Early ‘90s Bromwich

[sunympholepsy]

Oh, the irony…
In my efforts to downsize/reorganise my “collection” of bikes, I was browsing completed eweBay auctions to get a rough idea about current prices when this popped up in ‘suggested for you’ section. Turns out the algorithm knows me pretty well (not too difficult since I only ever look for old bikes on that damn site). It was added to my watch list and after receiving an email notification about the auction ending soon a few days later, I’ve managed to buy it with a very reasonable maximum bid. The bike was located almost 300 miles away so I’ve asked the seller if he could kindly box it up for courier collection and he replied saying he can bring it south to me on his way to his boating holiday! We’ve agreed on the rendezvous spot and a couple of days later I brought it home to my girlfriend’s bemusement. Even the paintjob did not help.
Anyhow, here is what it looked like :

Yup, 52t chainring



I have seen few Bromwich MTB frames but never one with wishbone seat stays. It would be nice to find out a bit more about it, as so far I am not even sure about its exact age. The seller didn’t elaborate much and just said he got it in early 90’s. Most of the Suntour stuff is stamped with either Ex or Fx code, which translates as manufactured in 1989 and 1990 respectively, so I am guessing the bike was put together around 1990?
I happened to have most of the early XC Pro groupset, so the current XCE (not bad but rather hefty) is going. So is the Flexstem, which I am not a fan of. The general idea for now is to make it lighter. I think I can shave off a few grams just by removing the stickers the bike was generously adorned with.
I don’t love the colour way, but it’s slowly growing on me

 

[sinnerman]

Cool...

 

[raidan73]

Awesome! I'm always looking for a suitable replacement for my old Bromwich but I've been a bit slack in checking my eBay saved searches lately. I've seen a couple with rear wishbone stays. Here's an old one from this site....

 

[27motorhead]

These frames look awesome with lots of lovely detailing! Loving the Suntour too and the great paint. Uber cool. Looking forward to see what you do with it!

 

[sunympholepsy]

Thank you, gents.
I am chuffed to have scored this and really looking forward to riding it.
Its makeover is almost complete. (I am rubbish at build threads). Just needs decent brake pads and the rear hub sorted. Few different stems to try.
Excuse the poor photography and the background mess. We had to hurry before mum got home!

 

[27motorhead]

Great to see the nipper show an early interest!!! That bike's a cracker!

 

[kingoffootball]

I was very close to bidding on this, as I've been looking for one for a long time and it seemed the right size. I don't really have the space at the moment though and the colourscheme put me off.

 

[27motorhead]

I was very close to bidding on this, as I've been looking for one for a long time and it seemed the right size. I don't really have the space at the moment though and the colourscheme put me off.

Back in the late 80s/early 90s you could have probably got some lycra tights to match!

 

[sinnerman]

I learnt a valuable lesson from a friend of mine on here. I restored a a bike, that was hammered, it was a Christmas present, and I wanted to retain its colours and its spec, not because i liked the colour, in fact it was awful to my eye, but it was of its time, the spec was all original but looked tired.
I set about restoring it, all the paint refinished in its original colours, even being mindful of the depth of the fade along the tubes, all the correct decals etc. All the original components re-used albeit polished and fettled accordingly.

When it was finished, i was chuffed to have been able to save it, and keep it as it had left the Builder originally.

But when things come on top, as they often do for many of us, sacrifices had to be made, and i sold the Bike.

It sold to a member here, and then it got interesting. I dont think he loved its colourway any more than me really, but he valued it for what it was, as I did.

And whilst he understood the reason for it to retain all its original components, naturally he wanted to put his own stamp on it.

So he set about stripping all of the components and rebuilding it to his taste.

I was fortunate to have had the original bill of sale and its original handprinted sales brochure, listing the options available at the time. (both of which i posted on the forum for others to use).

I hadn't given the build options any thought, I had blinkers on and was a little overwhelmed i was lucky enough to have got such a great bike.

Its new owner, I'm sure felt the same, only wanted to take the bike to the next level,

And well...., What he did with it just by re-thinking its spec, changed the look of it completely, no longer did I see a colour scheme that whilst was of its time, looked a little gaudy....? All of a sudden to me, it just looked cool. It looked right. The spec upgrade was certainly justified. and i really couldn't find anything that i would possibly want to change.

Suffice to say, when things in his world changed, he offered it for sale again, and I couldn't buy it back quick enough, and the bike still remains with me and as he built it.

So my lesson was learned. And to quote Joe Breeze, the paint is only the veneer.

 

[27motorhead]

I learnt a valuable lesson from a friend of mine on here. I restored a a bike, that was hammered, it was a Christmas present, and I wanted to retain its colours and its spec, not because i liked the colour, in fact it was awful to my eye, but it was of its time, the spec was all original but looked tired.
I set about restoring it, all the paint refinished in its original colours, even being mindful of the depth of the fade along the tubes, all the correct decals etc. All the original components re-used albeit polished and fettled accordingly.

When it was finished, i was chuffed to have been able to save it, and keep it as it had left the Builder originally.

But when things come on top, as they often do for many of us, sacrifices had to be made, and i sold the Bike.

It sold to a member here, and then it got interesting. I dont think he loved its colourway any more than me really, but he valued it for what it was, as I did.

And whilst he understood the reason for it to retain all its original components, naturally he wanted to put his own stamp on it.

So he set about stripping all of the components and rebuilding it to his taste.

I was fortunate to have had the original bill of sale and its original handprinted sales brochure, listing the options available at the time. (both of which i posted on the forum for others to use).

I hadn't given the build options any thought, I had blinkers on and was a little overwhelmed i was lucky enough to have got such a great bike.

Its new owner, I'm sure felt the same, only wanted to take the bike to the next level,

And well...., What he did with it just by re-thinking its spec, changed the look of it completely, no longer did I see a colour scheme that whilst was of its time, looked a little gaudy....? All of a sudden to me, it just looked cool. It looked right. The spec upgrade was certainly justified. and i really couldn't find anything that i would possibly want to change.

Suffice to say, when things in his world changed, he offered it for sale again, and I couldn't buy it back quick enough, and the bike still remains with me and as he built it.

So my lesson was learned. And to quote Joe Breeze, the paint is only the veneer.

We now all need to see the before and after photographs of this bike!