Name the frame

Hi,

I am thinking about purchasing a second hand road bike. I found a pretty decent bike from 1997-1998 with a complete Shimano 105 group and Rigida DP 18 rims for €250 (about $360). However, I am clueless about the frame type or brand. I have done an extensive internet search but came up with no clues on the build of the frame or fork . The seller bought it from a triathlete but has no idea about bicycles himself. The sticker on the seat tube says "man & machine - Speed & fun". Do any of you have a clue about this frame make?

Thanks,

Sander

 

The BADGE on the headtube will usually give you an indication of who made (or, sold) the frame/bike?

 

Actually, it only says: Man & Machine Speed & Fun

 

You know that's not a road bike, don't you?

 

I may have mistaken the lingo but it has been used (and I am planning to use it) in a triatlhon .

 

It doesn't look like any kind of triathlon bicycle that I have ever seen either. In fact it reminds me of the webs that spiders build when they have been exposed to cocaine. Like you, I couldn't find anything about bicycles when I did a web search on Man & Machine. My guess would be that it is either from a very small or very short lived framebuilder. Or it could have come from a larger frame builder but was re-badged as a private stock sale. If this were the case though, someone would probably recognize the style of frame.

Anyway, good luck. I hope it works for you. I also hope that you have been able to test ride it to make sure that it is road worthy. If nothing else, it does have some really great components on it .

 

Aw, lay off. Sure, it looks funky, but triathlon designs have always pushed the envelope, and triathletes have always been more apt to try something different to gain an advantage. Remember the curved-seattubed Schwinns, the dual seattubed Ciocces, and some of the weirder British time trial designs from the 1980s?

My guess this one was part of a limited production run by a backyard tinkerer who thought he had a better way. I'll bet it's a pretty decent ride. Keep looking. I'm sure someone else has one just like it.

 

Hi,

Well, I went and took a look at the bike to check out the parts. I thinking about buying it since the price is pretty ok (I think) and the frame fits. Do any of you have structural advise on wether or not to buy it? (I am pretty confident about my own looks so the bikes appearance does not bother me that much )

thanks in advance

 

Those mid-tube welds are a little disconcerting to me, especially if the frame is made of butted steel. It's probably aluminum (aluminium to you limeys), but see if it's magnetic. The fork certainly looks like aluminum.

It might become collectible (as an oddity), or it might break. Seeing as you intend to ride it, I would probably factor in the cost of a replacement frame after a season or two.

I wish I could meet the builder, just to find out what he was trying to achieve.

 

Since I'm not a scientist like Alienator, I may be completely wrong, but it appears that it is a stronger than normal frame. The seat stays are extended which would provide a little more spring than normal while the convoluted top tube arrangement is actually more like 1.5 top tubes which would result in a stronger frame. It sort of looks like it could have originally been meant to be a MTB without a suspension.

 

With the quality of the components and the price your going to pay, you could buy a frame and build it up with this stuff if the bike turns out to be a crapper.