Mystery Frame... Help!

[Entobiker]

That looks like some interesting geometry. 55st-53tt??? Looks like criterium geo if so. I'd guess very late 80's to very early 90's. Id lean more towards the 90's because of the vertical dropout's. SLX (did you feel for the ridges in the seat tube and down tube?) was introduced around 1987 and wasn't really a thing by 1992 being replaced by Aluminum or oversized steel.

Where are you located? That will help with figuring out smaller builder's.

The bottom bracket and brake bridge look like a Silva brand. While not as well known as Cinelli Silva made some nice parts.

Hope this helps.

I think that geometry must have some mistakes in it.... Maybe seat and top tube the wrong way around. It would look weird with a longer seat than top tube, even in the pictures right?

So when it finally arrives (thanks Parcelforce for being useless) I will re-measure and check for the helical ridges of SLX and get back to you.

This is all very helpful though! Thanks!!

P.S. The closest thing I could find, looks-wise, is Basso, but I guess Everest may have been emulating these features as a smaller Japanese builder??

 

[grantoury]

It would look weird with a longer seat than top tube, even in the pictures right?

That is actually quite normal for a more recent road bike.

 

[sunympholepsy]

I think that geometry must have some mistakes in it.... Maybe seat and top tube the wrong way around. It would look weird with a longer seat than top tube, even in the pictures right?

So when it finally arrives (thanks Parcelforce for being useless) I will re-measure and check for the helical ridges of SLX and get back to you.

This is all very helpful though! Thanks!!

P.S. The closest thing I could find, looks-wise, is Basso, but I guess Everest may have been emulating these features as a smaller Japanese builder??

Everest is (was?) a Taiwanese framebuilding components manufacturer. Their investment cast lugs, dropouts etc. are still available to buy.

 

[Entobiker]

Everest is (was?) a Taiwanese framebuilding components manufacturer. Their investment cast lugs, dropouts etc. are still available to buy.

Ahhh ok. This makes sense. Thank you!

Omg. This makes things harder still

 

[Entobiker]

Ok, it has arrived, and the geometry is as stated (see pic below). It's is an English threaded BB.

It's got the helical ridges (super butting) at the bottom of the seat and down tube, so pretty sure it's SLX.

26.8 Seat post diameter.

 

[Nothin-fancy]

Helical ridges and 26.8 seat tube diameter??? That should be 27.2 diameter seat tubing if it's SLX. They never made SLX with anything other than 27.2 ST dia. And while rare to have a seat tube brazed upsidedown. A Columbus SL/SP ST brazed upsidedown gives you a 26.8 ST. Which does happen every so often. That would be impossible with SLX. The ridges would be at the top and make it unusable.

That's Ishiwata tubing. Ishiwata made triple butted frame set tubing with ridges too. Which would make sense with it being an Everest/Japanese frame set.

It's still a great frame made by a good framemaker. It is definitely not SLX.
I'd throw some Dura Ace 7400 or 7600 on it and ride the tar out of it.

 

[Nothin-fancy]

Since it's probably a Ishiwatta frameset, I'd look at Miyata bike's. Ishiwatta was Miyata's house brand of tubing. Maybe it's a 700 or 900 series from the mid 90's??? I believe it was 712 & 912 if I remember correctly. I'd be looking on the interwebs at dropout's and fork crown's on Miyata bikes from the mid 90's for a match.

That'd be my guess...