Mystery Frame ? Help Please ?
 

I picked up this frame today and with my limited knowledge, and no identifying decals, I can't seem to figure out what it is. It feels light and it looks like mid level workmanship to my untrained eye. It has Suntour dropouts and chrome fork ends and seat/chain stay ends. It's been repainted a number of times, and I can't find any trace of original decals.

Detail of the rear brake bridge.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/...08dd6d1c9f.jpg

Cutout on the head tube lug.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1383/...d2340ce6f8.jpg

Seat tube. Notice that somebody jammed an aero seatpost in there, so I don't know the seatpost size.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1414/...9a7c1bc58b.jpg

The decal on the head tube isn't original as far as I was told.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1344/...0f98664df9.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/...1cda1d9822.jpg

Any help would be nice, this one is just my size!

you can't read or see anything on the headbadge?

There is no headbadge. What you see in the photo is a decal that somebody put on there after one of the paint jobs.

based just on the lug cut-outs: Nishiki or Miyata (and probably one of the higher-end models)
if there's a serial number, T-Mar's database(s) might help you with both those brands.

The bottom bracket shell is somewhat rusted, but the serial number looks to be 83869, not prefaced by a letter or anything. I could only find the Nishiki database, and it seems those serial numbers all contain letters at the start.

Looks like a possible Nishiki Superbe

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2537344...n/photostream/

That Nishiki is the closest I've seen. The cable guides on the bb and the bb lugs also match. The front top tube lug didn't seem to have the cutout in it, but after looking at those Superbe pictures I went back and scraped at it and dug out a bunch of what looks like body filler and found there was a cutout after all. The detail on the front of the headtube lugs isn't exactly the same as the one you linked, but very similar, possibly just a different year?

I was going to say that it looked like it could be a Nishiki. The Suntour dropouts certainly help the case and I don't think there were many Miyatas hooks in the lugs like the ones on the headtube

It could easily be a competition of comp II. I don't have a photo but pretty sure my comp II had the same head lugs as what you've got.

not mine but.... http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2031/...133e930a1c.jpg

Given the Comp II pics, I'm thinking its that. I was originally thinking it might be a high end Lotus; the cut out in the lug almost looks like the Lotus symbol: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/...b8057c.jpg?v=0

weird that the serial number would not have a letter preface if it was a Kawamura-built Nishiki, but it may be that some other contractor built the Comp II or it's from that (unknown) contractor, but never badged as a Nishiki. Note that the blue one has a badge, so yours would have rivet holes in the head tube if it's the same year/model.

Update! I gave the frame an acid bath and it uncovered Nishiki pantographs on the seat stay caps.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/...8b448316_z.jpg

The head tube lugs seem to match the Comp II as opposed to the Superbe. No badge mounting holes in the head tube though.

I checked all my pictures of Canadian Nishikis. The lugs are for a Continental, but I cannot say which year. Some years there where brake cable guides on the top tube, some years not. This can help to narrow down the year.

The lugs are not for the Canadian Competition, International, Landau, or Olympic.