Need some help. This listing for a "1983 Specialized Expedition" frame just appeared on my local Craigslist. I would have been interested, but dont think it is legit. The Seller tries to explain some of the inconsistancies by saying modifications were made by a "local framebuilder", but....any eagle-eyed experts out there to say yay or nay?? Thanks!!

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/bik/1910021330.html

It's certainly a nice touring frame. But there's no way to prove it was/is a Specialized Expedition. That's the problem with getting bikes repainted or removing the paint for the chrome underneath. They lose all their sense of identity. But they're just bikes, right?
-Gene-

Well, there is ONE thing: if the seatstay caps and/or fork crown have the "S" logo on 'em, that's a pretty good indication that it is a Specialized.

SP
Bend, OR

It is. I know the man and it is what he says it is. The bike has proven itself on the road and I am sure if you ask he might be able to provide pictures of it before it was built. I am sure he could put you in touch with the framebuilder who did the mods.


He hunted for the specific frame for a while before he found that one. He is a cool dude, Sorry if I came off a little harsh.

Well, may be no way to prove 100% conclusively (without some sort of serial number), but someone out there who owns one from that approximate vintage may know key marks, features, etc. For example, even I know that the Expedition's cable guides were routed on top of the top tube, but the seller says he had them moved...Maybe a lug detail is something that could not have been modified so easily....

Looks like an Expedition to me. Previous owner replaced the housing guides with splitstops and installed a pump peg and downtube shift cable stops, but all other characteristics are there.

Nope, not harsh! And, I am (hopefully) not a bad guy for asking the question----just want to know before investing the $$$! This forum is a great resource for exactly this sort of thing....

Hi,

I say with high assurance, yes. I have a '84 expedition and it matches in the following ways:

1) Pump boss on headtube - check
2) Triple bottle bosses - check
3) Lowrider bosses, same style (should be an m5 bolt) - check
4) Chainstay and Seatstay bridge reinforcements - check
5) Canti bosses same single hole style - check
6) Rear fender bosses in same location - check
7) vertical dropouts, rear derailleur cable stop - check
8) Rear rack bosses, same location - check
9) downtube shifter bosses - check
10) fender bosses, same number and location - check

Mine differs from this one in the following ways:

1) Dynamo wiring: mine has an extra brazed collar on the headtube-downtube lug hole, and the exit wiring has a hole in a different location
2) mine has rear brake guides on the top of the toptube rather than the side.

The lowrider bosses, rear rack boss location, and vertical dropouts certainly make me think that it is.

I would not call the brazeons on the DT for the housing stops 'shifter bosses.

NOr would I - they aren't, they're cable stops. And the concave seatstay caps don't look right for Specialized. IIRC all of the "Brand S" bikes had flat caps, most with the "S" logo.

SP
Bend ,OR

Yes, I've seen that one on the internet. Here it is in its full glory - https://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/2009/cc...ngham0309.html

You recall incorrectly. The Specialized Expedition I used to have had scalloped stay-ends and no "S" anywhere to be found, just like the one pictured. In fact, the seat tube lug looked identical to the one pictured:

My 84 does not have the S in either place.

The claims of the craigslist ad are believable. Except for the noted changes, including the nice plating, it's identical to my 84.

Plated, useful features added. I'd say it's improved. Don't know if it's worth $425 in your market. Mine was less than $100 original.

Here's the one I have, that's been painted white -- still a project (though it's #1 on queue). This one hasn't been modified, except for the necessary paint job.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/1317574...7618662892487/

That looks really nice, Charles.

Don't know why, but I find a nicely finished touring frame almost pornographic. All those braze-ons. Think of the possibilities!

I guess I just have a lot of baggage.

i never forget a face.

https://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/2009/cc...ngham0309.html

Wow, thanks for all the fast and lively responses---again, this forum is a great resource. The Seller would be glad to know he has such good friends out there. I am now completely convinced it is the real deal. Case closed! Still not sure I can afford it, but thats my problem. Thanks again. Charles, would like to see that white one when it is all done---very cool. ----JP

Ah, I remember seeing that, maybe on the Miyata-Spec Tour mailing list (groups.yahoo.com). One thing you should be aware of: it's nickel plated, not chrome plated. Nickel is neither as durable nor as corrosion resistant as chrome, so you have to keep it waxed and polished, unless it's clear-coated. I have some hardware at home that's nickel without any coating, and it gets dull. Having a high polish helps some (compared to brushed).

whatever it is its a beautiful bike and or frame. it is just too pricy for a 'coffee bike'

On first glance, it could be any one of the Miyata-built frames, all of which were virtually identical. The three water bottle mounts points to Miyata 1000 or Expedition or maybe Univega Specialissma? The main thing that sets them apart is the internal dynamo wiring in the Expedition. So, the little hole in the downtube makes me think you have the real deal there. The serial number is correct starting with "L" for 1983.

Tad overpriced, IMO, but a *very* pretty frame, updated in an intelligent manner. Maybe if the CK headset were free...

Hardly. What you're not figuring into the equation is that individual needs change as time passes. As I write this, I'm up in my office searching out the title for my Qingqi scooter. Now that I'm telecommuting (due to my wife's ill health) I no longer have the justification for keeping it in the garage. Never mind that it served excellent duty on the work commute for the last three years. My Harley's probably going to go next, since Patti can't ride with me anymore, and I'm unable to leave her alone at home for long enough periods of time to actually get some motorcycle riding in. I'll probably carve the motorcycle part of the garage down to my two Triumphs. They'll handle whatever traveling I had to do to the office.

While I'm at it, I'm also considering selling the arsenal up in the attic: Seven muzzleloaders, anything from medieval handgonnes to a Brown Bess and a Charleville. Plus bandoliers, swords plate armor, and fencing gear. I burned out on re-enactment a few years ago, and the home situation once again makes taking off for a weekend with the regiment impossible.

Last week, I sold my Gary Fisher Gitchie Gummie - the first mountain bike I ever had that actually got me trail riding. This past winter, I built a more modern Fuji Mt. Fuji, and since I'm a die-hard roadie, having two mountain bikes is a absolute waste. Yeah, it was a nice bike that I modified (upgraded) in the three years I had it, but the money could be put to more tools for the shop, or another frame, or . . . . . . .

Don't ever say, "What an expensive waste of time; just sad." If you following the links to that bike's history, the owner obviously got some serious use out of it. Now he's ready to build something else, so why let it gather dust on the shelf when somebody else could be riding it?

well said, sykerocker.