What's In The Box? (Brad Pitt Voice) An Early Bontrager OR! **Finished Photos Page 11**

[1978]

Thanks for correcting. So the horizontal drop out makes it a '92 Race then?

Apologies, it wasn’t meant as a correction, just my thoughts. I have a couple of OR and have had lengthy discussions with both Keith and a chap on one of the Facebook groups who used to build them. I think it’s probably a ‘92 race yes, early ones had the horizontal drop outs and front mech roller like the OR, but lost the pump peg, double bend chain stays and riveted top tube stops.

 

[pw_pw_la]

Ha, I love this place...

The sleuthing has already commenced without me even asking and before the bike is even here!

Really useful info from both of you @slackboy and @1978. I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions once the bike is actually here, hopefully early next week.

Interesting to know that it might in fact be a very early Race rather than pre-Race OR. I wonder when the cut-off/distinction occurred? I like that it has a combination of traits from between the two. Cusp bikes are the most interesting bikes!

Mark couldn't fully make out the serial number beneath the paint, but I'll give it another go once I have the bike in front of me. How do serial distinctions work on Bontragers anyway?

 

[1978]

Ha, I love this place...

The sleuthing has already commenced without me even asking and before the bike is even here!

Really useful info from both of you @slackboy and @1978. I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions once the bike is actually here, hopefully early next week.

Interesting to know that it might in fact be a very early Race rather than pre-Race OR. I wonder when the cut-off/distinction occurred? I like that it has a combination of traits from between the two. Cusp bikes are the most interesting bikes!

Mark couldn't fully make out the serial number beneath the paint, but I'll give it another go once I have the bike in front of me. How do serial distinctions work on Bontragers anyway?

Serial numbers on frames of this age are a bit of an unknown quantity too I’m afraid, the official answer (Keith) is that they are random and do not give an indication of the build date…. Which is helpful! Hence the need for a detailed knowledge of frame features!

 

[pw_pw_la]

@1978 Ah, so now I don’t feel too bad about the serial conundrum, as the frame just arrived today and there’s no way to make out the serial as the paint is just way too thick to see much beyond the faint shadow of a “6” somewhere hidden beneath.

No point worrying about how to unearth that if it won’t tell me anything anyway!

So, what are the chances of accurately dating this thing then? Close to none?

I’ll take a bunch of photos later this week of everything in more detail for all to see.

The Bontrager stem and Hyperlite combo it came with is beautiful and interesting too.

Another interesting thing: I don’t see any signs of previous decals on the top or seattubes. No residue; no differences in paint; no shadows.

Is it possible that frames ever left the factory with just a single decal on the downtube?

Like I said, I have some ideas for fresh versions, but now I’m wondering if I should get the full set or keep just the one decal as a nod to the original. If it was indeed original.

 

[slackboy]

I’m wondering if I should get the full set or keep just the one decal as a nod to the original. If it was indeed original

Probably not original, decal panels would have been straight not angled on frames of that age.

 

[2manyoranges]

Ah….my Race OR (below) was an early batch Cannery frame, and I got it in the early 90s so very well known and secure provenance …note the straight edge to the decals, which suggest a repaint on the one here … and my frame went West of course….to some genuine love and attention in a re-build…thanks Carge…who could be in this conversation in a moment? I did quite a lot of work on serial numbers since they were at least sequential in the Cannery (I think)….

 

[Prodigal Son]

I think this is probably an early race, OR frames had riveted cable stops on the top tube, different rear canti cable stop with integrated pump peg below, and double bend chain stays. The OR frames didn’t have a sloping top tube either, it’s hard to tell from the photo whether this is the case here.

1978 is right. I suggest looking for the most brutish rear qr possible since the horiz. drop outs on those early race bontys are known to cause slippage.

 

[pw_pw_la]

Probably not original, decal panels would have been straight not angled on frames of that age.

Yeah, that's a good and very obvious point I failed to think about, despite how often the decal shapes have already been discussed on here!

 

[pw_pw_la]

Ah….my Race OR (below) was an early batch Cannery frame, and I got it in the early 90s so very well known and secure provenance View attachment 586674…note the straight edge to the decals, which suggest a repaint on the one here … and my frame went West of course….to some genuine love and attention in a re-build…thanks Carge…who could be in this conversation in a moment? I did quite a lot of work on serial numbers since they were at least sequential in the Cannery (I think)….

Yeah, yours is already a large source of inspiration mate!

Do you think it's worth me trying to uncover the serial then? Would love to get a sense of when and where this frame was built, if at all possible.

Also, could you, or someone, explain the Cannery thing to me? This refers to where Keith was building out of at the time?

Sorry, I'm sure this is all very basic information, but I'm very keen to fill in any and all blanks in my my limited Bontrager knowlege.

On that note...

So yours has just the two decals, downtube and top. Obviously more often you see three, one on each of top, down and seat tubes. Is there a reasoning behind only having the two on yours? Was selecting either two or three decals an option back in the day? Does having either relate to where and when it was built at all?

 

[pw_pw_la]

1978 is right. I suggest looking for the most brutish rear qr possible since the horiz. drop outs on those early race bontys are known to cause slippage.

Ha! Noted.

I did pick up a nice set of front and rear Salsa QRs, the unlogo'd, US-made kind, in the tri-colour style. And was planning to use those for obvious reasons!