1991 Avanti Revolution E-stay

Hi Folks,

I think there has been one of these on here before but something a bit different from New Zealand....

Picked this up for NZ$20 (about 10 quid) recently. A 1991 Avanti Revolution e-stay. Was in a pretty bad way, had been kept outdoors a lot. Original Suntour XC Ltd groupset was all there but more rusted and corroded metal than not. The paint had lots of worn off patches, plenty of scratches and rust bubbling through but through the scratches I could see something shiny, so stripped all the paint off to reveal a fully chromed frame There are some areas of really good chrome and some areas badly rusted.





Also revealed the bent and filled drive-side chainstay. Bent to accommodate the chain, but should it be this shoddy looking?:





Not sure what to do with this, but I think I will get it rideable with a mix of parts from the parts bin, have a few good rides and see whether I like it enough to justify the expense in sorting out the rust/chrome/respray etc. It is pretty heavy but a good size for me and not very common so I would like to keep it. I just know the options of chrome removal and painting will be pretty expensive. The fork is not chromed under the paint so has not been stripped for now. Will update with pics as and when...
Cheers,
John

That bend just doesnt look right at all.

Try a google search or on here, see if you can see what an original looks like. If the bend isnt meant to be there then I would caution using the frame without that being repaired, it's quite a severe bend as you say.

Shame as otherwise looks great.

Iirc fast forward or aaran had one and these take a rear wheel with no off set. This could explain the odd bend

Yes, FST4RD (Robin) has one and is going to check out the bend on his to see if it is the same. Mine came with the original wheels; Suntour hubs with a 7sp freewheel but they are pretty knackered and not sure if salvageable - the bearings and freewheel bearings are pretty gritty feeling/sounding. Will try and find the correct freewheel puller and have a look.