Orange clockwork '92 groupset conundrum.

[enigma]

So Orange fans..
I was going to use a similar age donor bike with full tidy exage / araya groupset for the build of my soon to be re painted '92 Orange clockwork, but from pics I can only find bikes with dx or lx upwards...?
Could you buy one with exage? Should I be bothered? from what I can see the hubs look identical..
The brifters will go as I am using deore thumbies, and dia compe 987 brakes and dia compe levers, I believe an option but no qualms if not as they are so far superior to the groupset brake offering.
I have not found the right tyres yet, but I have a tidy period orange saddle, and kalloy uno seatpost.
Stem wont be stalk / orange way to long , I plan to be able to ride it! Various options there, but almost certainly gloss black ala stalk stem , and handlebar colour open to debate...
Kind of hoping the combination was feasible back in the day , otherwise I may be hunting for more parts!
Ive tried to look into the groupsets in exage period and can find no clear catalogue etc that is as simple as the later stx / lx / xt / xtr of the mid to late nineties when my buying and destroying of bike parts was most prolific!
Lets see what the collective concious knows.. Enigma

 

[greencat]

Don't know much about Oranges, but people were always upgrading/swapping components bitd so unless you are going for catalogue spec - a mix & match of roughly period correct components won't look out of place.

 

[GavinD89]

I'm pretty sure that in the early 90's, the LX was the lowest spec model of each range. I've a 92 Clockwork but it's a late model with the 93 Deore LX groupset.
I vaguely remember seeing mid 90's Clockworks offered with Alivio. They were also available as a frameset so any period parts will work! Good luck with the build

 

[enigma]

I'm pretty sure that in the early 90's, the LX was the lowest spec model of each range. I've a 92 Clockwork but it's a late model with the 93 Deore LX groupset.
I vaguely remember seeing mid 90's Clockworks offered with Alivio. They were also available as a frameset so any period parts will work! Good luck with the build

I hadn't thought about it like that, a kiddie I knew bought a c16r in green , mid nineties when they didn't sell a clockwork proper..
He decided very differently to everyone else buying new bikes with parents bigger purse.. get a really good frame and upgrade the rest when he broke it.. that was alivio definately.
I wasn't sure you could buy them as a frameset, though one of the other clockworks I have the guy said his step dad had it built from a frame...
So maybe my little crisis of doing the frame down is resolved, The kit I have is very low mileage, I doubt I will ever wear any of it out, and its sensible enough kit which with the frame and some sensible tyres will be a light bike anyhow.
Biggest item for any weight saving would be the fat bloke sat astride it!

 

[stocko]

Clockworks look best with Dx i think,just like my old one

 

[mynchiboy]

Clockworks look best with Dx i think,just like my old one

Seconded here with DX. Workmanlike, correct age and looks great. Plenty of it is out there and you already have a starting point with the Thumb shifters.

The shimano low profile cantilever brakes are a bit marmite, so it is good that you have the 987 brakes and dia compe levers planned. Personally I like the SS-7 levers myself.

Good luck with the build

 

[benjabbi]

I have Exage ES on my 93 Prestige, this bike has had allsorts on it over the years. If it works for you it's right I think.

 

[Bike Hoarder]

It's your bike, assemble it however you like! If it works for you then do it, if it fits your budget use it.

For me though DX, with black rings and cantilevers....

 

[FluffyChicken]

Early 90's,so pre P's and C's, Just proper Prestige and Clockwork you often specced the bike at the shop, at least any I went to (Freetown, Stiff, etc)

In 1993 it was pretty much LX -> XTR & XC Expert -> XC Pro, so the MTB proper groupsets, rather than the entry level ones. Which was the same for the years before to in a way.

For 1992 though, you'd just tell them what you wanted on the frame, and they're mix and match as best they could from whatever was in the racks.
USE/PACE/Zoom/Uno bits
Fork Rigid Alu/ Steel/PACE, Sus PACE/Manitou/MAG
Flite, or erm Flite saddle.
Thumbies, RF/RF+, GripShift(not really taken off just yet)
PACE or Middleburn rings, why wait for the perfectly good Shimano one to wear out.
At least the top ring for the colour and the granny ring to get a 24T
Campag Atek, Mavic 231 or Araya 400 rims
Air-B inner tubes for the sticker and red dust cap.
M737 or Onza HO* pedals
Do you switch to SS5/SS7 and 987's or stick Shimano (no one use the Suntour ones, SS's are trendier)
etc
....
Have at it, they're a frame to do as you like with.

* a bit too early for Onza HO iirc.

1993 is sooo much easier, stuff had gone a bit mad as the newer thing/models came about.

 

[brocklanders023]

They seemed to want to keep a model in the £500/600 category bitd so lowest was LX until LX replaced DX in 1993, then they offered STX. Couple of years later it dropped again to Alivio. 93 Exage was never an option.