I've had this frame for years using it as a winter training bike in the mountains in the north of Thailand.
Now its due for a complete make over and restoration but I really don't know who made this frame. Do you?
Its a Columbus steel circa 80s, perhaps late 70s but probably mid 80s.
The BB shell is the patented Cinelli and the fork crown comes from Cinelli too. Other than that a total mystery.
Oh yes! The frame number in two parts is 145 196. The fork/rear ends are Columbus (similar to Campag)
Please, if you have any idea, let me know!!!! Thanks

Ian F
Thailand

Sounds like a great frame! Would love to see it. Without pictures it's impossible to identify anything, though....

If you post them...they will come

I thought I'd posted a link! Silly me! https://s1272.beta.photobucket.com/us...lli%20or%20not

I'm gonna keep an eye on this thread nice looking frame - I hope u leave it be and just do your regrease overhauls n such

Cinelli sold framebuilding parts to anyone with money, so the fact that it says Cinelli isn't as important as the fact that it looks nothing like a Cinelli. I always thought it was a mystery that they would sell parts with their name on them to anyone, they don't have the same lawyers over there in Italy, apparently.

It definitely needs rechroming and painting. Same colour perhaps!

It looks nice but without a name or logo stamoed anywhere you may never know who built it.

How do you know what steel it's made of? Is there a decal somewhere, or did there used to be? It looks like there are remnants of a decal on the down tube... If there are, a closeup of that may help.

Well no one would care if it was random Tange, but the OP is likey assuming, wrongly or rightly, that since it has a Cinelli BB shell and Columbus dropouts it is likely Columbus.

Is that head badge sticker a lead to identification in any way or do you guys think its crackerjacks

There is a head badge sticker but it is incomprehensible. Also, I have assumed Columbus. Yes, it could be gas pipe or Tange, but I think not. When someone is building with quality lugs etc they are likely to use quality tubes. Also when I 'ping' it it sounds a bit like my Columbus Saronni Colnago (though I may be stretching a point here or it could be wishful thinking!). I have posted (by the way) a question about the Colnago on the valuation forum.

Do you see any rifling at the base of the steer tube or where the tubes enter the bottom bracket shell? Those would be indications of high-end Columbus tubing (SL/SLX, SP/SPX). The "spoiler" style BB shell is mid-eighties production, so that should put a lower limit on the age of the frame.

I can't ID it, either...but I'll offer some (FWIW) thoughts:

I think it's most likely Italian, most likely some sort of Columbus tubing, and (tell us the rear spacing) most likely from the early '90s...based on the Cinelli spoiler BB shell, that style of forkcrown, the "shot-in" fastback rear stay treatment, and the FD bracket and dual WB bosses...but that's all just guessing based on generalities.

I'd further guess that, since there's not much else to hang a name on, the best clue to pursue might be the Columbus branded DOs and fork ends. They are not all that wide-spread in use and you might just find a match by comparing to other brands that used them.

I just might start a thread to gather pics of brands that used them...might be helpful to you and others, too.

That's true about the Columbus dropouts. I have a Rossi that uses them, and I've seen them on Limongi's as well. I'm sure there are quite a few others, but not nearly as common as Campagnolo.

I'd definitely investigate further here if it were mine. You can see the outline of where the decal used to be. Is it a letter "R"?

Solved! This frame is a Buzz built in Leeds (UK) during the early 90s. The builder was Karl Gomersall who also built low=pro frames for time trialling.
Now I'm trying to find out anything about Buzz/Karl. Anyone come across him before?