Mystery Orange Clockwork

[brocklanders023]

Thought I remembered P7's in this colour. that era Clockwork was blue, green or orange/white for the anniversary model from memory.

I mentioned the tubes because P7's were usually fatter than the Clockwork/c16, it was a feature of the model at launch. P7 was not Tange Prestige however, it was Orange branded series 8.

 

[Lau7ence]

More pearls of Orange wisdom, gratefully received!
Rooting around in the archive, the description of the ‘97 P7 closely matches my frame, including the externally butted head tube and the diamond bottle cages.
As it happens, I also have a C-16R (a back-burner project), so I’ll compare it’s tube diameters with my mystery frame.

 

[markoc]

IIRC that red was the catalogue colour for the P7, but very rarely purchased.

 

[markoc]

 

[Lau7ence]

Oh, the joy of data!
I spent a happy half hour comparing tube diameters of my C-16R and my ‘Mystery Frame’. Both frames are 19” measured centre-to-top. Measurements were made with vernier calipers and the resulting diameters include paint thicknesses. All dimensions in millimetres.
Here are my findings:

Orange C-16R
Head Tube 33.2 (plain diameter – no external butting)
Down Tube 31.9
Top Tube 28.8
Seat Tube 32.0 at mid height / 32.9 at top (where externally butted)
Seat Stays 19.2 near top, just below upper curved part
Fork Blades 27.3 just below fork crown

Orange ‘Mystery Frame’
Head Tube 37.5 (between butted ends)
Down Tube 35.4
Top Tube 32.1
Seat Tube 32.1 at mid height / 33.0 at top (where externally butted)
Seat Stays 19.8 near top, just below upper curved part
Fork Blades 29.0 just below fork crown

Whereas the seat tubes appear to be substantially the same (small differences possibly due to differences in paint thickness), clearly, the ‘Mystery Frame’ has a more substantial down tube, top tube and fork blades
If a bird looks like a duck, waddles like a duck, quacks like duck and flies like a duck, it’s probably a duck.
I think my mystery frame is probably an Orange P7.
Any dissenters from that judgement?

 

[FluffyChicken]

As long as you are comparing the same year...



It's the one in the picture in the catalogue above.

 

[Lau7ence]

Well I’m dead chuffed that I thought I was buying a Clockwork frame that turns out to be a P7!
I’ll need to up my game when it comes to selecting componentry for the rebuild - don’t want to let down such a good frame by sticking mediocre bits on it! The catalogue picture provides some inspiration for what’s needed (albeit, mine has rigid F7 type forks rather than suspension forks).
Thanks again for all inputs - due to your efforts, I now feel I’m on my way to being a well-informed Retro Orangeophile.
Pictures to follow, some time in the spring.

 

[markoc]

[broken record] It wouldn't be a thread about a P7 without me piping up about it needing to be a singlespeed build - these frames are so well suited to it. [/broken record]

Shameless link to mine as well, which is (in theory) the same frame as yours - but in typically random Orange fashion has a disc tab on the rear which given its frame number it shouldn't really have...

https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1998-p7-retro-british-kit-build-ss.443221/

Always fancied doing another chrome frame with full STXRC and RC36's as i looks so tidy for a functional and afforable build.

Hope you find some inspiration and get a build thread up.

 

[mesoknotty]

Ok I found a link to the advert on here for my equivalent - which I think was a ‘96 but regret I didn’t keep a record of the the serial number

https://www.retrobike.co.uk/attachments/0795615a-4b2f-4c56-80c5-654f2b05b270-jpeg.431976/

This definitely had the diamond bottle cage bosses

Headbadge was a vinyl star and orange O logo

Damn that is pretty!

 

[2manyoranges]

Damn that is pretty!

Thanks - I really liked it too - but it needed to be ridden, not lurking at the back, hung up. It went to a nice guy in the North who …what can I say … rode it!! Hurrah!