Orange Clockwork frame date?

[brocklanders023]

When you say the 94 clockwork has orange branded tubes, does this also imply they were building the frames themselves at this time?

No, not building them in house, just using different tubes in the Far East. From memory the early Alu bikes used Orange sourced tubes but the first steel to go that way was the P7 in 1993. I guess it was cheaper to source their own then buy in from Tange :? Probably made possible because of the increased sales. They were shifting a lot of bikes by 1992. always wondered if that's the reason they dropped the Prestige?

 

[Anthony]

So my bike is a late 1994 with Orange brand tube and basically what you are saying it is a C16r in all but stickers?
In my restoration then should I go Clockwork or C16r?

The C16R got that name because it was the 16th revision of the Clockwork design, so they thought it was time to change the name. I don't know what the difference was between the 15th revision of the Clockwork and the C16R, but there must have been a difference or else it wouldn't have been the 16th revision. Your bike is a Clockwork, so I would certainly keep that name. Anyway, Clockwork is a better name than C16R, as Orange themselves realised a few years later.

The fact that your 1994 frame is maybe the 14th or 15th revision of a line that started in 1988 shows that Orange operated on a different basis from most makes that change their designs only annually. Steve Wade seems to be a tinkerer, so possibly every time they ordered another batch of frames he had some little amendment to incorporate, hence two or three revisions per annum. And hence you can't expect one Clockwork of a given year to be identical to others of the same year.

I wouldn't take any notice of that Brocklanders saying your bike isn't a proper Clockwork because it isn't made out of Tange Infinity. Steve and Lester say it is, so it is. I don't know the specs for Orange Series 7, but they may have chosen it over Tange Infinity because of Tange's pricing, or maybe because Infinity restricted their design options. e.g., the C16R had a 31.8 seat tube, but the Infinity set only had a 28.6. Other than that sort of thing, there wouldn't be any basic difference between Tange Infinity and any other double-butted 4130, and they obviously thought the Orange brand name was well enough established that they didn't need to pay the premium price to use Tange's brand name any longer.

 

[brocklanders023]

Tounge in cheek there mate

 

[raymondluxuryyacht]

There is a difference between tange infinity and other double butted cro-mo. It's the tapering between the butts.
I suspect the switch to own brand tubes was a matter of trying to get oversize tubes early and at a reasonable cost. This maybe kind of a prelude to what they did with the p7 (custom oversize seamed tubes).

26.6 ! Confirms my suspicions about my clockwork. Assuming it's got a 28.6 external diameter then this implies a max wall thickness of 1.0mm So either the seat tube was not tange infinity.... Or perhaps more likely is that the wall thickness of tange tubes changed at this time. A little clockwork mystery solved I think.

 

[boyce autos]

Oh yeah, didn't notice that. My old 93 was just like yours

Just been looking at your thread, yours was a very nice build, and looking at mine to yours it's identical I am on the hunt for a Tange Infinity Decal now

Did you manage to get hold of a tange sticker? I've an identical frame and I'm in need of one as mine was destroyed when the seat post was removed by heat

 

[jmsjabb]

Well, so far, here we go...

 

[Thejackal1971]

Clockwork orange

Wow!! Some lovely bikes here!!

I have a frame that has been sold to me a s a '94, and from the stuff on this thread, it certainly appears to be....

Apologies for ther thread hijack, but what is the head tube diameter?? I am not confident enough with my ruler to decipher whether it is 1", 1 & 1/8" or even 1 & 1/4" and didnt want to go the expense and trouble of buying a set of forks that won't fit............

Many thanks in advance

Carl

 

[brocklanders023]

If yours is a 1994, or earlier it will be 1".

 

[Thejackal1971]

Thanks for that. I knew someone would let me know. Didn't expect such a quick reply though.........

 

[Bobw]

Just reading this thread as i have owned an identical clockwork as yours from new, think i bought it in 94, Frame no A3122215 has 28.6 seat tube plus the orange tube series 7 sticker as yours, although could do with a replacement as it a bit tatty, if you can get them :?: its in original satin/matt black, still in good nick but i planning a resto this winter, will keep it black though.