753 tubing mystery bike...let the games/guesses begin
 

I bought a mystery bike basically for the parts. The frame has 753 tubing stickers on the frame and fork, but anyone can buy thosstickers. The frame itself if quite light which helps me think it may be 753. But again, give me your best guesses.

It looks like a re-paint and has absolutely no markings except a 91 on the bottom bracket and Campagnolo rear drop outs (slightly more modern) and campagnolo fork drop outs as well.

http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/...o/IMG_1463.jpg

http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/...o/IMG_1465.jpg

any guesses?

What link?

I'm thinking something British due to the seat stays. High end.

The lug work looks high end and likely hand done with minor flaws which along with the seat stays as said makes me think It is limited production British from the 80's.

Am I seeing vertical dropouts and a non-slotted housing stop for the RD? Do those two usually exist on the same frame? I was of the mind that by the time frame builders had moved away from horizontal dropouts, they'd also started using slotted stops.

This bike has short semi horiztonal slanted rear drops and none slotted housing stops which would be consistant with a lot of 80's road bikes. I built up a 80's fuji recently that had the same frame configuration.

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSC00612.jpg

Yeah, I got this bike as part of a group buy, but the person didnt know who made it (not the original owner), but the 753 decal and the other bikes lead me to believe it was custom of sorts, just trying to figure out WHO is the custom or maybe just solid production frame, but as you mentioned, custom seems more likely than a large production frame

I don't have the answers, but I have more questions:

Can anything about the date be inferred from the cable routing going over the top of the BB shell?

What's the bb thread, and what's the seatpost size?

The style of dropouts and cable routing seem to indicate the bike is likely late 80's.

I would not assume the frame is Reynolds 753 based on those tubing decals. Where did the original decals go? It appears to be a repaint, with the 753 decals applied later.

The fork decal is also a little suspicious. It appears to be the same as what is shown here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/REYNOLDS-753...item5ae9856011

These are much less common (I've never seen this version on a bike) than the smaller, shield-shaped Reynolds 753 fork decal seen here:
http://www.equusbicycle.com/bike/rey...-transfers.jpg

I'm not saying it isn't a 753 frame, just that I wouldn't put too much credence in the decals.

Based on the brake cable guides and over BB cable routing, I'd guess early 80s.

Do you know what type of threading on the BB? The BB cups should note the threading type (on the side).

Nice bike with a good selection of parts.

To throw another wrench into it, BB threading is 35x1 (french) and seatpost size is 26.8

It also has over the BB cable routing which I wouldn't think would be on a frame w/ SemiVert drops.

What are the shifters? I thought they were Modolo composite but on second glance I am not so sure. How about a close up of the drops?

A Frog BB? could it be a Gitane of some type?

Will a early 80's Gitane made just before they switched BB's would be consistant with the kinda odd frame details.

I wouldn't know that is why I am asking. I know Gitane had those funky 'spiderweb' looking dropouts so why not semiverts?

Couple more pictures.

http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_1471.jpg

http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_1475.jpg
http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_1472.jpg

http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_1473.jpg

The dropouts are the standard Campy vertical dropouts like these (from Classic Rendezvous)
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=272808

The bottom bracket cable guides are the braze-on version of the clamp model used on many many 1970's bikes before braze-ons came into favor. My 1973 Raleigh RRA has these dropouts, with the clamp on over the BB cable guide. I would say late '70s to early/mid '80s would be a good range. French threading is odd... also don't know when Reynolds 753 came about (if it is 753).

The nice scalloped stay ends on the rear dropouts say "high quality" to me......
Maybe the top of BB cable guides should not always mean a 70's build. It could be a custom build where the builder or owner just preferred such derailleur cable guide routing. The re-spray(?) on the frame looks awful, I'd strip that thing right away and replace it with a proper top class finish. Maybe the original colors are still under that paint....Can you post a close up pic of the lower stay bridge behind the BB shell if it has one, and the brake bridge? Just curious to see if there are any details on them that can give away its identity and its overall quality.

Chombi

What are you wanting us to guess? Whether it is 753 or the builder? Nothing you have given us precludes it being 753. 26.8 is a viable post diameter for metric 753 in a larger size. Try measuring the seat tube OD. Metric OD is 28.0 for the seat post, 26.0 for the TT. Metric 753 came out before Imperial 753, which I think was introduced around 1983. So if it is metric, it likely predates 83. As for the vertical drops, my ca 75 Raysport has them. My Team Pro (ca 1976) has the over the top BB guides. About the only way to know for sure is to weigh it. 753 or 531, it is a nice frame.

Both.

But, I am pretty sure it is 753 tubing. The main reason why is because of the collection of bikes I bought, the guy wouldnt have put it on there unless it really was 753. He would have known and it is significantly lighter than the 531 bike I have.

So really, I am hoping to figure out the builder. I am leaning towards a more custom built frame especially with only a 91 on the BB. I haven't taken out the fork so I am hoping for a few more marks on there. It's just the pitiful paint job that is throwing me off in some ways. And not to mention, no markings other than Campagnolo on the bike.

Here are a couple more pictures that someone mentioned earlier.

http://i47.tinypic.com/2dalsf9.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/b3rlud.jpg

More along what I just mentioned, being that is a pat 81 RD and also a PAT 81 crankset, that leaves me to believe its a bike from 1981, stating the obvious in some ways. Again, based on the collection I bought from, which was always properly built with age specific components.