Mystery UK Built Aluminium Frame Help Needed Please!

[1978]

I recently purchased an e-stay aluminium frame that the previous owner had built to his specification and measurements by a builder in Cornwall (he thinks!) in 1992. He paid a lot of money for it and it was fitted with the very best components from back in the day.





He chose the Cornish (probably) builder having seen him featured in one of the MTB magazines in ‘90/‘91 or ‘92. It’s a very well made frame with replaceable bolt on dropouts and has never been painted from new. Up until last year, I owned every single MBUK magazine from when I started my subscription aged 10 in 1988, but sold them in a moment of madness which I now regret enormously!

Does anyone have any magazines from around this time which have a Uk frame builders feature? I remember similar features in MBUK and mountain biker, but can’t for the life of me work out who might have built this frame.

PLEASE HELP!

 

[iveto1983]

Re:

I’m no expert on them, but I’d have to imagine it’s one of these (Bigfoot/Ozone/Smokestone) :

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=200274

 

[1978]

Thanks, unless it’s a very early custom made version, I had discounted those. They were the only UK built e-stay bikes that I was aware of hence my call for help!

I’m not sure if Graham Foot or his partners built frames prior to the Bigfoot company but this frame bears little resemblance to the frames they built under that name. Perhaps one of them built custom frames?

 

[Neilios]

Re:

Sounds cool, do you have any pictures of this beast?

 

[1978]

Re: Re:

Sounds cool, do you have any pictures of this beast?

I’ve added some to the original post....

 

[Neilios]

Cykik were local to me back in the day!

 

[1978]

Cykik were local to me back in the day!

The gentleman had the builder send the frame to Cykik, who were his local shop, they built it for him and he collected it from there. He wanted no stickers on it at all but when he collected it Cykik had added a couple of theirs!

 

[Neilios]

Cheeky Monkeys!

Wonder what it is. Are those aluminium bolts holding those droupouts on?!

Does it have a frame number?

 

[1978]

Cheeky Monkeys!

Wonder what it is. Are those aluminium bolts holding those droupouts on?!

Does it have a frame number?

I’m stumped, and the buyer can’t remember! Lovely chap though. Yes they are alu bolts, not sure how safe they are... all of the bolts on the bike were those light gold coloured alu bolts that came on Pace RC-35. It came with two spare sets of dropouts too.

The frame number is just the date the frame was completed: 030692

 

[Neilios]

Re:

I wonder if I know the guy who owned it first... I'm local. I know a couple of lads who rode for Cykik, don't mid showing them the pics if you'd like me to.