1993 Orange Clockwork. *Small Update 8/2/2011*

brocklanders023

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I've finally got myself organised and started to build the bike I always wanted back in 1993. I know this will not be most peoples idea of a Unicorn bike but for me this is the one I lusted after bitd but could never afford.

The story starts back in late '92/early '93. I was a bike mad teenager and when I wasn't messing about on my 1989 Tufftrax I was hanging around the local bike shops. Favourite was Airevalley Cycles in Keighley as they had the largest selection around. My friend had a 1990 Marin Palisades and was brand loyal so as he dribbled over the '93 Marin range I was at the other end of the room checking out the Oranges. To a teenager these seemed like high end exotica as you couldn't get one for less the 5 to 6 hundred quid! I loved the orange/white fade bikes and Orange had released a whole host of new colours and decals for '93 but my attention kept being drawn to a single grey Clockwork with classic decals. We would frequently go back to the shop and I'd always end up hovering around the same bike. Compared to many of the bikes in the shop it just looked so pure and understated. I desperatly wanted it but my £5 pw paper round was simply not going to cover it. :cry:

In the end I settled for a second hand orange/white Clockwork that the good chaps at Stif put me in contact with. I loved that bike and rode the rims off it but I never forgot my grey dream bike.

Zoom forward to last year and I find this place (while searching the interweb for Clockwork content ;) ). You chaps re-ignite my interest in all things retro and the search begins for the fabled grey Clockwork. I quickly realised that my love for the grey frame was not shared by others bitd as the picture below is the only one I've seen across the whole internet, and believe me, I've searched :roll:
 

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.....So I decide that I'll just have to make my own.

I got my hands on a '93 frame in black last summer but it's just been sitting unloved since then while I concentrated on various other retro bikes. As you lot know, this place is addictive and before I knew it I had a house full of retro goodies. :roll:

Anyway, at the turn of the year I decided I had to get this build off the ground. I'd collected most of the parts already so the main job was getting the frame the correct colour. When I say correct, I mean as I remember it not as it probably was. The colour was called silver/grey but my memory told me that it was more of a flat light grey. Either way, off went the frame to the powder coaters and I was delighted with the result.
 

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....Gil supplied me with the perfect decals and I'd managed to salvage the Tange decal from the frame so paying close attention to the picture above I got to work.

Shouldn't be too long now until it's finished so I'll update the thread as I go. Have to say I'm really excited about getting this finished and can't wait to get out on it. Forks will be sent to Tim soon and I need to source a decent retro h'bar that's quite wide. I'd prefer a black stem but that'll have to wait for now.
 

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mikee":2g30b96h said:
so have you got a match for the colour ?

I got it painted in a colour that matched my memory as there seems to be so few Oranges painted in this colour to get a match from. Seeing that silver Alu 'O' on ebay the other week made me wonder if the finish was more silver then I remember. Either way, I'm very happy with it. :D
 
Looking good,i had a 1993 Clockwork,with RC35's,231 rims,xt,similar to your build.Can't wait to see it finished. :D :D
 
that looks cool :cool: and i remember seeing them in that colour aswel

i have the 93 aswel, it was originally the orange/purple fade but it is now british racing green with gold stickers. when i got mine i found it hard to decide on the colour i should go for, i already had the 2007 re issue model in the orange/white so i didn't want to do that so i looked at all the colours the bikes were over the years and went for the green with gold decals like the 97(?) c16r coz i thought that looked nice. as much as i like original builds i don't feel i have to go original so i just do them how i like.

yours will look lush when finished. :D
 
northerndave":1df8ukzi said:
Nice, I think we're gonna have almost matching bikes.. Almost

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... highlight=

In that post I've got a scan of a Grey prestige. I hate to say it but from that pic and memory wasn't the grey matt finish not gloss?

Still, that looks awesome, can't wait to see it finished.


Yep Dave, I mentioned on your thread that our bikes will be very similar. You're obviously a bloke with good taste. ;)

I think you're right about the original paint finish but for some reason I'm convinced the one I used to lust after had a semi-gloss finish. Anyway, like I said above it's more important to me to end up with a bike that looks like what my memory tells me rather then what's factually correct. How you finding your Prestige btw?
 
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