1995 Independent Fabrication Deluxe Help needed style gurus

[GoldenEraMTB]

so much potential, but something isn't grabbing me either, hmmm

I'll await less fuzzy pics. May I request more shots of the front fork, thanks
SF K has a point with the colors.

The Thompson post and stem look good with it, since you are not going period.

Hmmmm

The reason I asked for pics on the fork is because I don't think I've seen IF forks like those before, but I could be wrong. The IF forks I've owned were definitely different.

oh well.

 

[Harryburgundy]

I'll pop some closer pictures later (of the forks)

 

[Dr S]

I'd change the saddle for something a little better proportioned (maybe a Brooks Swallow Ti??) and the stem for something a little skinnier, something like a Salsa. Keep the stem black though. Silver post looks much better but experiment with a silver flat bar- Titec Titanium springs to mind as they have a decent width. The bars will tie in nice with the post and the Middleburns (which should deffo stay) and give a nice touch of silver near the three contact points giving it a little visual balance.

All in all a very nice looking bike. Those forks are super cool looking

 

[Augustus]

If we're making changes to the aesthetics, I'd ditch the coloured king and cables.

go for either black or silver but post/ stem/ bar and chainset should match.

Personally on this frame, I'd go silver (dark frame - light comps/ light frame - dark comps) and keep the black rims.


There you go. Sorted. Now off you go, get on with it.

 

[Harryburgundy]

Thanks chaps....I'll go and spend some more money then

Cables will go...maybe mango headset...I'm looking for a nice stem...and yes, I probably could do flats bars with some rise on the stem.

Saddle...yes....Brooks....mmmm...I would have sold the bike before it was worn in.

Anyway....I'm just enjoying riding it for now....its awesome, as they say.

Some rubbish pictures of the forks...and they had better not come out all the wrong angles etc....why doesn't photobucket show the edited version in your album?

 

[Augustus]

god i didn't see it had risers....get rid of them. Immediately.

Always agreed with Jo Burt on this one. Can't see why you'd have a riser*, you should have a correct angled stem and a flat bar. Think his was a scientific analysis. mine was purely aesthetic.

Always liked those skinny forks.



*this is NOT going to start a 'why risers are the nuts/ rubbish' debate - do you understand?

 

[Harryburgundy]

*this is NOT going to start a 'why risers are the nuts/ rubbish' debate - do you understand?

I do hope not

might put some bar ends on those risers...and have them pointing skyward!

 

[Anthony]

As I understand it, IF started up in 1995, which makes this a very early frame. That pre-dates Reynolds 853, so I was assuming this was made from either True Temper or Tange.
I think 853 became available at some point in 1996, but wasn't in wide use until 97. A Roberts expert would know, as I think they used to get the first issue or even pre-production of Reynolds tubes as a development/testing thing.
I guess you guys all know this, but the ad for a frame in the US says that his frame is number 355D718, so Carl's frame number should be XXXD516, where XXX is a very low number, the XXXth one made, D stands for De Luxe, 5 stands for 1995 and 16 is the size.

From what I've read, this is correct. The first couple of years, IF did not use 853; this is what I thought Wu was referring to above. My wife has a 97, and it's 853 as well. I believe my 95/96 is true temper, but I'll have to look into that a bit more before I say for sure.

If the guys who started IF just carried on the operation at Somerville after Chris Chance upped sticks and left, then it would be natural for them to use True Temper tubes to begin with. And I guess it would be equally natural for them to move over to 853 when that became available, as it had a good press and was felt to offer a real advantage over previous formulations (albeit ironically so did TT OX Platinum, but that never had such a good press).

So it would be reasonable I think to assume that Carl's frame is made of True Temper, perhaps equivalent to the tubeset used on a Yo Eddy. If he would tell us what his serial number is, we might have a better idea of how early this frame is in the IF history.

 

[Harryburgundy]

I can't find the serial number

 

[letmetalktomark]

might put some bar ends on those risers...and have them pointing skyward!

Burn him for the love of god burn him.

Heathen