Dave Yates and Orange Prestige.....Both finished builds p.5

sinnerman

BoTM Triple Crown
BoTM Winner
BoTY Winner
PoTM Winner
Kona Fan
The year was 1997, spent a long weekend in London, for the "AWESUM" Prodigy gig, at the BRIXTON ACADEMY...it turned into a monumental weekend, with lots of old friends, who where bicycle messengers, too much beer, not enough sleep and a mental two day hangover......lmao.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qw5LxoJVag

So whats the relevance of this weekend got to do with retro bikes you may ask....?

I was lucky enough to be offered a well used ex-couriers "Orange PRESTIGE".

It was pretty hammered, running fixed wheel, slicks and drop bars, it was little more than a hanging shed with wheels. But for £100, for a complete bike i couldnt resist.

The bike has remained with me ever since. Over the years, its been used and abused, borrowed, raced, hammered, and even hired out....lol.
About eight years ago, i stripped it and boxed it, and put it away. With no actual intent on it getting rebuilt again, but with fond memories and no money involved i just couldnt bring myself to bin it....!!!!

Fast forward to the beginning of 2011, i started to go through my boxes of bits, and realised i had enough parts to build a bike. The prestige sprang to mind, but some of the parts either didnt fit, or just didnt seem suitable.

In march a thread sprang up on ebay marketplace, with talk of a DAVE YATES....., this could be a suitable frame for my spare components, i thought. Its handbuilt by a well regarded english frame builder, using columbus tubing and is fillet brazed.

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... es&start=0

After managing to win the frame and fork package, and after reading some of the comments posted on the thread, i thought perhaps it might be a good idea to attempt to build both the Dave Yates and the Orange Prestige at the same time.

If I could source enough of the correct components needed to build both bikes to a similar specification, and build quality.
I could attempt to build two period correct bikes, with totally different approaches, from there builders in respect of there tubing choices and frame design.

The Dave Yates frame uses fast back seat stays and a project II O/E spec"d fork, and "Columbus cromor OR" fillet brazed tubing and is handbuilt in "GREAT BRITAIN".

The Orange Prestige needs no introduction, and is made using a wishbone rear seatstay, "Tange Prestige" tig welded tubing manufactured in the far east, to oranges exact specs, and is hand assembled in the uk.

Both framesets are 92/93 model years, and both gained good reviews from the press.

In fact i would go as far to say, that at one point it was suggested that the Orange "PRESTIGE" was the most frequently seen bike on our national race circuit.

with this sort of notoriety for a quality mass produced far east frame i wondered how a similarly priced handbuilt english frame would compare when both bikes were assembled to a similar spec and original build cost.

My retro bike quest continues.............................
 

Attachments

  • orange prestige.jpg
    orange prestige.jpg
    100.7 KB · Views: 9,372
  • orange prestige 2.jpg
    orange prestige 2.jpg
    41.4 KB · Views: 9,372
  • ebay chuck away.jpg
    ebay chuck away.jpg
    58.5 KB · Views: 9,373
  • rusty wreck.jpg
    rusty wreck.jpg
    47.4 KB · Views: 9,373
scrap

Some parts that will be used for for the orange..... :oops: :?
 

Attachments

  • Orange stalk stem, and hot rod bar.jpg
    Orange stalk stem, and hot rod bar.jpg
    37.7 KB · Views: 9,325
a couple of years ago, i had the chance to buy a middleburn rs1 chainset, and a topline chainset. And although they were cheap at £50 for the pair, including rings and bolts..... :shock: :D

There was a catch........ :? Both sets had been sandblasted by the previous owner...., :twisted: :evil: :twisted: :evil: :twisted: :evil:
Which is fine, but the polishing time to bring them back up to scratch, well as you can imagine its going to take ages.

I asked the owner when i bought them why he took this course of action and he simply said the anodizing was rubbing off..... :roll:

I so wish he had left them, although they are very cheap, it hasnt made it easy......., i think my polishin wheel is going to have to go into overdrive......lol.
 

Attachments

  • handmade_polisher_a_life_saver_198.jpg
    handmade_polisher_a_life_saver_198.jpg
    69.5 KB · Views: 9,317
  • sandblasted.jpg
    sandblasted.jpg
    52.9 KB · Views: 9,317
more TAT

The vast majority of the components are well used and hammered.....

Heres the U.S.E seatpost, a bit of a state........lol.
 

Attachments

  • u.s.e (ultimate sports engineering).jpg
    u.s.e (ultimate sports engineering).jpg
    98 KB · Views: 9,296
Sum more bits, X-LITE and PACE......
 

Attachments

  • X-LITE handlebar.....Pace RC50 XC hub..jpg
    X-LITE handlebar.....Pace RC50 XC hub..jpg
    66.9 KB · Views: 9,291
With a lot of help from friends here on retro bike, (wadsy/mmp/mav and a lot of others) ive managed to source the parts i have been missing (...thanks fellas and ladies....).

However ther are some parts i still require to finish the builds......... :oops:

Desparate for an M900 XTR ft mech....28.6, ideally bottom pull, but a top pull will do....?????

M900 XTR rear hub or a Hope rear hub, ideally silver or black, must be 32 hole please......if this is no good, i will buy a pair of wheels, but rims must be in very good order.?????? and period correct.???

M900 XTR gear lever pods...???????

IF ANYBODY CAN HELP, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEND ME A PRIVATE PM. MY LITTLE GIRL IS QUITE POORLY AT THE MOMENT BUT I WILL ANSWER ALL MSG"S AS SOON AS I AM ABLE. :oops:
 
Looking forward to seeing what you produce here mate as your standards are set very high!

Hope your little 'un recovers soon.
 
brocklanders023":377pa93j said:
Looking forward to seeing what you produce here mate as your standards are set very high!

Hope your little 'un recovers soon.

Thank you brocklanders, thats very kind, and im really hoping so too... :cry:
 
When i recieved the "Orange Stalk stem, i was over the moon, as i never expected to find one.

However, Like a fool i didnt offer it up to the frame, to confirm length and rise was suitable for me... :roll: And as you can guess, it was too short, so i have had to source another, i was really lucky and managed to eventually find an "ALI STALK".

Heres a pic of the both stems, refinished.

It might give a clue to where my paint ideas will lead........
 

Attachments

  • ORANGE Stalk and Ali Stalk.jpg
    ORANGE Stalk and Ali Stalk.jpg
    49 KB · Views: 9,100
Both bikes will have new contact points.....grips and saddles.

Odi attack grips for both.
 

Attachments

  • ODI Attack grips..jpg
    ODI Attack grips..jpg
    51.5 KB · Views: 9,097
Back
Top