays.
I'm not knocking it! It's extremely cool. But it did not leave the Specialized factory like this.
Similarly, the way the twin tubes are brazed to the back of the upper head lug, with a lot of extra material, suggests the guy was trying to cover traces of where the top tube part of the lug had been cut away and filed smooth.
I see a tubing decal on the fork, but I don't see any decals at all on the frame. The frame has been (at least partially) repainted.
Finally, note the inelegant routing of the rear brake cable. Stylish mixte frames put the brake on the long tubes, with the straddle cable going all the way around the seat tube, with the cable hanger just in front of the seat tube. They did it this way because the brake was already on the seat stays.
I'm not knocking it! It's extremely cool. But it did not leave the Specialized factory like this.
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10-05-15, 05:37 PM
#28
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Another possibility.. The shop owner had it modified or did it himself for a customer. When the sale fell through, he put it on the floor as a new bike and may or may not have said anything to the new owner.
10-05-15, 07:25 PM
#29
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^I think we might be getting closer. Peter (the seller) opined that the original owner was quite unlikely to have made these modifications after purchase. More of a "buy it and ride it" kind of a gal!
I will send some photos to MOMBAT to see if they have any info, and might bring it by the new Marin bicycle museum ( just a couple of miles from where I live) to see if any of the original Mountain Bike types can weigh in on this. I'm gathering that it wouldn't be a crime to repaint this old girl; looking pretty rough these days...
I will send some photos to MOMBAT to see if they have any info, and might bring it by the new Marin bicycle museum ( just a couple of miles from where I live) to see if any of the original Mountain Bike types can weigh in on this. I'm gathering that it wouldn't be a crime to repaint this old girl; looking pretty rough these days...
Last edited by orcas island; 10-05-15 at 07:30 PM.
10-06-15, 11:54 AM
#30
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Once you have confirmed what you have (and value); then decide. Painting a $250 bike is one thing; painting a $1700 bike is something else!!!
10-06-15, 07:55 PM
#31
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It would most likely be a careful rattle can paint job done by myself just to even out the appearance and get something protective on all of the chips that go down to bare metal. There are far too many chips and scratches on this to make it the kind of thing that could be just touched up cleverly...
10-06-15, 10:14 PM
#32
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I made some mixtes like this when I was at Trek. We didn't have mixte lugs, so I cut the head tube lug so that there was just the head tube portion left. Same thing with the seat tube lug. Then I filleted the twin tubes to the head tube. I don't remember ever seeing them built.
10-06-15, 10:25 PM
#33
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That sounds quite similar to what I'm seeing here. It definitely looks like someone who knew what they were doing tackled this conversion
10-07-15, 07:00 AM
#34
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It could fall under the standard catalog disclaimer of "specifications subject to change". Catalogs are printed months in advance of production and something that has really small production numbers may never get mentioned. Also, along the lines of what Unterhausen said, it wouldn't be worth buying special purpose lugs for just a few bikes. It's all just speculation until we hear from someone who was actually at the factory back then.
10-07-15, 03:00 PM
#35
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I sent a photo and some questions to the folks at Specialized this morning and got a quick reply. They don't have any particular records on that serial number and they never offered a Mixte frame option to the best of their knowledge.
In re-reading their emails I'm realizing that they didn't say that they definitively did not build that bike in that fashion, just that their records didn't indicate that they had. They did not seem to be as intrigued by this as I am, and seemed to be wanting to keep it at a bit of an arms length distance - even questioning whether it was one of their bikes at all. Perhaps anything that strikes a large company as a modification of their product elicits this sort of a stance? The mystery will continue, I suppose….
In re-reading their emails I'm realizing that they didn't say that they definitively did not build that bike in that fashion, just that their records didn't indicate that they had. They did not seem to be as intrigued by this as I am, and seemed to be wanting to keep it at a bit of an arms length distance - even questioning whether it was one of their bikes at all. Perhaps anything that strikes a large company as a modification of their product elicits this sort of a stance? The mystery will continue, I suppose….
Last edited by orcas island; 10-07-15 at 05:44 PM.
11-01-15, 02:49 AM
#36
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You may be able to get Merz to shed some light, he is the godfather of Stumpjumper after all.
11-01-15, 06:19 AM
#37
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What an interesting bike. It is probably a very clean conversion based on points raised earlier. Consider as well that the seat lug still has the usual vent hole used for releasing gases when brazing a closed top tube.
11-01-15, 10:36 AM
#38
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I was really hoping to find some answers about this frame because it is such an oddity. The best guess ( from all of the good thought offered by others) is that it was a dealer modification made before it hit the sales floor.
It is a reasonably skilled job, and clearly not done by a hack. The biggest mystery to me is why someone would take a new small framed bike like this and go to all of the trouble to alter the frame in this fashion. It couldn't have improved the stand over height that significantly. Who knows!?
The goal now is just to get it cleaned up and greased for my wife to use when she is recovered from her hip replacement surgery. It looks like it will be a fantastic bike for her.
It is a reasonably skilled job, and clearly not done by a hack. The biggest mystery to me is why someone would take a new small framed bike like this and go to all of the trouble to alter the frame in this fashion. It couldn't have improved the stand over height that significantly. Who knows!?
The goal now is just to get it cleaned up and greased for my wife to use when she is recovered from her hip replacement surgery. It looks like it will be a fantastic bike for her.
11-01-15, 12:07 PM
#39
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Back in the day small frames were not that small. A 19" MTB frame likely had the standover height of a 21" road frame, so someone who intended to take one offroad might have seriously needed more clearance. My wife takes a small frame and it was a headache trying to find any frames anywhere that would fit her comfortably/safely. The approach taken by the person who modded this one could have been the last resort for a rider who needed a small one
11-01-15, 09:59 PM
#40
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That is a good point
11-01-15, 11:13 PM
#41
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Talking to a seller who has what is described as an early Stumpjumper Sport with a Mixte like frame. Photos that I have seen are a bit fuzzy and don't show the bike well, but it sure looks like an early Sport to me. Has anyone ever seen one of these built with a Mixte frame? The color is right, components look right, biplane fork, etc...
I bought one of these new in late 1983 and wasn't aware they were made with this type of frame design. Anyone ever come across one like this??
I bought one of these new in late 1983 and wasn't aware they were made with this type of frame design. Anyone ever come across one like this??
How do you find all of these cool vintage bikes?
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11-01-15, 11:47 PM
#42
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I check the local CL at lunch time, and being self employed, I can on occasion scramble out to see something that is really compelling. I also seem to end up with bikes that fall into the "fuzzy photo, vague description" category. A good measure of luck helps as well!
Last edited by orcas island; 11-01-15 at 11:58 PM.
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