What year is my Orange P7

[Barney484]

Thanks 2many....,,
There's obviously a lot of Orange expertise on this forum and I agree with the consensus that its a paint finish. I thought it was nickel plated because from memory it looked very much like the original finish on an older P7 (circa '95) that was stolen from me recently. It speaks volumes about how good the paint job is that I thought it was plated.
I think the original P7 I had was Tange Prestige but I notice the later models aren't. When did Orange stop using Prestige?
Finally the frame has a few rust spots that I'd like to deal with. When I thought it was plated I was planning to use some very fine wet and dry followed by Autosol (as advised elsewhere on this forum) but I guess with a paint finish I need a different approach. Any ideas?

 

[rwm1962]

@markoc Such is orange!

 

[rwm1962]

@Barney484 Mine isn't a minter. I used a fibreglass bristle scratch pencil on the rust spots & then clear nail varnish & strategically placed stickers! Mine was really rusty under the downtube, probably from wet debris accumulating between the frame & crudcatcher. I just rust treated that, masked off a rectangle & painted with silver Hammerite.

& the P7 was never Prestige. It used Oranges own spec custom drawn tubing.

1993

 

[Barney484]

Thanks again, rwm, for the info. Didn't realise they never used Prestige.
On a slightly different but related topic: What size replacement seat clamp do I need? The seatpost is marked 29.8mm. Measuring the inside diameter of the seat tube with my cheap vernier it's about 29.6mm while the outside diameter seems to be about 32.6mm.

 

[2manyoranges]

...measuring internal diameter with a Vernier is a tricky thing - the thickness of the jaws, unless they are knife-edge, will always give you a 'marked down' reading. If post is marked 29.8 and is OEM, then rely on that not the Vernier readout.

 

[Barney484]

Thanks 2manyoranges point taken.
However I'm still at a loss as to what seat clamp to buy. I guess the wall thickness of the seat tube comes into play? Although it's probably not accurate I reckon the O/D of the seat tube is about 32.6mm (which would mean the wall thicknesss of the tube is about 1.5).
From what I can see there is a big gap in seat clamp sizes from about 31.8 to 34.9. Would there be enough adjustment in a 34.9 to tighten down on a tube that is about 32.6?

 

[rwm1962]

Orange state 31.8mm clamp for all P7's up to 2009. Most of mine came with the clamp but the 2 I bought - Hope & Thomson - are 31.8mm & fit without issue. Pretty sure the one that's on your bike from the auction is the original.

 

[2manyoranges]

Barney - RWM very definitive on this.

Re internal-external difference ... well it does depend on the specific tubeset. COTIC 27.2 internal requires 30.0 clamp. So 2.8 mm difference - steel 853. RAGLEY 31.6. requires 35mm seatclamp - alloy tubeset - so 3.4mm difference. If you really have 32.6 measured OD - Gusset do a nice 33.1....but RWM very knowledgeable on this matter

 

[rwm1962]

@2manyoranges You're too kind! A Johnny-come-lately who rapidly immersed myself in the subject!

It does depends where you measure the seat-tube on the P7 - the top is slotted so could flare out a touch when unfettered by the clamp. measuring below the slot may give you a more accurate reading.

 

[Barney484]

@rwm1962 Since our P7s look to be of a similar vintage which is definitely pre 2007 I will look for a 31.8mm. Thanks!
If the seatpost o/d is 29.8 and the seat tube o/d is 31.8, does that mean the tube wall thickness is only 1mm?