Early 90s MTB - Claud Butler Cape Wrath (probably!)

[warpedboy2]

Looks like it's made of nickel-plated cro mo steel to me. Could be a prototype orange prior to p7, made in order to test out the nickel plate and the f7 fork design. That might also explain why it's not got the usual monostay.

Defo not an Orange. They were using wishbones long before the p7 came out. Come to think of it, the only non wishbone orange I have ever seen was the formula on here.

Plus the dropouts and cable routing are wrong too.

 

[raymondluxuryyacht]

What you mean is its not an orange you recognise. However I agree there are lots of inconsistencies (probably too many).

Cable routing varied a lot as the late clockworks (15th variant) showed. Even given that I agree that the cable guides don't look very orange like from what I can see though. That fork is identical to an f7 bar the top caps though...it certainly came out of the same factory as the orange f7. The dropouts look similar to those on my clockwork. Just been to check what the end of the seat and chainstays look like on my oranges though and they are different. So the similarities with orange seem limited to the fork, and the finish on the frame. So it maybe a bike assembled from some of the same frame parts as orange, possibly in the same factory?
It'd be interesting to have a picture of the underside of the bottom bracket to see if the frame number is stamped in the same place and style as say a p7.

p.s. I know they had wishbones before the p7. I am THAT old

 

[raymondluxuryyacht]

That is the most worn middle chainring I've ever seen!

 

[Wold Ranger]

Bike

Early 90's Claud Butler Cape Wrath, they did them in Nickel plated, fits the Typo to me, had one for a short while, nice frames for the money.

 

[evadd]

Thanks for everyone's input on this!

I've had a look at a few other photos on here and not sure it's a Marin Ti, there's a few minor differences, the main one being the shape of the frame around the rear derailleur.

The Cape Wrath is a definite contender for the frame, I've found one on here that looks very similar indeed:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=65905

The bike very light (like picking up a feather compared to my other bike which is a Specialized Crosstrail!) so that might also give an incling as to what it is.

Anyway whatever it is it's still for sale, and I'd probably be more negotiable around the price now I know it's probably not an Orange! I'll have a look for the frame number over the weekend and post a photo just in case...

 

[evadd]

In another twist... I had someone in a bike shop take a look at it on Saturday, and he thought the frame could be a Kona... any thoughts?

 

[orangeone]

It's not a kona

 

[elPedro666]

Cape Wrath seems a very likely fit, nice, underrated frames I think

 

[swannymere]

Agreed, not a Kona.

 

[orangeone]

Cape wrath very good bike I had one after my clockwork got nicked.