Golden Age Cycles listings on Ebay - frames

[slackboy]

I'm still thinking that this is a Privateer frameset TBH

If it's got all the race features, then it's a race. There weren't really any tubing differences, just the details. The key differentiators are the brake bosses, bottom bracket gussets and dropouts. Privateers didn't have the gussets there, had fixed bosses and forged dropouts.

My guess is that's it's a race frame that made it on to the privateer paint line.

 

[tangent]

I think for a time in the mid-late Bontrager+Trek era. Privateer style frames were made in the Wisconsin Trek factory, whilst the (some? / all?) Race / Racelite frames were being made in Santa Cruz still? Also a higher spec True Temorr tubeset appears to have been used on the Racelite (according to frame sticker on mine?)

I might have this wrong, but certainly was the impression I got when researching the origins of my Bonty-Trek era Racelite, versus my early 90s Bontrager OR.

 

[slackboy]

That's right. Privateers were built by trek, described coyly in the 97 brochure as "our mid western frame building connection".

The seat post gusset on the race and race lite frames seems to have been added for the 96 model range, which is also when the privateer was first introduced.

My earlier racelite doesn't have it.

There's definitely a story behind how this frame got to be painted as a privateer, but I guess we'll never know.

 

[TreaderSteve]

The world of Bontragers has always been a bit unknown to me - there seems to be the pre-Trek ones (bonafide?), the post Trek ones (looked down on a little, maybe like the Klein situation? What year was this?). Then, what is the order of quality - which steel one is at the top?
Looking at the 1996 catalogue doesn't exactly make it clear to me either - you could have any frame with whatever groupset you fancied. Just out of interest like.

 

[slackboy]

It breaks down a bit like this

Pre-90 - Bontrager Off Road (OR) - just a single frame available. rivetted cable guides and seatstay/dropout interface. 1" head tube, gussets to increase strength in key places.
91-92 - Race OR - development of off road frame - rivets replace with brazing at some point 92 onwards
93-94 - Race OR and Race lite - main difference was race lite had milled head tube to reduce weight further. two piece seatstays
95 - Race OR and Race Lite - Trek started getting involved and seatstays moved to a one piece design. front mech roller disappears as top pull mechs now available.
96 onwards - Privateer introduced, Race OR and Race lite continue unchanged. Privateers built by Trek , Race and Race lite by Bontrager in Santa Cruz.
99 - Privateer moved to 1 1/8 headtube. Last year that bontrager frames produced.

The 97 catalogue said that a Privateer was "99% of the performance at 50% of the cost". Having ridden both, I'd agree with that. All the frames are great to ride. The Race and Race lites have some of the cool features that bontrager was known for whereas the Privateer was (by its nature) more of a mass market frame.

Some one here had a quote (@sinnerman ?) from Trek that said the privateers were some of the most expensive and best steel frames that Trek had ever made. Its wrong to think of them as re-badged Trek frames, they were bontrager frames, made by Trek.

 

[sinnerman]

It breaks down a bit like this

Pre-90 - Bontrager Off Road (OR) - just a single frame available. rivetted cable guides and seatstay/dropout interface. 1" head tube, gussets to increase strength in key places.
91-92 - Race OR - development of off road frame - rivets replace with brazing at some point 92 onwards
93-94 - Race OR and Race lite - main difference was race lite had milled head tube to reduce weight further. two piece seatstays
95 - Race OR and Race Lite - Trek started getting involved and seatstays moved to a one piece design. front mech roller disappears as top pull mechs now available.
96 onwards - Privateer introduced, Race OR and Race lite continue unchanged. Privateers built by Trek , Race and Race lite by Bontrager in Santa Cruz.
99 - Privateer moved to 1 1/8 headtube. Last year that bontrager frames produced.

The 97 catalogue said that a Privateer was "99% of the performance at 50% of the cost". Having ridden both, I'd agree with that. All the frames are great to ride. The Race and Race lites have some of the cool features that bontrager was known for whereas the Privateer was (by its nature) more of a mass market frame.

Some one here had a quote (@sinnerman ?) from Trek that said the privateers were some of the most expensive and best steel frames that Trek had ever made. Its wrong to think of them as re-badged Trek frames, they were bontrager frames, made by Trek.

It would be quite an insult to Keith to call them rebadged Trek frames for sure. You only have to look at the Trek range of Bicycles from the day Keith got involved. His influence is everywhere, just look at the aluminium frames with all the gussets.

 

[Coleman]

Sadly Not.

Its a Roberts "Bottom Line". (awful name imho, but it is what it is.) and the forks are after market not Roberts.

Forks look like cannondale? Seem to remember the York cycle works team always being in mbuk and riding ‘dales.

 

[1978]

Forks look like cannondale? Seem to remember the York cycle works team always being in mbuk and riding ‘dales.

Definitely not Cannondale Pepperoni forks, they’re from an Orange Aluminium O I think.

 

[benjabbi]

That Bontrager Privateer/Race went for £72! Even factoring in new paint and decals, someone got a bargain. I wonder if it'll make an appearance on here?

 

[TreaderSteve]

Who got the other two - the Mountain Goat and Roberts?! The Mountain Goat was nice money £££