pw_pw_la
Senior Retro Guru
So, time to move a few things on, in order to hopefully offset some costs for something pretty special coming in...
Ideally I'm looking to sell these all together as a frameset, although they arrived in my possession separately.
They're not without a few quirks, admittedly, but should be an ideal start for someone else's dream Bontrager project!
Anyway, the frame:
Seattube: I believe it's 17" c-c (19" c-t), but I will recheck and confirm
Toptube: 23" c-t-c, I think.
Need to grab frame and take measurements, and will update thread accordingly when I do.
It's the Large size, that I know!
This came from a very reputable source, Mark Janike, of Socketset Sales and Monkey Wrench Cycles fame. It's undated, but definitely an early 90s model based on the horizontal dropouts, the cable guide positioning, and the pulley wheel. Paint is of the classic black variety and the downtube decal came with the frame when I purchased it. This must have been added by someone later down the line as a replacement for the originals, as it's of the newer, slanted variety and this one should really have the classic straight-edged kind. I know that Gil already has those on file, in whatever color you may desire! Blank canvas, Etc.
Only things to note: this is missing the original seatpost binder seen above, although I'll throw in a generic replacement if that helps, and the rubber protector for the seatpost cluster (although these are easily fashioned yourself out of an old innertube). The original anti-chain suck plate is included tho.
No dings, no dents, just a few scratches and blemishes here and there on the paint, most notably on the bottom bracket shell. No real need for touch-ups tho. Just build it and ride off into the sunset! It's in great shape, all things considered. Just too small for me!
Okay, so next...
The forks (ignore that seatpost, please!):
These are the welded Race version of the composite fork, and came with my larger, XXL-sized OR frame.
See more here: https://www.oldschoolracing.ch/archiv/bontrager/
And here: https://bikerecyclery.com/early-bontrager-composite-rigid-fork-1-threaded-1980s-1990s-silver-exc/
I'd already purchased a set of black composites to pair with the above frame, which means these are now available for sale. They are pretty rare, I believe, as you don't see them very often. I will include a steerer that should be workable for the length of the head tube on the above frame, although no promises!
I know @danson67 on here has fabricated replacements before, so he might be worth hitting up if you want to have something built exactly to you preferred spec and stack height. Bontrager forks are going for pretty silly money these days, so I assume these would usually command a pretty high price. That said, there are a couple of issues with them, so I'm letting them go well-below current market value. First of all, there is some pitting/discoloration to the chrome finish on the legs. It's nothing horrific, and of no structural concern, but it makes them a little more rough-and-ready, for sure. The second issue is that one of the cantilever bosses appears slightly bent. Most clearly shown in the second photo. I haven't explored replacing this myself, or bending it back into shape, but if you know a decent frame builder, or feel like being brave with a rubber mallet, I'm sure it can be sorted at a relatively low cost. The owner of this fork previous to me used it as-is, and I think maybe just adjusted the brake pads to account for it? Not sure you'd really want to do that, but hey...
I also have the pinned stem and bar combo that came with the frame. Not much to say here, other than it's super nice and pretty unique.
Okay so prices...
How about:
Frame only: $375 - SOLD
Fork only: $325
Stem/Bar Combo: $150 - SOLD
Frame and fork: $685 obo
Frameset (frame, fork, stem/bar combo): $800 obo
Please feel free to ask any questions, or let me know if you think I'm way off on pricing. I'm just trying to recoup my original costs, not make any huge profit. I'm happy to take any additional measurements or photos needed (just need to grab the frame from storage first). I am US-based, unfortunately, but if you're interested and in the UK or Europe, I'm more than happy to get creative with the import paperwork if you are!
Ideally I'm looking to sell these all together as a frameset, although they arrived in my possession separately.
They're not without a few quirks, admittedly, but should be an ideal start for someone else's dream Bontrager project!
Anyway, the frame:
Seattube: I believe it's 17" c-c (19" c-t), but I will recheck and confirm
Toptube: 23" c-t-c, I think.
Need to grab frame and take measurements, and will update thread accordingly when I do.
It's the Large size, that I know!
This came from a very reputable source, Mark Janike, of Socketset Sales and Monkey Wrench Cycles fame. It's undated, but definitely an early 90s model based on the horizontal dropouts, the cable guide positioning, and the pulley wheel. Paint is of the classic black variety and the downtube decal came with the frame when I purchased it. This must have been added by someone later down the line as a replacement for the originals, as it's of the newer, slanted variety and this one should really have the classic straight-edged kind. I know that Gil already has those on file, in whatever color you may desire! Blank canvas, Etc.
Only things to note: this is missing the original seatpost binder seen above, although I'll throw in a generic replacement if that helps, and the rubber protector for the seatpost cluster (although these are easily fashioned yourself out of an old innertube). The original anti-chain suck plate is included tho.
No dings, no dents, just a few scratches and blemishes here and there on the paint, most notably on the bottom bracket shell. No real need for touch-ups tho. Just build it and ride off into the sunset! It's in great shape, all things considered. Just too small for me!
Okay, so next...
The forks (ignore that seatpost, please!):
These are the welded Race version of the composite fork, and came with my larger, XXL-sized OR frame.
See more here: https://www.oldschoolracing.ch/archiv/bontrager/
And here: https://bikerecyclery.com/early-bontrager-composite-rigid-fork-1-threaded-1980s-1990s-silver-exc/
I'd already purchased a set of black composites to pair with the above frame, which means these are now available for sale. They are pretty rare, I believe, as you don't see them very often. I will include a steerer that should be workable for the length of the head tube on the above frame, although no promises!
I know @danson67 on here has fabricated replacements before, so he might be worth hitting up if you want to have something built exactly to you preferred spec and stack height. Bontrager forks are going for pretty silly money these days, so I assume these would usually command a pretty high price. That said, there are a couple of issues with them, so I'm letting them go well-below current market value. First of all, there is some pitting/discoloration to the chrome finish on the legs. It's nothing horrific, and of no structural concern, but it makes them a little more rough-and-ready, for sure. The second issue is that one of the cantilever bosses appears slightly bent. Most clearly shown in the second photo. I haven't explored replacing this myself, or bending it back into shape, but if you know a decent frame builder, or feel like being brave with a rubber mallet, I'm sure it can be sorted at a relatively low cost. The owner of this fork previous to me used it as-is, and I think maybe just adjusted the brake pads to account for it? Not sure you'd really want to do that, but hey...I also have the pinned stem and bar combo that came with the frame. Not much to say here, other than it's super nice and pretty unique.
Okay so prices...
How about:
Fork only: $325
Frameset (frame, fork, stem/bar combo): $800 obo
Please feel free to ask any questions, or let me know if you think I'm way off on pricing. I'm just trying to recoup my original costs, not make any huge profit. I'm happy to take any additional measurements or photos needed (just need to grab the frame from storage first). I am US-based, unfortunately, but if you're interested and in the UK or Europe, I'm more than happy to get creative with the import paperwork if you are!
Last edited:
nice forks. And those stem and bars are so light, not unique though...
