my brothers got this cool lugged carbon frame and we can’t figure out what it is! The only markings are TVT on the rear dropout and a serial number on the bb.
Need help identifying!
- Thread starter Pcort
- Start date
Frankenorange
Orange 🍊 Fan
It's a long shot but Google the following
tvt carbon frame
You might get lucky and find some info.
tvt carbon frame
You might get lucky and find some info.
I even did the fancy google lens to see what the ol’ AI could pick up, but nothing that matched.
It’s similar to the TVT 92, look La vie Claire, and even the allez epic, but none are exact.
The biggest “weirdness” is the rear stays. Almost all the tvt frames are bolted on, rather than lugged in this way, and also that brake mount is bizarre.
As a side note, I’m a little surprised at the lack of “TVT bike history” I found. Given how early in carbon fiber manufacturing for bikes they were I figured they’d come up more. Would love to read up more about their history!
bikeworkshop
Senior Retro Guru
Didn't Alan do some carbon frames with polished lugs?
Throw in Vitus there for a search too - they certainly worked with TVT lugs.
I'm sure a couple of these have passed through my hands over the years. The seat cluster and wraparound brake bridge look familiar
Throw in Vitus there for a search too - they certainly worked with TVT lugs.
I'm sure a couple of these have passed through my hands over the years. The seat cluster and wraparound brake bridge look familiar
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Thanks everyone! If you couldn't tell by the username, I'm the brother/bike owner. I've owned this frame for about 10-12 years, and never paid it much mind. It came with a proper hodgepodge of components, 105 shifters, Ultegra front mech, 105 rear mech, EXAGE brakes, Carbon Ritchey forks, Campagnolo cranks... you get the idea.
The rear stay/seat cluster is a head scratcher. I've had a couple folks tell me it's a pre-production frame from 1985. It is a 1.370 x 24tpi bottom bracket, 1" head tube etc. One thing I'm not 100% on, when I bought the bike it was in this raw carbon scheme. I doubt it would look this good if someone stripped paint off. Not sure if the LOOK livery were decals or under the epoxy, but I doubt the frame would look like it does if a previous owner stripped paint/embedded decals.
Added some more photos for folks, would be cool to find the provenance of this frame!
Thinking about restoring it back to its former glory, or doing a retro inspired bike for cruising around on the weekends. Thanks for everyone's help!
The rear stay/seat cluster is a head scratcher. I've had a couple folks tell me it's a pre-production frame from 1985. It is a 1.370 x 24tpi bottom bracket, 1" head tube etc. One thing I'm not 100% on, when I bought the bike it was in this raw carbon scheme. I doubt it would look this good if someone stripped paint off. Not sure if the LOOK livery were decals or under the epoxy, but I doubt the frame would look like it does if a previous owner stripped paint/embedded decals.
Added some more photos for folks, would be cool to find the provenance of this frame!
Thinking about restoring it back to its former glory, or doing a retro inspired bike for cruising around on the weekends. Thanks for everyone's help!
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non-fixie
Senior Retro Guru
Thank you for joining us, @bcort , and for the additional pictures. Much appreciated!
I like these older carbon fibre frames, as they combine the classic elegance of thin tubes with cool new technology.
I have been looking at quite a few pictures, and the closest match I've found so far is in the 1989 catalogue, even though that picture isn't as cleas as I'd like. But that doesn't jibe with the date stamp on the BB shell. Perhaps it is a pre-production prototype for what was to become the KG 86 Kevlar 2001 ...
From the '89 catalogue:
Whatever it turns out te be, I think it would be a great starting point for a restomod project that pays tribute to its elegant lines, intricate details and high-tech look.
I like these older carbon fibre frames, as they combine the classic elegance of thin tubes with cool new technology.
I have been looking at quite a few pictures, and the closest match I've found so far is in the 1989 catalogue, even though that picture isn't as cleas as I'd like. But that doesn't jibe with the date stamp on the BB shell. Perhaps it is a pre-production prototype for what was to become the KG 86 Kevlar 2001 ...
From the '89 catalogue:
Whatever it turns out te be, I think it would be a great starting point for a restomod project that pays tribute to its elegant lines, intricate details and high-tech look.
@non-fixie Thanks for the warm welcome! I think you're onto something with the KG 86 Kevlar 2001. We are getting into the extreme nitty gritty, but I think that's good enough for me. The question here isn't "is this special and worth a rebuild" but more what is it and where do I start. First up is finding the appropriate fork, then we can work on groupset!
