Lbxpdx

picked this up super cheap, but I have no idea what it is

what I do know:
tig welded
steel
triple cage mounts
down tube shifter bosses
mid fork mount
700c

fork says “spinner 1998 cm/cm”

I can’t make out the serial number. I figured it was some sort of touring bike from the triple cage mount, cantis and the mid fork mount

Iride01 

You bought a project. But are there any goals you wish to achieve that this frame will address or will it cause you to fall short of your goals?

necx

Okay

Lbxpdx

have you been talking to my girlfriend?

Iride01 

No but I have a wife that is very detail oriented and I have to pass muster on things I want to buy and bring home. <grin>

indyfabz

Judging from the rear triangle, looks to be a touring frame of some sort. That’s all I got.

Just noticed the rack bosses and canti brake mounts.

dedhed

The cable tube at the seat post clamp is a design tell tale, but can't remember whose.

dedhed

Why are some cable guides underneath BB plastic and some integrated?

​​​​​​Asian Serial Number Guide

Maelochs

If you could run over the serial number with a crayon or marker we could possibly read it .... whatever, it is a touring frame, and probably 130-mm dropouts---first thing I'd check. Otherwise, throw parts at it until nothing else sticks, and ride it.

I have a 50-40-30 crankset, and I could through a 9-speed on the back and .... have one more bike I didn't ride enough, but if i got the frame cheap enough I probably would ..... have to hide it from the wife for a while though.

jfouellette

To be a project or not to be a project. That is the question…

csport

1996 HardRock has it. My current project.

mstateglfr 

This has stumped me and I really want to know what it is.

- Spinner is just a fork manufacturer from the 80s/90s based in Taiwan. They made forks for all sorts of brands and had offerings that were great, mid-range, and entry.
- The horizontal dropouts on this frame throw me for a loop since in '98 it just wasnt super common to have them on bikes, even touring bikes.
- The frame was made for V-brakes and not cantis, based on the rear brake cable routing. V-brakes dont work great with drop bar cable pull so there were either Travel Agents installed to account for the cable pull or this was a flat bar bike with long pull brake levers.
- The cable routing around the seat tube is something Ive seen on Trek 9XX MTBs and Specialized MTBs, but this frame is 700c so those arent options. Also, the seatpost collar isnt something I recognize from Trek's 7XX hybrid line.
- The seatpost collar is something Ive seen on older Specialized and Jamis bikes, but not the rear brake routing thru the tube.
- The ears for the seatpost binder bolt look low end and not something I would expect from a major brand in the late 90s.

Maelochs

I took the serial number photo over to photoshop, but there is no easy way to pick out the number and am not about to spend much time. The glare in the middle obscures those digits, and the rest are still hard to see. However, you could fill in the numbers with a sharpie or something .... at least as much of them as there is .... and serial numbers are often pretty helpful for identifying items with serial numbers. Unless there is some other mark on the frame ... i don't see what else you have got.

Koyote

Those welds look like they were done by a blind six-year old, but I'm sure it'll hold up just fine.

dedhed

My thoughts
That cable routing works just fine with cantis. see post mentioning hardrock
Were v brakes a common thing yet then ('98 if the fork is original)? Had it trickled down from XT XTR level?
When did threadless headsets become more common as this is a threaded one?
Given the adjusters on the down tube I'd gues it may have been set up with bar end shifters and cantis

Iride01 

What do the frame and fork together weigh? Add 15.5 pounds to it and that is probably what it'll weigh after building it out. Unless you want to go to Ultegra or better and a expensive wheelset.

It's not a bad thing to let old frames go to the scrap yard. Just don't let them go to the landfill.

mstateglfr 

I dont see a cable stop on the seatstays which is why i figured its made for Vbrakes. A cable stop could be added to the seatpost bolt, but its much more common for a cable stop to be attached to the stays.

Threadless headsets hit the market in '92/93, but that was mostly MTB and higher end. It was common for quality road bikes to still have quills in the late 90s.

This frame, based on the welds, doesnt seem high end.

Vbrakes were '95ish. My '98, even Trek 820 rigid mtbs had Vbrakes.

Lbxpdx

my buddy swing by for a BBQ with his kids and I may build it up for the boy. He is 14, 5’10” and will need something to get to high school.

GamblerGORD53

It looks like a frame for a 5'8" guy. For a growing tall kid, forget it. It is a good frame strong tho IMO.

skidder

That looks really, really close to an old Nashbar frame, probably the touring frame. The only things different are the welds don't look as 'substantial' as mine and the Nashbar touring frame (and touring fork) was painted a dark green color. Similarities are the integrated deurallier hanger, bottom bracket cable guide, canti and rack mount points. Great for a light touring bicycle or a 'workout roadie' bicycle for grinding out miles. Mine is long gone, I snapped the rear hanger off the frame in a solo fall.

Murray Missile 

If you already had a pile of spare parts it would make a decent urban commuter or campus bike for someone but I sure wouldn't spend any money on it other than the normal consumables and not much at that. With what I currently have in leftovers and takeoffs I could have that on the road in an afternoon and not spend a dime. Not bragging, just the sad truth LOL.

csport

My vote is for cantis as well. This thread has a photo of a HardRock similar to mine. The frame has a cable stop near the front of the top tube, the housing runs from the brake lever to this cable stop. After that the bare cable runs along the top tube, through the cable guide (with optional liner) in the rear and to the yoke of the canti brakes.
It is possible to run the V-brakes with the full length housing, but then the cable guide is not needed.
I installed an Origin 8 clamp-on cable stop on the rear of the top tube to make conversion to V-brakes possible.

I think I have seen threads mentioning similar cable guides on 90's Konas, but Kona is probably not low end.