ID: Sub 2kg mid 90s steel frame - with TB P2 but not Kona?

[sinnerman]

Re: ID: 2 kg mid 90s steel frame - with TB P2 but not Kona?

Breaking news: it's from Germany. I called the seller, and he said that the previous owner brought it from there. Maybe he said it earlier, but all my eyes and ears were back then on the fork - I didn't care about the past because I knew it was from Konaworld. But with the frame, the past surprisingly matters. But does it change anything?

I took the KHS lead seriously, and I've been busy with it. Based on everything that I saw and read online, I would dare to say that KHS is not the prime suspect here - there is just too many things wrong too often. The noodle is difficult to see, because for obvious reasons people and companies take photos from the drive side, but you can see the bridge stops for the rear brake. Cable routing was something else than top mounted. And with the head tube, they were true laggards when adopting the oversize concept. Then, add the curved seat tube tops and the seat post binder bolts to the equation, plus the Ritchey dropouts (an exception that proves the rule: their existence is plausible, although I didn't see any of them), and try to find them in a KHS frame...

Back to square one.

Couldnt find anything at all googling even the fork as an option.

I have looked too and cant find any images even in this colour way, the frame details with far east frame supply certainly differed i can vouch for that, with more than one brand name. Frame number might pin point the source making it far easier to point to the brand name it ended up with, especially if it was something only for the german market say? A good starting point.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

I think you're looking at the right era 93/4 and serial number would help. Good chance it's A-Pro based as construction looks similar to others (Orange being a prime example and my Helkama among others) and they churned things out.

Find that serial number.even a faint one.

Is the paint pearlescent?

Post on the German forum if it's from there.

https://www.mtb-news.de/forum/f/classic-bikes.46/

 

[P_451]

Re: ID: 2 kg mid 90s steel frame - with TB P2 but not Kona?

The BB shell has patch paint all over the place, but I decided to give it one last try - and with the right light angle, unbelievable but true, I found the following:

BXXXXXX

3 very unclear, pure guesswork; 1 a bit uncertain.

And yes, the paint is pearlescent - light blue with a hint of gold.

 

[P_451]

Re: ID: 2 kg mid 90s steel frame - with TB P2 but not Kona?

Biria?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalker ... 403698544/

http://forums.mtbr.com/vintage-retro-cl ... 13980.html

 

[cce]

Re: ID: 2 kg mid 90s steel frame - with TB P2 but not Kona?

That's pretty damn close

Tange rings true too. a frame of the weight in Reynolds or Columbus would likely have a 27.0 or even 27.2 post

 

[tintin40]

Re: ID: 2 kg mid 90s steel frame - with TB P2 but not Kona?

do you plan to repaint?

 

[sinnerman]

Re: ID: 2 kg mid 90s steel frame - with TB P2 but not Kona?

That's pretty damn close

Tange rings true too. a frame of the weight in Reynolds or Columbus would likely have a 27.0 or even 27.2 post

It really is too, although the chainstays seem a little more like this one one.

Which reminds me of the Far east rock lobster/Merlin of the same year, but again cant find an image to comfirm for sure.

 

[sinnerman]

Re: ID: 2 kg mid 90s steel frame - with TB P2 but not Kona?

Biria?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalker ... 403698544/

http://forums.mtbr.com/vintage-retro-cl ... 13980.html

Do you have a pic of the whole bike with the fork fitted when you got it./ I mentioned it again to Martin and he mentioned Gekko cycles in germany might be a good place to start

 

[cce]

Re: ID: 2 kg mid 90s steel frame - with TB P2 but not Kona?

couple of gecko catalogues here:

http://mtb-kataloge.de/html/gekko.html

 

[P_451]

Re: ID: 2 kg mid 90s steel frame - with TB P2 but not Kona?

I removed the patch paint, and now the latest guesstimate - and as good as it gets I'm afraid - of the serial number is: B997518; 3 from yesterday is now definitely 9; scratches around 1 and so it could be 4, but I would say it's 1. This serial number as a whole falls pretty nicely in line with the other known Biria serial number (B980396, mtbr.com,) isn't it?

cce: I started to think that maybe that 26.6 mm seat post is there just a placeholder, but when the outer diameter is 28.6-28.7 mm, it must be about right. FluffyChicken's Helkama (Tange Ultimate Superlight) has a 30.4 post...

tintin40: to repaint, like that picnicker74's Biria? That would be perfect, but out of my (a) talent & (b) budget.

sinnerman: no, I don't have a photo of the whole bike, but how about this - the frame and the P2 together, without headset: