Anthoswart

Hi again guys!

Thanks for all the help with the Motobecane, I sold that now and moving on up towards a nice Columbus frame with some Campagnolo parts I have lined up. I have a chance of getting the following frame which is claiming to be a Thron. Can you help me and verify that it is a Thron.

I looked online and just when I think I know it is, I get scared it isnt. LOL


Any help would be appreciated.

Anthoswart

Anthoswart

Here are more pictures. The seller wants $100 for it (euros).

RobbieTunes

Most Columbus Thron is oversized tubing, so I really can't tell.
A lot of frames made with Thron are not lugged. Moser used various tubings, so you never know.

Anthoswart

Can you identify it as columbus though from the pictures?

I am sorry but I am hitting a brick wall with the research here.

teetime

There were great bikes that bore the Moser name. This is not one of them.. You can do better for 100EU

RobbieTunes

Nope.

Most Thron frames were normal TT, OverSized ST and DT.
They were not light, but rode pretty well, and got good reviews on value.
Univega used Thron, but I'm not familiar with that many other makers.

I have a Thron frame, but in my experience, the Tange OS and TruTemper OS were lighter.
Schwinn spent a lot of money on OS development, and did a good job, IMO.
I think the Reynolds 853 could be considered OS, too, and I consider that better than Thron.

Moser tended to use significantly better tubing than Thron. I'm stalking one now to replace a CF frameset.

Most Mosers look precise and fast sitting still. His designs simply had that knife edge quality.

That sure is a pretty frame, though. I can't make out the logos on the lugs. Decals on the fork would have to go.

Anthoswart

How can you tell this is not one of them?

teetime

Because I've seen the good Mosers, owned one.

This is not a bad bike, but I would think you could do better, price-wise, in Europe.

Anthoswart

The lugs are stamped with "m" (small). Was this consistent with Moser frames?

Cheers again guys for all the help.

Anth

Anthoswart

It has a small "fm" on the bridge too. So this is a Moser I see. What else could be used to identify the tubing without decals?

longbeachgary

Can't help with the frame but the fork doesn't look right.

RobbieTunes

I don't think you can identify the tubing, if Thron, without the decals.
You could try the weight charts for Columbus tubing, if you knew the weight, just to see how close.
The charts are nice for comparison, but not really a way to ID the tubing.

If it was as light as most Mosers, then yeah, I'd pay E100 for it. The Moser I'm looking it may cost me close to $300, and I'll be giving up a carbon frame for it, and be fine with that.

Anthoswart

And do most of them seem to be columbus sl or slx?

Cheers Robbie!

RobbieTunes

I think Moser used as much, or more Dedacciai tubing as any marque I know of, besides Bianchi. teetime may be able to elaborate on that. Of the Mosers I've seen, some seemed to be stuck in an early 90's time warp and some seemed to be made yesterday, and look as sleek and clean as a new Waterford.

Anthoswart

In terms of rank ( I know this is such a subjective question) where did Moser come against other Italian frame builders of the era? After spending most of the night trying to research this brand, I found that there is a great deal of respect of nostalgia/respect for these frames.

I will go get my hands on this today and get some much better pictures by this evening (all being well).
Thanks to all who commented.

Anthoswart

thinktubes 

Moser also used Oria tubing on the higher end models in the mid-1990's

RobbieTunes

I'm not sure you or I can really rank them, and there probably aren't that many who can. Even cycling magazines only get test bikes for a short time, and those they get for long-term testing don't come with a bevy of competitors. There are just too many.

Most Italian designs are precise and well-balanced, with a tendency towards performance and aggressive handling. Perhaps that was just the cultural norm. Moser was a heck of a rider and seemed to build frames with racing in mind. If the frame fits you, it's worth a thought.

You won't know until you mount wheels and ride it if it's suited to you, unless you have a lot of experience and can tell by the measurements. At this point in my experience, I sort of look at the relationships between ST/TT/HT lengths and try to mount some wheels to get a grip on the aggressiveness of the frame, but that's just moving me towards a more educated guess. I just compare that info to known info from frames I have and like.

I've chosen Italian frames based on faith in their reputation: Mondonico, Pinarello, Cinelli. I had no clue when I bought any that they'd ride a certain way. That's just the way it is with bikes, sometimes. You may have to do the same with this Moser. The Cinelli frames proved to be more in line with my preferences than the Pinarello, and I moved the Mondo to a better builder than I am; never rode it.

I've done this enough to know my fit is in 56cm, and I like the feel of the Cinelli frames and some of Centurion's frames, in particular the Tange 1, but that is probably more dependent upon the design of the frames than the actual tubing involved, which I wouldn't know if it didn't have a decal on it. That's really all there is to it. Some frames just speak to you, and if this one does, and there's no direct competitor you haven't told us about, then I don't see why not.

Don't overthink it. Make a decision and either buy it or don't. The fun starts AFTER you get it home. If you don't like it, you can re-sell it and consider any loss as the cost of finding out the truth.

Anthoswart

Thats the truth robbie, cheers!