Unkwown Frame, help needed !

[Sparga]

Hi,

Can someone could help me to identify this frame ?

Steel lugged straight fork.

Steel lugged frame with some nice details.

No serial number anywhere.

The rear brake cable housing passes trough the top tube.

According to the seller, the frame is made of True Temper AVR tubes (cannot verify this).

The paint is lovely but very damaged, and there is a tiny hole on the left seat stay...















Thanks for your help !

 

[minor_LEGEND]

Lugged True Temper, interesting.
Braze-ons look quite unique to me, (the brake bridge & canti bosses). The paint is reminiscent of a Diamond Back Axis 92, the frame not so.

[edit] the more I look at it, the more it looks handmade, possibly UK built, though the paint looks a bit creative for a UK spray job.

 

[Southville Hop]

Paint looks familiar. Rear brake cable through top tube….Saracen?

 

[joglo]

definitively a very nice one
no eyelets for racks and fenders, to me allays a good indication that it's not just a mid range versatile bike,
hard to have a proof point, but to me the fork, lugs in general and also the bridge between the seat stays look Italian...
Is that a BSA bottom bracket? Because if ITA you have a proof that this is Italian.

 

[Frankenorange]

I am thinking Italian, too.

 

[bikeworkshop]

If it's seamed and high quality, it must be true temper.
A peek in the head tube should clarify.

Seems a little unlikely though that an American tubeset would be used in the land of columbus.

 

[Sparga]

Thanks to all for your answers.

Yep, never seen braze-on like that on a MTB frame.

Haven't checked the bottom bracket yet, i'll let you know when i do it.

I néed to fix the rear derailleur hanger, threads are dead.

It have an XTR headset with a "Gorilla" locking nut

 

[Sparga]

I've checked the bb.
Italian right ?
70mm width

 

[bikeworkshop]

E's eye-tally-anne ok
So probably the frame is too.

It looks pretty high quality, so I imagine it's a premium brand.

you can probably date it by the style, like 88,89? Maybe you can find it in a catalogue.

I never like seeing those headset locknut things - usually a sign the headset top race or the fork thread is knackered - why would you fit it otherwise?

 

[Rod_Saetan]

Nicely finished, road orientated frame bits too, the chainstays look deep, like Columbus Max deep, fork looks over-sized and Max dimensions too. Very cool.