Identify the bike challenge!

[jonnyboy666]

ok, so i'm right about the name (although i only found it by google search, never knew about it before!)

begs the question why did gerry anderson call his character dick spanner?!! what did HIS wife catch him doing?!!!!!













OOOOhhhh . . . . . . maybe it was one of the puppets!!!!


marina from stingray maybe?


anyhooo . . . i think it is an orbit! . . . . maybe

 

[Dick Spanner]

Mmmm, Marina...

ahem, not an Orbit.

The handlebars are not original and I could really kick myself for leaving the originals at my brothers house because he threw them away. :x

 

[alanf]

Dawes Galaxy?

 

[Dick Spanner]

Nope not a Dawes.

 

[Gadro]

3Rensho?

or

Shogun Prairie Breaker?

or

Nashbar Toure Alpha 5000

 

[doctor-bond]

Very intriguing. Here's my punt.

I'd say the components are mostly red herrings 'cause it's been used and updated.

So, go with the frame. Squinting at the pics, it looks like a mix of fillet brazed and lugged in 531 AT.

This and the fork suggests a good or very good mid 80s UK builder: too fussy to be Japanese; rollercam/Ubrake chainstays whisper 87/88.

Sloping TT but smallish frame in Pink; extremely convoluted rack mount arrangement; double dropout braze-ons all spell custom touring MTB.

Not Orbit; too individual to be Saracen?; possibly Overburys - but a bit too ornate.

Possibly Swallow, but it puts me in mind of a mid 80s touring MTB with an offset rear triangle that was on the bay recently; that, and the fact that it seems to mix frame building styles - I'd say it's ....





... a custom Roberts from 1987 built for a tallish lady who enjoys outdoor pursuits.


[For me, Dick Spanner was always watched on Network 7 with a triple decker sarnie after my Sunday paper round.]

 

[PurpleFrog]

Shogun?

Not if that 531 sticker isn't a red herring. I can't imagine a Japanese maker importing British tubing.

 

[Lid]

Jerry I believe did get caught and lost the rights to Stingray in the divorce.

He also asked me to animate Dick Spanner for him but I said no. The right decision when you saw how poorly done it was in the end.

Dick Spanner is a joke name for a goofball detective.


As for the bike......dunnoh.

 

[legrandefromage]

so:

Ovalised top tube

front/ rear U-brake mounts

531AT tubing

brazed/ lugged frame

triple trianglular



I give up....

 

[Dick Spanner]

Its a good name for a goofball, portly, would be mountain biker though!

I've not heard of the Shogun before so thanks for the piccie Gadro, I can see why it was a popular guess.

Excellent analysis Doctor-bond. Logically thought out, good observations and you were so close it hurts but....

...having pondered the correct answer you then came to the wrong conclusion.

It is a Swallow. Made in 1985, it was originally bright red (according to the order sheet of which I have a copy) but has I guess been stripped and recoloured at some point prior to both my ownership and that of the previous keeper. It is very well put together with lots of nice detailing, I particularly like the flattened top tube and the way the seat stays curve in to the top tube.