Motopecane

So I live right next door to a community bike shop with a lot of interesting frames hanging around. The other day I found a little 17" hard tail with all the pain stripped off the frame. It has some interesting features and I'm hoping you guys might be able to help me figure out what it is.

The fork that was on the bike appears to be original. It is 1 1/8" threaded. All the fender mount holes are pre-threaded including the fork. Some interesting features are single spring holes for on the brake studs, headtube gussets, and the serial number is on the down tube not the bottom bracket shell. From what I can tell the black with white splatter paint job that the fork has is a glimpse into what the bike used to look like.

any help is appreciated.

Motopecane

blilrat

early 90s Mongoose maybe?

Chris_in_Miami

I've seen a similar gusset on some Ross bikes, but not with that that seatstay arrangement. The seatstays look like a Mongoose IBOC, but I don't think those ever had the gusset.

neo_pop_71

That is a Nishiki Ariel (possibly a Cascade) designed by Richard Cunningham of Mantis Cycles. The following year Nishiki released the Alien and Ariel with elevated chainstays, the difference was the Alien was the top, made from Tange Prestige instead of the Tange 4130 that the Ariel (Cascade and other would be made with). Early versions had 1" threaded forks and then moved to the 1 1/8th standard in the early '90's. Later models returned to the standard frame design after Richard left and went back to Mantis and later being the editor of Mountain Bike Action Magazine. That's a shame whoever owned it butchered the canti stop off the yoked rear stay. Either way it's a nice light weight frame and was one of the few that made a full 4130 frame and fork option at an affordable price point. Here is a link to a good set of photos:

https://www.vintagebmx.com/community/...t27013304.html



I have a 1989 Alien that I converted to a 96'er 1x9 with a Hunter SuperCrown fork, I'm always getting questions about the build. I also have the elevated and non-elevated Ariel frames hanging in my garage. (note the gusset with the cable stop on the photo with the disc brake)



Go snag that frame and fork, you won't be disappointed with the quality and it'll ride great once built up!

Good luck!

Motopecane

Thanks for the reply! The frame is about 17" which is perfect for me. There is also a 1 1/8" threadless fork exactly like the one on this bike.

I am considering putting it on this frame. Do you think it is a decent fork?

thanks for all the help.

-Aron

cyclotoine

Those old manitou's are cool, but they don't do much by todays standard and the elastomer likely needs replacing.

I would love to have that manitou in my collection! Amazing!

blilrat

Stick with the rigid fork or get a later suspension fork. Hang the Manitou on the wall as a reminder of how bad suspension used to be.

Motopecane

^ Good to know. As far as I can tell this is not an elastomer fork though. I unscrewed one of the caps and there is a long valving rod and the fork appears to be an oil filled variety.

blilrat

Are you sure the picture is of the fork you have? That's a Manitou 3 in the picture. I don't know of a mod to add valved damping to that fork, but it doesn't mean it didn't exist at some point.

You might try asking on a mountain bike forum - you will probably get more detailed responses.

dgodave

That frame shares a lot of details with my Nishiki Pinnacle.
.

Motopecane

I'm not sure if it's a Manitou three but it looks very much like the one in the photo. The top of each fork leg has an adjustment. You can also unscrew the cap and it slides out with a large rod attached to it. I will try to get some photos.

Motopecane

You guys were right the fork uses elastomers... it's too bad because it is super light and is very well made. You can get rebuild kits for them but I'm not sure it would be worth it. I found a photo of the rods that I was talking about except the ones in the photo have the elastomers on them.

Motopecane

Does anyone have any idea what, say a Ariel or Cascade would have sold for in 1989?