Unbranded Bicycle Frame

Currently, we have a guest living with us for a longer term stay over as he waits for his house to close escrow (that just so happens to be across the street from us - which could be a story all its own). He and Sam have known each other for many years, and when they get together... well, let's just say that the stories of yore are plentiful. One thing I've learned about Will over the decade or so I've personally known him is that he is always down for a good deal. So, it shouldn't have been horribly surprising when, after staying with us for a bit and seeing our stable of bicycles, he travelled home the other day with a bicycle frame.

"I found it - and it was FREE!!" Will exclaimed with excitement as he barged through the front door holding a stripped down frame. "Look, it's lugged and everything."

The unbranded bicycle frame

Mind you, this comes from a man who had no idea even what a lug is until about a month ago, but still, he was very excited about this "find." I couldn't take that away from him, could I? This all started because he has been on a hunt for a cross bike, and since he's about as average as a male can come as far as height, we told him it shouldn't be too difficult to find something on Craigslist or at a garage sale for a decent price. I had no idea he would actually find a free frame. Who gives away bike frames anyway? I need to make friends with whomever this came from, certainly!

After the story was told about how he came upon the frame, we weren't exactly sure how to break the news to him. "There are just a couple of problems," both Sam and I said, after Will's excitement had come down a few notches. "First, it looks to be an incredibly large frame (when viewing the frame only next to the fully built up Hillborne, the top tubes were entirely too close to the same height)." I know he's a tall guy (at least to the two of us), but there are limits to what is tolerable to ride for anyone, of any height. The other possible draw back is that it doesn't look to be a cross frame. While it could be built up with parts that would allow for such rides, it would probably make more sense to find something to suit this type of riding.

As the guys sat and discussed further details, I couldn't help but wonder what the frame actually is, or if we could even determine the original manufacturer in its current condition. Flipping the frame over revealed a set of numbers, which I immediately typed into Google in an attempt to find some connection to a brand/manufacturer. No such luck. The numbers look to be hand etched anyway, so it is unlikely to be from the original maker.  I just couldn't help but wonder if this was a stolen bike that had been stripped down and sold for parts, but I wasn't about to tell Mr. Excited-for-A-Deal that the thought was running through my mind. In all likelihood, it isn't a stolen frame anyway. It's fairly heavy, the lug work isn't horribly intricate, and who would go through all the work to have the paint stripped if they were just trying to make a quick dollar?

After a bit more searching, I've still yet to come up with any ideas on the manufacturer of this frame, and it is unlikely that we'll ever know for certain who made it (If you have any thoughts or possible places to check, feel free to let me know), but, we do now have a 61cm frame (as we determined after measuring) stripped of all parts, paint, and branding, and no tall person who is capable of using it. Such is the way things go in the hobbit house... always a great deal, but not always the ideal sizing or situation.