Re:
I recently bought a similar KG86 frame. It has the same brake bridge as yours and a similar seat cluster, but without the grub screw (nor hole for same). BB stampings indicate mid-86 manufacture. It did not come with the TVT fork, but with a carbon fork that has an aluminum crown that compliments the frame design nicely. I have a 7400 group I could build it up with, but I'm planning on using French components, as I've had a ti Huret Success derailleur for many years, looking for a home. I also have an NOS matching front derailleur, which is typical Huret stamped steel crap--basically a dressed-up version of the old Alvit front mech. I have a Mavic headset, crankset, and some Mavic wheels that would be close enough to the right vintage to meet my standards (which center around not spending more money).
What led me to purchase this frameset, besides an excellent price, was an experience I had back in 1986 when I was hired by Look USA to measure up all the framesets that they had in their Burlington, VT warehouse, which was operated by Geze, the ski binding company, if I recall correctly. They had been getting returns from dealers who complained that the frames were not in alignment, and they wanted to get some data that they could use to get the French to take the frames back. I spent over a week doing this work, pulling each frame and fork out of its packaging, measuring it out with a portable frame table (not a true table, but still designed to measure bicycle frames), and entering the data in a form. It was interesting at first, but quickly became a dull chore and I was glad when the last frame went back into its box. I had carefully documented my hours, which turned out to be a good thing, as they didn't want to pay me more than a token amount at the end, in spite of having agreed to an hourly rate. I offered to swap my time for one of the frames, which wholesaled for less than what they owed me, but they refused, and ended up paying me what they had promised, which was around $475, I believe. Now, decades later, I have a frame that is almost as old as the one I would have received (and most certainly would still own, today), for a whole lot less money.
If you're wondering, I found that most of the frames were, indeed, a bit off--typically between 2-6 mm, depending on where measured. I attributed this to the fact that bonded carbon fiber frames could not be aligned after the epoxy had cured, and very few of the frames were off by enough that I would think could be detected by the rider, or which would make any difference at all in the bike's ride. The real problem was that these frames were being sold to an extremely picky clientèle, at boutique shops staffed by people who felt they needed to present themselves as experts in order to retain their status and keep their customers coming back. Many of these high-end shops were investing in precision measuring and fitting equipment and liked to brag that their standards were so high that they were double-checking frame measurements and using their expensive Campy toolkits to prep every frame before they would "let it go out the door." I wonder how many fine frames had issues with loose head or BB cups, due to an unnecessary run-through by a tap or reamer. A lot of disinformation was ejaculated by salesmen and wrench monkeys wielding expensive tools who had little or no actual framebuilding experience! I'm sure little has changed in bike retail.
I'm reminded of an experience I had when a customer came back with a Marinoni that he complained had a shimmy problem. Now, shimmies are very real, and extremely disconcerting to the rider, but not caused by frame misalignment. However, the customer had taken the bike to a local framebuilder (who brazed up no more than 30 frames before hanging up his torch), and that builder had told him that the frame was not in alignment. I stripped the frameset and took it back to Marinoni's shop in Montreal. What impressed me the most was the way that everyone in the shop responded. Peggy and Simone behind the counter, an English-speaking worker they called over, and Giuseppe himself all immediately responded that the frame was in perfect alignment--without even looking at it! Giuseppe then put the frame on his granite surface plate and demonstrated that what they said was correct. I was astounded by the level of faith they had in their product, and their own workmanship. I got a bit of an earful about some of the American framebuilders, customer expectations and pretty much anyone second-guessing their work. I had been importing their frames long enough that I was embarrassed to have publicly doubted them.
I recently bought a similar KG86 frame. It has the same brake bridge as yours and a similar seat cluster, but without the grub screw (nor hole for same). BB stampings indicate mid-86 manufacture. It did not come with the TVT fork, but with a carbon fork that has an aluminum crown that compliments the frame design nicely. I have a 7400 group I could build it up with, but I'm planning on using French components, as I've had a ti Huret Success derailleur for many years, looking for a home. I also have an NOS matching front derailleur, which is typical Huret stamped steel crap--basically a dressed-up version of the old Alvit front mech. I have a Mavic headset, crankset, and some Mavic wheels that would be close enough to the right vintage to meet my standards (which center around not spending more money).
What led me to purchase this frameset, besides an excellent price, was an experience I had back in 1986 when I was hired by Look USA to measure up all the framesets that they had in their Burlington, VT warehouse, which was operated by Geze, the ski binding company, if I recall correctly. They had been getting returns from dealers who complained that the frames were not in alignment, and they wanted to get some data that they could use to get the French to take the frames back. I spent over a week doing this work, pulling each frame and fork out of its packaging, measuring it out with a portable frame table (not a true table, but still designed to measure bicycle frames), and entering the data in a form. It was interesting at first, but quickly became a dull chore and I was glad when the last frame went back into its box. I had carefully documented my hours, which turned out to be a good thing, as they didn't want to pay me more than a token amount at the end, in spite of having agreed to an hourly rate. I offered to swap my time for one of the frames, which wholesaled for less than what they owed me, but they refused, and ended up paying me what they had promised, which was around $475, I believe. Now, decades later, I have a frame that is almost as old as the one I would have received (and most certainly would still own, today), for a whole lot less money.
If you're wondering, I found that most of the frames were, indeed, a bit off--typically between 2-6 mm, depending on where measured. I attributed this to the fact that bonded carbon fiber frames could not be aligned after the epoxy had cured, and very few of the frames were off by enough that I would think could be detected by the rider, or which would make any difference at all in the bike's ride. The real problem was that these frames were being sold to an extremely picky clientèle, at boutique shops staffed by people who felt they needed to present themselves as experts in order to retain their status and keep their customers coming back. Many of these high-end shops were investing in precision measuring and fitting equipment and liked to brag that their standards were so high that they were double-checking frame measurements and using their expensive Campy toolkits to prep every frame before they would "let it go out the door." I wonder how many fine frames had issues with loose head or BB cups, due to an unnecessary run-through by a tap or reamer. A lot of disinformation was ejaculated by salesmen and wrench monkeys wielding expensive tools who had little or no actual framebuilding experience! I'm sure little has changed in bike retail.
I'm reminded of an experience I had when a customer came back with a Marinoni that he complained had a shimmy problem. Now, shimmies are very real, and extremely disconcerting to the rider, but not caused by frame misalignment. However, the customer had taken the bike to a local framebuilder (who brazed up no more than 30 frames before hanging up his torch), and that builder had told him that the frame was not in alignment. I stripped the frameset and took it back to Marinoni's shop in Montreal. What impressed me the most was the way that everyone in the shop responded. Peggy and Simone behind the counter, an English-speaking worker they called over, and Giuseppe himself all immediately responded that the frame was in perfect alignment--without even looking at it! Giuseppe then put the frame on his granite surface plate and demonstrated that what they said was correct. I was astounded by the level of faith they had in their product, and their own workmanship. I got a bit of an earful about some of the American framebuilders, customer expectations and pretty much anyone second-guessing their work. I had been importing their frames long enough that I was embarrassed to have publicly doubted them.
