Orange P7 ... or not?

[JonTom]

I bought an Orange today - a well used P7 with a smorgasbord of parts on it. Or is it???

It doesn't have the usual wishbone rear stays. There's no frame number where the frame number should be. And the rear dropouts have double eyelets.

The rear mech and cantis are LX, the front mech is Suntour, the lever shifters are DX, the bar is Bontrager and the original wheels have been replaced with late 90s Mavic / LX. But the stem is an Orange SK8.

What do you think ... P7 or something resembling a P7? :?

 

[JackN]

Re:

Frame/serial number is usually found under the bottom bracket.

 

[JonTom]

Re:

Already looked under the BB. Nothing there.

 

[dyna-ti]

Re: 199? Orange P7 - in purple, and a bit of a state

Are you sure the seatpost isn't in a shim ?

 

[JonTom]

Re: 199? Orange P7 - in purple, and a bit of a state

Hey Dyna-ti,

When I first saw it I did think it was a shim.

On closer inspection, the top of the shim isn't level, there's no 'lip' to stop it slipping down the tube, and there are holes drilled in either side of it. Also, there's a lot of paint missing from around the back of the tube and seat clamp.

I guess it could be a home-made shim (I really, really hope so!). I'll know more this weekend when I get it into daylight and have a chance to look over it properly.

 

[JackN]

Re:

I may be wrong, (need an Orange expert here.) Shouldn't the rear end be a "tuning fork" style?

 

[JonTom]

Re: 199? Orange P7 - in purple, and a bit of a state

Hey Jack,

I've seen Oranges with this style of seat stay but I can't recall which model or year.

Hopefully one of the Orange experts can me something about it.

 

[JackN]

Re:

I hope that you find out the model and year. I've a 1993 Clockwork and I love it. Its got the same stem (or had) as yours. I've fitted a 1 1/8" quill stem adapter with a 90mm 6 degree stem. This has raised the handlebar and brought it closer, makes the bike much more comfortable to ride.

 

[Corduroyboy]

Re:

How strange. If you stripped that back to bare metal and claimed it was a P7 (or even an Orange) no-one in the retro universe would believe you. You would be rebuked, scorned, chastised in front of literally dozens of people. Yet it has the correct F7 fork and SK8 stem (easily added, admittedly) but more compellingly an original complete sticker set which has obviously not been added recently and what appears to be the correct slightly-translucent powdercoat of a P7 circa 1994.
I'm stumped (though no expert). Incidently, the only Oranges I know of with traditional stays are the early Vitamin-T and the Aluminium-O, neither of which this is.
Some close-ups of the seatstay/seat tube junction required?
The cable routing is right, the dropouts even look right!
Stumped, I tell you.

Brocklanders?
Dossa?
FluffyChicken?

 

[JonTom]

Re: 199? Orange P7 - in purple, and a bit of a state

More pics added.

So ... P7 or not?