So I picked up this vintage Monark. Has a poor quality repaint. Looks like it was green like other photos I had seen. Likely made with Reynolds 531. Nervex lugs. Has Campy dropouts on frame and fork. Campy bottom bracket shell and seatpost bolt. Avocet headset. Measures 55cm square. Wondering what to do with it. Strip and repaint? Build it up as is? I don't really have enough campy parts for it. Sell on this forum? I'm just trolling for ideas and opinions.

It's YOUR frame. What do YOU want to do with it? Is it your size? Does it "speak" to you?
You'll get any number of answers. Mine is that you should send it to me.

I know the number of bikes both of us need in N+1, but do I really need another? I'm running out of hooks in my ceiling. I wish I knew more about it. Year, model, etc. All that it speaks to me is that it is rare and quality and makes a nice conversation piece at the local getogether, Frankenbike.

https://frankenbike.net/about/

With most of these lesser known brands, the best thing is to build it cheap and ride it to test the characteristics. Then decide.

If it is 531, the flat crown fork, laid back seattube, eyelets, etc = maybe it makes a decent touring rig/rain bike with fenders/grocery getter/etc. It is certainly an easy clean-up.

Cool old frame! I would romove the bottom bracket, the head set, and head badge, the take it to my local powder coater, and have it redone in an appropriate shade of green. I'd build it up with whatever I had laying around, which at this point in time is Shimano 6207. Tim

what is the rear spacing?

Rear spacing is 120mm.

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Braze-ons appear to be post-manufacture additions. Headplate colours not stock. Normal is white and metal. Shell will be metric threaded but steerer BSC/ISO.

Tubeset likely eleven tube 531C. Pillar size likely 27.2.

Green paint beneath the red may be respray as well. Also these bicycles received zinc chromate primer which is green in colour.

Frame somewhat earlier than might appear at first glance.

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Top tube cable guides could have been brazed on at a later date. If someone painted that head badge they were awfully good. Do you have a photo of a matching badge in white and metal color? I see some photos of a badge in white and metal but the crown and other raised portions of the badge are different. This one is different although you are probably right.

I think this bike should be repainted so it looks like this one. With new decals.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Monark-deca...19.m1438.l2649

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There you go, a model 319 from the 1960's.

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Send it to Hudson308.

Thank you for that information. It has a serial number if that means anything...3805957.

I'd need to grind off those top tube cables guides though and replace them with clips.

That's a great looking frame IMHO, I especially like the lugs and fine rear stays. A little concerned about the brazing of the front drop-out, which looks messy, I'd check that out.

For the build, I'd opt to give it a period feel. Forget Campag it's just too common, much more so than it was BITD. Put on some unusual and decorative parts. Could you keep the current paint, just add a couple of pannels/pinstripes to it. I guess you could say, I'd restore it to rideable barn-find conditon.

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Blue example looks to date from the 1967-69 time. Campag NGS rear mech not original; otherwise appears stock. That model of Weinmann cable anchor only seems to have been around for a year or two so it is a helpful dating aid. Note that this blue bike you found does not exhibit a single braze-on.

By the early 1970's the model 319 was coming through with a Stronglight 93 chainset.

Here is a model 319 from 1961:

Thats true. Mine has braze-ons including double bottle mounts. Hmmm....is there a serial number database for these?

It had these brakes on it for whatever that helps, a Campy double bolt seatpost and these style Suntour shifters without a clamp. No derailleurs or wheels.

Yes, it really was in a barn.

oh baby, i love 120mm spacing for running a sturmey archer! please dont sell this to me. my gf thinks i have enough.

LOL yeah, listen to your friends!

I gotta warn ya though, it would probably turn out something like this...

BEFORE:
P1010038.jpg

AFTER:
P1010982.jpg

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[MENTION=332414]Hudson308[/MENTION] -

su imagini are not displaying for me. are other folks able to view them?

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[MENTION=342713]Jicafold[/MENTION] -

on the chance you have not found them already you may wish to explore some of these pages...

https://www.cykelhobby.com/monark319.html

https://www.cykelhobby.com/92320ident.htm

https://www.cykelhobby.com/monark320.html

https://www.cykelhobby.com/monark60-62.html

https://www.cykelhobby.com/monark57.html

https://cykelforum.se/

as you probably have sussed afore, frames for model 319 and model 320 are identical for any given year; the models differing only in how kitted.

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Ah mon ami [MENTION=333224]juvela[/MENTION], vous pouvez être plus d'un anachronisme que je suis!

I think you had the same issue with the Stella pics I posted a couple of weeks ago. We may have to all pitch in for ya and upgrade that Commodore 64 you're using!

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Thanks so much for the advice. Will do just as soon as I finish this Fortran course I am taking...

juvela, calculating his taxes with his socks off.

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returning now to our regularly scheduled MCB programming -

Jicafold - suspect this may be how your frame was liveried whenst it departed Varberg:



https://m.bikeforums.net/showthread.p...edish+bicycles

Note again the complete lack of braze-ons.

wrt dating -

in looking at a good number of MCB 319/320 cycles online it would appear that the final year for use of this track style crown with them was ~1968.

here is a Cresecnt 320 dated that year -



https://www.cykelhobby.com/92320eng.htm

319/320 bikes produced following that year came with the Vagner flat topped crown.

beginning about 1970 the stays grew beefier and the geometry changed to produce toeclip overlap.

the blue with white or dark red trim was the house/team colour for Monark badged machines.

the orange with white trim was the colour for Crescent badged product.

a third, not frequently encountered badge, was also produced with the name Skandia. had the opportunity to view one of these in person. its transfers were nearly identical to those of Monark but with the different name. it was orange with white trim and looked to date from the early 1970's. built with NERVEX Professional lugset and Vagner crown.

in the early 1970's Monark 319/320 bicycles were produced for export which were made also in white with blue trim and in orange with white trim.

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Juvela...Thank you for that information and those links. Great reading and photographs. But, are you saying that someone added all the braze ons to my frame to include top tube guides, cable routing, down tube shifters and 2 bottle cage mounts?

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ja machen.

just as you found some telltale signs on the top tube cable guides you may discover similar clues on the others as well...

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So true. While the other braze-ons appear solid, they could use some better finishing. Nothing a dremel tool would not smooth out. It appears therefore that all braze-ons were added. How crafty. Anyhow, does this green seem like the likely original color rather than a primer? It is metallic.

Is there a 'Reynolds 531' stamping on the steer tube? It may be hard to find through the paint.