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Re: Help!! Is this an Orange??

It might be an Orange E2. This is a guess rather than knowledge. The E3 started in 1995 possibly mid 1995. Your is dated April 1995. It may be a race frame for a rider rather than a stock frame. You could try calling Orange, but when I called about the seat tube collar size for an E2, the guy said "Oh, Crikey", so I guess that sort of information is not available to the current staff there.

General comment: Does anyone know if any history of Orange bikes and frames pre 1998 has been compiled or attempted?
 
Re: Help!! Is this an Orange??

I emailed Orange last month with the serial number to see if they have any history of it but was given the reply that they had no history records before 1998.
Interesting thought regarding race frame/stock frame never thought of that.
 
Re: Help!! Is this an Orange??

^

what's the head tube dia?

do the chainstay resemble the power stays in section (of your elite / e3)?

is there a chainstay bridge? (absent on the elite and e3)

cable carrier locations look 'off'. rear canti stop 'crude'.

Headtube isn't plain tube (but is this a 'fix')

IMHO the welds are far worse then anything I've seen on an ally orange.

all i can think of off top of head
And
 
Re: Help!! Is this an Orange??

It's an E2!

I had a metallic black one in '95 that replaced my stolen '94 Prestige. The tubes were slimmed down from the Elite, welds were 'chunky/blobby' compared to the E3. The drop outs and chain stays are consistent with the E2 as the E3 had 'S' shaped chain stays and seat stays and the drop outs had the Orange logo stamped into them and no eyelets for attaching racks or mudguards. No chain stay bridge on the E3 either. My E2 cracked at the weld behind BB to chain stay. My E3 cracked where they should have put a chain stay bridge but didn't! My E4 is still going strong
 
Re: Help!! Is this an Orange??

As an addendum, I didn't have my E2 for long. It failed pretty soon after getting it. Got my E2 in '95 and was replaced with an E3 the same year. Not many made and most failed from memory!
 
Re: Help!! Is this an Orange??

E2s had a 1" head tube, and no chainstay bridge. Also had a threaded hole for a mech pulley and the frame number didn't have an extra "A" in it!
The welding is very nice too.

Heres an E2 which I just sold: https://imageshack.com/a/5PVb/1


Hope this helps!

EDIT: Having said all that, there is no guarantee that your frame isn't an Orange! They did all sorts of mucking around in the early days, so it may just have been from a different manufacturer for whatever reason.
 
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