Yates Diabolo Build

Cool bike. Must admit to being very tempted myself - but I'd like one of the earlier Columbus CROMO OR tubed ones - love to know what info you get from YATES on this frame - year/tubes etc

Look forward to seeing the finished bike you build plan sounds great

Sinnerman - From what I could understand from speaking to Dave, the seat and chainstays are 753. The main tubes are "more or less" 531 but with different butting profiles.

Yours is the standard cromor version which was £50 or so cheaper and a bit heavier. IIRC I paid £430 for my 731. Still have the receipt somewhere..... There was also a Columbus Max version which sold for £500.

nevadasmith":1g6x0jfo said:

Cool bike. Must admit to being very tempted myself - but I'd like one of the earlier Columbus CROMO OR tubed ones - love to know what info you get from YATES on this frame - year/tubes etc

Look forward to seeing the finished bike you build plan sounds great

Click to expand...

There's a Columbus tubed frame and forks in the 'for sale' section at present. I nearly bought it but there were a couple of dibs on it, as it turned out, they were both false alarms and by the time I realised I'd bought Stu's frame instead (and very happy I am too).

No work on mine over the weekend, as I'm currently in West Somerset with my OH and our horses. So work will recommence next week, when hopefully, the Postie will arrive laden with goodies.

BTW: I'm after a silver 1" quill stem around 135mm if anyone's got one. I have a Zoom on it's way, but the more the merrier (Oh Lord, I'm turning into a parts collector aren't I?)

dbmtb":gttd6y98 said:

Sinnerman - From what I could understand from speaking to Dave, the seat and chainstays are 753. The main tubes are "more or less" 531 but with different butting profiles.

Yours is the standard cromor version which was £50 or so cheaper and a bit heavier. IIRC I paid £430 for my 731. Still have the receipt somewhere..... There was also a Columbus Max version which sold for £500.

Click to expand...

You just confused me with the word essentially... :?

Actually the "Diabolo" 731, came after the "Diablo", with the Columbus cro-mor OR tube set.

when this model became availiable it was approx £115.00 more than the straight cromoly version. Yor model has reynolds 531 seatstays, top tube and seat tube, and a custom butted and ribbed down tube, the chainstays are reynolds 753.

I think i have a review of your model somewhere, (ill try and dig it out for you if you dont already have it).

From memory, it came out "BEST of TEST" on a mbuk test review for bikes at the £1000. price point against a Cannondale delta V500 and a Proflex 754, which is hardly surprising.....lol.....

The funniest part of this model for me is the name.

According to Dave and his wife, it started life as a "Diablo", (the early models) later on it became the "diabolo"...., when asked why this changed, i was merely told, "It was a spelling error" so we just ran with it.

class....

The bits are coming together and I should be starting assembly this evening, although I am still short of one or two parts.

Found out from Debbie at Dave Yates that the frame was made in 1995. Unfortunately, they were not able to tell me what shade the blue is, so I'll need to get a little creative with the damage on the chain stay.

Really looking forward to seeing this come together. Should be sweet

First dry run.

Don't flame me here, I know there are bits all over the place, and those with eagle eyes will spot the problem with the forks, which hopefully will be resolved later this week.

LBS provided a rescue to my 27mm crown race problem, in the shape of... a 27mm crown race, from the spares box That's when I realised the stem was 10mm too short :evil: So, now I have some different forks on their way.

The handlebar height is not quite right yet, but a slightly taller stem will sort that, and at present it is fitted with a Zoom stem, with a nice Orange SK8 waiting in the wings along with a brand new I-Beam, JIC.

I also need to get a set of brake blocks, as the Shimano ones that came with the STX V-brakes are sh...ocking.

Oh and the deliberate mistake when at the LBS yesterday.... can you see it? Yes, I forgot to buy a blinkin chain, what a plonker!

Anyway, yer it be.



Don't worry, that bottle cage is coming off as soon as I get a nice lightweight silver one.

Oh and I now know how to get to the bearings on Time ATAC pedals. I shouldn't complain though, as they only cost me a quid on the bay.

Lastly; Stu it's not 27.2 buddy, it's 27

Gimme a week or so, and it should be on the road, dirt, trail, forest path, hills, bridleways........

Wow that's 3 nice DYs in one thread!

I will be really interested to watch this develop. I've just decided to rescue my Diabolo from it's current status as a single speed back in to what it should be. Might even be brave and post a picture when its sorted but there are so many amazing bikes on this site.

Sinnerman, great knowledge! Just to complete the picture on Columbus framed Diabolos there was also a nivacrom tubed version in around 92 or 93 that sat between the Cromor OR and Max OR frames.

Kasper Hauser":2bdshij6 said:

Wow that's 3 nice DYs in one thread!

I will be really interested to watch this develop. I've just decided to rescue my Diabolo from it's current status as a single speed back in to what it should be. Might even be brave and post a picture when its sorted but there are so many amazing bikes on this site.

Sinnerman, great knowledge! Just to complete the picture on Columbus framed Diabolos there was also a nivacrom tubed version in around 92 or 93 that sat between the Cromor OR and Max OR frames.

Click to expand...

Go on, dig it out and start a thread, we won't bite, honest.


Well, most of us wont anyway.