Montagna Innovations frameset - what is this thing?
 

So I bought this as a frame and fork a couple years ago from a local listing and have been unable to find any info whatsoever about it. So I thought I'd turn to the collective mind here and solve a mystery.

I'm guessing it to be early to mid 90's manufacture. It features an ovalized seat tube at the bottom bracket, roller cam or U-Brake mounts on the rear, a pulley for the top pull routed front derailleur cable, and a very funky bottom bracket/chainstay junction.

Super compact rear triangle with wishbone style construction at the bottom bracket junction. Sloping top tube with top tube cable routing, super short head tube and geometry that appears tailored to a non suspension length fork. Meaning the headtube was not positioned to compensate for the extra length/height that a susp. fork provides. The fork that came with it is a straight bladed tapered leg unicrown with cantilever mounts and a set of fender eyelets on the rear of the dropout.

Head tube is 1-1/8". Rear dropout spacing is 135mm. Tubing is Tange MTB double butted cromo, tig welded construction with some brazing on the seat tube/chainstay junction. Oh yeah, the seat tube is reinforced at the top as well.

Since these photos I've put on some Answer Accu-Trax forks and a Girvin Flexstem to keep with the early 90's theme. Since I know a picture is worth a thousand words, well, here you go:

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/j...ysBikes015.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/j...ysBikes012.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/j...ysBikes011.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/j...ysBikes012.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/j...ysBikes016.jpg

Downtube decal reads Montagna, seat tube decal reads Sommita, which translated from Italian is roughly "Mountain Summit" or "mountain top", but I doubt this thing is an Italian made frame.

Any info you can provide is super appreciated!

I've never seen 4 front chain rings. I've lead a sheltered life.

Mountain tamer quad:
http://abundantadventures.com/quads.html

Avid also made one called the micro adapter or microdapter, not sure which:
http://www.bikeman.com/attic/whatizit6.htm

Back when there was lots of room for innovation and small mom n pop CNC shops.

I think mine is a mountain tamer quad.

Oops, this one is a white industries limbo spider. Same concept.

Well bloody hell, there ya go.
Thanks I've learnt something.

me neither and I thought I knew it all. thats also the first wishbone designed chain stay transition ive seen. crazyness!

Only thing I can think is they did it to help reduce or eliminate chainslap/chainsuck? Interesting anyway....

Seems to me the wishbone design would effectively lengthen the chainstays and perhaps wheelbase.

Chainstay length is a compact 16-1/8" from the center of the dropout to the center of the bb. Perhaps the wishbone extension allows good tire clearance and a short chainstay? I remember it was all the rage in the early 90's to have as short a chainstay as possible to give better climbing characteristics.... But this is all speculation on my part.

Still no one can tell me anything about the company?

I had one of those as my first mt bike, had shimano LX components and i paid around $500 for it..bought it in 88 or 89 i think..awesome climbing, tight trails bike with the short chainstays..i eventualy ran a Trek suspension fork on it without any consequences. The bike shop i was using at the time (Bikesport in Harleysville, PA) sold it for me. Wonder if that is my old frame...lol