marius.suiram 

any idea what is this frame?
Tange Falcon headset, and Shimano 600 Tricolor cranks. (175 mm).
Thanks.
The pics I have:

T-Mar

The presence of dual bottle bosses, a pump peg and cables running under the BB shell, in conjunction with a integral but not unicrown fork crown, suggests late 1980s. There doesn't appear to be a front derailleur tab and it lacks embossing which would suggest no better than mid-range and rule out a major brand. Chrome stays but a painted fork are contradictory, so it may be replacement fork and a repainted frame. It's probably Japanese or Taiwanese. The serial number may allow us to determine the exact year and/or manufacturer.

plonz 

As usual @T-Mar appears to be on the right track.

From what little details I can make out in the photos, it bears a lot of resemblance to an 88-89 Schwinn Circuit. 27.0 seatpost would be another indicator. If it is, that's a quality Columbus SL frame with SP downtube.

zukahn1

I would agree it does look like a late 89 circuit that has been repainted, if you can also check the fork for chrome I'm pretty sure it's chrome underneath looks like someone blacked out painted the fork when they repainted the frame.

marius.suiram 

Thanks for your replies, guy.
Does it worth 40$, in your opinion?

zukahn1

If it's strait no damage no dents it's worth well more than $40 and would make a nice build. With the crank, headset stem and current paint I would say it's worth $125-150 or so.

marius.suiram 

thanks.
I am waiting for my payment at the end of the week.
If it is still available I think I'll buy it.
How should I check if it is a Columbus SL frame?

T-Mar

Columbus SL frames utilize a 27.2mm seat post and there will be five helical ridges inside the bottom of the fork's steerer tube.

plonz 

I just finished disassembling an '89 Circuit I purchased which is the only reason I have anything to add here. Some more details.

The '89 Circuit uses a Tange aero fork and does not have the ridges T-Mar mentions. Frames were Columbus SL with larger sizes (58+) having an SP downtube for rigidity.

The '89 catalog lists the seatpost diameter as 27.2 but I removed a 27.0 Kalloy post from my Circuit. Not too surprising as I've vented before on the inconsistencies in seatpost diameters.

I've seen black Circuits with black forks so this frameset may be original and unpainted, just de-stickered. I believe this was a color option in 1987. Here is one posted in BF:
https://www.bikeforums.net/19196482-post565.html

BTW, $40 is a great price for a Circuit frameset. I paid much more than that for my Tempo frameset.

danarello

I hope I'm not butting in this nice thread but I have an identical question that the thread starter posted. Can anyone ID this strange frame? Components are all Shimano 600 and Mavic MA 40 wheels. Is it an early aluminum frame? It looks like a late 80s road bike. Also, it's a 7 x 2 speed.

exxongraftek

Possibly a Vitus that has been painted? Maybe after a repair? (Looking at the DT/HT junction)

danarello

Bingo! After a quick search on Google: Vitus I think you are correct. Still, I know nothing about this type of frame construction.

exxongraftek

Bonded aluminum, very light, some but not many frames came apart at the head tube junctions.
The line in the paint may mean nothing - but (carefully) take the bike on a test ride and see if you feel any slop in the front end.
Might be just a sloppy joint. I personally would love to own one of them someday. Too many other bikes to allow this right now.

repechage

I would only worry about the painted Vitus if it was powder coated.

CliffordK

For the white frame, try a magnet on the tubes, dropouts, and lugs.

Close-ups are always appreciated.

Early CF is also possible. My CADEX has a monostay, so it is out, but an early Trek or Specialized CF might be possible (my Trek Racing has a side routed cable, but other similarities with your frame).