Great frame and amazing job restoring it - Found this thread searching Formula Orange as I am looking to restore Steve Wades Formula road bike and am looking for Formula top tube decals if you can point me in the right direction. I can post pics of the bike here or on another thread if anyone is interested.
Category X-Orange Formula.
- Thread starter sinnerman
- Start date
Cheshire1980
Orange 🍊 Fan
Yes would love to see your formula road bike
Cheshire1980
Orange 🍊 Fan
I guess road, if it’s a road bike. Looking forward to the thread
Little and often, I think is the way this thread is destined to go...Due to constant setbacks, parts going missing in the post, parts arriving that aren't as described, good enough or even usable.
So I guess I'm my own worst enemy, never one to take the easy road, this frame could easily be built with Shimano, and it would have been finished years ago, but I held back.
My thoughts on it all.....
So back in the Day, Overbury's felt the need to put out the advert they did (see advert on page 5....), so, there must have been something that triggered it.
(Overbury's- A hand built Steel bike made local, made in the UK. )
Obviously the image speaks a thousand words, but the timing of that advert for me is priceless.
Orange coming to market; bigger volume, far east manufactured but with a paint scheme, name and image that perhaps certain quarters of the market hadn't seen coming - or quite this way before. (especially early UK pioneering frame builders from Bristol)
Naturally it all came together very nicely for Orange, but where did it start?
We all know the story I know, but it did get me to thinking about the build and the advert.
With an Overbury's built with XT in hand, and this frame predating it by maybe by 8 to 12 months...
The Orange Formula really needed to be slightly different. After all, it was perhaps one of the first three and something got the goat of Overbury's for sure.
"Formula" meant any spec you want, the brainchild of Lester Noble.
So with this in mind, I was sure I needed to be spec correct of the era, roughly 12 months earlier than my Overbury's and try not to use Shimano.
Trouble is 35 years after the fact has not been kind to old bike bits, especially on a budget. But I have been thankful that we have other riders/bikes of the time, we can draw influence from and whilst its hard to believe now, there were supply and demand issues, availability, suitability, cost implications too back in the day, all contributed to the choices they made.
So this did help a little bit, when trying to write a build list, and whilst trying and be as close as I could get with the options that were available at the time, and indeed sourcing options now.
So, I thought given all the hiccups I'm having with parts delays, hoarding it, assembling it, and then adding to the thread with pics, I thought I might list my build sheet, and add updates as and when they arrive.....
I appreciate my thoughts and choices won't be everyone's cup of tea, but given the bike and its name, hopefully that's the point.
IF it ends up as per the build sheet with no more dramas or dilemmas, i will be truly amazed..!
Orange Formula -X
Commissioned by Lester Noble/Steve Wade, Fabricated by Dave Yates.
Frame-Tange Prestige Fillet Brazed frame, rear U brake fitting with X-Brace
Fork-Tange Prestige fillet brazed fork.
No rack or mudguard mounts-F.R.O-
Twin downtube bottle mounts.
Paint- Classic Neon Orange to white fade, Gold label.
Bar-Orange (Tange) Original equipment.
Stem- Orange (Tange) with under carriage cable hanger, Original Equipment.
Headset-Tange 1" Sealed.
Seatpost-Kingsbery /American Classic, Black
Saddle- Concor Supercorsa (San Marco)
Rims-Mavic M6CD
Hubs-Kingsbery/American Classic, Black
Spokes-Wheelsmith
Block/Freewheel-Suntour Winner straight through, 13-19
Cranks-Specialized Flag.
Chainrings-Specialized Chainrings, Crank caps, Black edition
Front Mech-Suntour XC9000
Rear Mech-Suntour Sprint 9000 LE
Chain-Regina Extra Corsa-Silver.
Brake Levers-XC9000 brake levers combined with gear lever, Accushift
Gear Levers-XC9000 brake levers combined with gear lever, Accushift
Grips-Period Foam-Black O/E Fitment
Cables- 2MM.
Front Brake-Scott Penderson Self Energizing front Cantilever
Rear brake-Scott Penderson Self Energizing rear U brake.
Cable hangers-Suntour.
Wheel and Seatpost Q/Rs-Kingsbery/American Classic.
Tyres- Panaracer TImbuk IIs
Pedals-Suntour XC9000
Toe Clips-GIPIEMME Crono, black
Straps- Christophe, Leather-Black
Breeze and Angell-Hite Rite.
I shit you not, if this actually comes together, I'm going out to buy a pile of Oranges and will attempt to take a Picture as a response to the Original Overbury's advert.
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Sounds ace mate, really glad to see this re-surface.
Maybe you could say which parts you are short of to see if anyone has spares?
Maybe you could say which parts you are short of to see if anyone has spares?
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