Is it a Cannondale??!! Help needed to ID

[BretonDave]

Hi all,

Have just bought this beautiful Cannondale badged bike - but I'm not convinced that it is one!
It has a 66cm lugless frame with curved seat and top tube, there are no serial numbers - the only identifiable thing is the embossed fork crown. I have checked all resources and come up with a big fat nothing. Any help appreciated.

Cheers Dave

 

[sisyphus]

Argos?

 

[latman]

Haral ? definitely not an aluminuim dale , its been made for STI looking at the cable guide ? and is that a seam on the down tube ? Harals used french excel tubing

 

[lewisfoto]

I can't say for sure but looks like Latman nailed it...

 

[BretonDave]

Latman - you're a star! How the hell did you work that out?

I have found out a little more - the Haral brothers based in Chambéry, France were building frames during the 70's and 80's - usually high end and made to measure. Apparently this particular frame was from the late eighties and used in Triathlon. Also found this item:
Here is what acmebicyclecompany wrote:
They were based near Chambery in the Haute Savoie alps...I remember
the first day I ever visited them...on industrial estates in such a
wonderful part of France. The Swiss type emblem on this frame is the
emblem of Haute Savoie..so the frame is truly French..and
top-of-the-range. The tubing is definitely not Reynolds or Columbus, but
is EXCELL Mexico II series. The tubes were made by Gautier-Trousell of
Longueville, near Paris for Excell. The gauge is .6mm, plain gauge , with
a resistance to rupture of 1180/1380N/mm(sq)...it's wonderful stuff.
I will have to lose the Cannondale style paintjob!!!

 

[sisyphus]

great looking frame / bike

 

[latman]

I have a few Haral photos saved on my Hard drive , and your new red bike has some distinctive features to say the least

both bikes I have photos of appear to have top tube internal cable routing and the "translucent red/chrome" frame has a visible BB with lugs too , they must be earlier made with DT shifter bosses only

 

[BretonDave]

Thanks for submitting the photos Latman - that is an incredible paint job.

 

[toby1974]

Hi,

I have one of these exact frames in green chromovelato, same as the red one, except mine has the two lines of pearls on the seat/top/down tubes - it's made of Excell Mexico 2 series tubing. I'm just in the process of building up mine with a full Mavic SSC groupset. The fork you have on yours is made by Alain Michel and has his signature stamp (arc de triomphe) on the fork crown. I also have a similar frame built by AM with the same tubing but with out the sweeping top tube, just the sweeping seat tube (shorter wheelbase).

FYI - Alain Michel was a top rank amateur cyclist before he started to work as an assistant for Bernard Carre (another famous French frame builder). There are the usual 3 dots on the lugs and the typical AM motif on the fork crown.

The Excell tubing is pretty uncommon and quite interesting. The tubeset was produced by a small company located in Longueville (South East of Paris) which specialized in high spec steel tubing for aircraft and aerospace industries (like Snecma)...

Regards,

Toby

 

[Midlife]

Normally I don't like the look of lo-pro bikes but that red / chrome Haral is a peach

Shaun

PS Never heard of them before.....