Need help finding brand of vintage frame!

[Lou_Fg2]

So I got this old steel frame from my uncle. No brand anywhere besides a serial number and a "72" by the seat post clamp. Im trying to figure out the brand so I can get specs for the botttom bracket/crankset. or how else can i find out which size bb to buy as well as other parts? Where is it measured from etc...

Im a newbie when it comes to road bikes. Any help is greatly appreciated...

Ps. Frame has been sanded and is on its second coat of paint

 

[kdelong]

Take the frame to your LBS and let them figure it out. That is why they make the big bucks.

 

[alfeng]

So I got this old steel frame from my uncle. No brand anywhere besides a serial number and a "72" by the seat post clamp. Im trying to figure out the brand so I can get specs for the botttom bracket/crankset. or how else can i find out which size bb to buy as well as other parts? Where is it measured from etc...

Im a newbie when it comes to road bikes. Any help is greatly appreciated...

Ps. Frame has been sanded and is on its second coat of paint

There's a high probabity that the "72" which is stamped on the seatpost clamp indicates the ANGLE of the lug ...

Measure the shell ... if it is 68mm then you are half-way home with regard to replacing the crank & BB.

If the Fates are kind to you, then the bike is a Raleigh with an English threaded BB shell.

If the Fates are not kind to you, then the frame has a French threaded BB shell (68mm wide) OR an odd-ball, proprietary Raleigh BB (71mm wide) with proprietary threading.

Presuming that there is a crankset/etc. currently on the bike, you can almost eliminate the possibiltiy that the BB is French if the pedals are NOT French threaded. That is, if the DRIVESIDE pedal has a metric threading, then the BB probably has French threading, too.

BTW. The easiest way to find out what brand the frame is would be to simply ASK your uncle!

In the meantime, post a picture of the BB area which shows the cups + crank and/or frame. If the face of the cups are stamped, tell us what the numbers are.

I'm presuming your bike is an older STEEL frame, so seeing the lug-work can be an indicator (show a picture of the seatpost clamping area, in particular) ...

If there was a headbadge, then seeing the pattern of the holes MAY-or-MAY_NOT indicate who made/sold the frame.

What is the serial number?

 

[Lou_Fg2]

Yeah I asked my uncle but he had no idea. It did have a sticker that said: made in belgium or bulgaria. no sure since it was difficult to read. so maybe that will narrow it down.

Here are the pics i took. I found an engraved "pivo" on the stem. hope it helps.

I hope these pics help. I'll try to measure the shell. I hope I measure it correctly.

Thanks for your help!

 

[alfeng]

Yeah I asked my uncle but he had no idea. It did have a sticker that said: made in belgium or bulgaria. no sure since it was difficult to read. so maybe that will narrow it down.

I hope these pics help. I'll try to measure the shell. I hope I measure it correctly.

The braze-ons are typical-but-probably-not-unique on a 70s vintage French frame, so if there is a recollection that the frame is either Belgian or Bulgarian, I would presume Belgian.

I would consequently guess that the BB shell is 68mm wide ...

AND, if a standard English BB cup will not thread into the non-driveside ... then, I would presume that the frame has a FRENCH threaded BB.

If you still have the non-driveside cup, then you can install a square taper BB spindle ... most are asymmetrical ... the two common tapers are CAMPY/Sugino compatible & SHIMANO compatible (almost everything else ... I think SunTour used the Campy standard).

If you don't have the non-driveside cup, you can find French BB's on eBay (the price varies by quite a bit) ... I've probably got an extra, non-driveside cup ... supposedly, HARRIS CYCLERY has a 'modern', cartridge BB with French threaded cups (it's not cheap).

FYI. The driveside cup on a frame with French threads has RIGHT-HAND threading.

The threading on the fork's steerer probably has French threading ...

ANY 1" headset will fit in the frame ...

So, you can substitute a fork which has English threading OR a threadless 1" fork if you don't have the original fork ...

The ONLY (?) thing you need to know IF you decide/need to change the fork is that the axle-to-crown height was not standard because some bikes had 27" wheels with a lot of clearance for fenders, and some frames had 27" wheels with less clearance, and some had 700c wheels.

I can't identify the 'pinched' seat stay, but hopefully someone else can. Contact CLASSIC RENDEZVOUS.