The year was 1997, spent a long weekend in London, for the "AWESUM" Prodigy gig, at the BRIXTON ACADEMY...it turned into a monumental weekend, with lots of old friends, who where bicycle messengers, too much beer, not enough sleep and a mental two day hangover......lmao.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qw5LxoJVag
So whats the relevance of this weekend got to do with retro bikes you may ask....?
I was lucky enough to be offered a well used ex-couriers "Orange PRESTIGE".
It was pretty hammered, running fixed wheel, slicks and drop bars, it was little more than a hanging shed with wheels. But for £100, for a complete bike i couldnt resist.
The bike has remained with me ever since. Over the years, its been used and abused, borrowed, raced, hammered, and even hired out....lol.
About eight years ago, i stripped it and boxed it, and put it away. With no actual intent on it getting rebuilt again, but with fond memories and no money involved i just couldnt bring myself to bin it....!!!!
Fast forward to the beginning of 2011, i started to go through my boxes of bits, and realised i had enough parts to build a bike. The prestige sprang to mind, but some of the parts either didnt fit, or just didnt seem suitable.
In march a thread sprang up on ebay marketplace, with talk of a DAVE YATES....., this could be a suitable frame for my spare components, i thought. Its handbuilt by a well regarded english frame builder, using columbus tubing and is fillet brazed.
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... es&start=0
After managing to win the frame and fork package, and after reading some of the comments posted on the thread, i thought perhaps it might be a good idea to attempt to build both the Dave Yates and the Orange Prestige at the same time.
If I could source enough of the correct components needed to build both bikes to a similar specification, and build quality.
I could attempt to build two period correct bikes, with totally different approaches, from there builders in respect of there tubing choices and frame design.
The Dave Yates frame uses fast back seat stays and a project II O/E spec"d fork, and "Columbus cromor OR" fillet brazed tubing and is handbuilt in "GREAT BRITAIN".
The Orange Prestige needs no introduction, and is made using a wishbone rear seatstay, "Tange Prestige" tig welded tubing manufactured in the far east, to oranges exact specs, and is hand assembled in the uk.
Both framesets are 92/93 model years, and both gained good reviews from the press.
In fact i would go as far to say, that at one point it was suggested that the Orange "PRESTIGE" was the most frequently seen bike on our national race circuit.
with this sort of notoriety for a quality mass produced far east frame i wondered how a similarly priced handbuilt english frame would compare when both bikes were assembled to a similar spec and original build cost.
My retro bike quest continues.............................
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qw5LxoJVag
So whats the relevance of this weekend got to do with retro bikes you may ask....?
I was lucky enough to be offered a well used ex-couriers "Orange PRESTIGE".
It was pretty hammered, running fixed wheel, slicks and drop bars, it was little more than a hanging shed with wheels. But for £100, for a complete bike i couldnt resist.
The bike has remained with me ever since. Over the years, its been used and abused, borrowed, raced, hammered, and even hired out....lol.
About eight years ago, i stripped it and boxed it, and put it away. With no actual intent on it getting rebuilt again, but with fond memories and no money involved i just couldnt bring myself to bin it....!!!!
Fast forward to the beginning of 2011, i started to go through my boxes of bits, and realised i had enough parts to build a bike. The prestige sprang to mind, but some of the parts either didnt fit, or just didnt seem suitable.
In march a thread sprang up on ebay marketplace, with talk of a DAVE YATES....., this could be a suitable frame for my spare components, i thought. Its handbuilt by a well regarded english frame builder, using columbus tubing and is fillet brazed.
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... es&start=0
After managing to win the frame and fork package, and after reading some of the comments posted on the thread, i thought perhaps it might be a good idea to attempt to build both the Dave Yates and the Orange Prestige at the same time.
If I could source enough of the correct components needed to build both bikes to a similar specification, and build quality.
I could attempt to build two period correct bikes, with totally different approaches, from there builders in respect of there tubing choices and frame design.
The Dave Yates frame uses fast back seat stays and a project II O/E spec"d fork, and "Columbus cromor OR" fillet brazed tubing and is handbuilt in "GREAT BRITAIN".
The Orange Prestige needs no introduction, and is made using a wishbone rear seatstay, "Tange Prestige" tig welded tubing manufactured in the far east, to oranges exact specs, and is hand assembled in the uk.
Both framesets are 92/93 model years, and both gained good reviews from the press.
In fact i would go as far to say, that at one point it was suggested that the Orange "PRESTIGE" was the most frequently seen bike on our national race circuit.
with this sort of notoriety for a quality mass produced far east frame i wondered how a similarly priced handbuilt english frame would compare when both bikes were assembled to a similar spec and original build cost.
My retro bike quest continues.............................
:?
