Identify this frame... Rifled down/top tube

[JeRkY]

Hi, opened my door this morning to find this bike on the communal landing next to my commuter. Any ideas on the frame? It has rather distinctive external rifling on the top and down tube and has all the points for cantis.

The forks are very dead Balistic jobbies, the brakes are currently XT V's so some one obviously loved it at some point. The head tube sports a mint sauce sticker.

Group set is all Sachs quartz stuff, hubs look functional and interesting in engineering terms but not blingy.

Any ideas?

 

[velomaniac]

Byers Cycles who mainly do road and touring stuff used to sell at steel mtb frame with external rifling just like that. Give them a shout, maybe they can shed some light. Dont think they sold it as a branded product though.

 

[REKIBorter]

External butting

 

[dyna-ti]

Have you asked to buy it yet ?

 

[Easy_Rider]

Tange Ultimate Ultrastrong has external ribbing, but not rifling, strange one that :?

 

[barry2017]

That frame was made by Tange, and sold to lots of small businesses in the late nineties.

They're nice but not special.

 

[cce]

the quarz stuff is though - it's really nice and dead rare

 

[cchris2lou]

how weird . someone on french forum asked same question about same frame last week .

apparently it is a USA Access . made it had a different name in the uk .

 

[sic_nick]

Some of the old Merlin Cycles frames had tubing like that in the 90's IIRC and I'm sure i've seen a Ballistic branded frame with the same tubing too

 

[FluffyChicken]

We've had a talk some time ago about a very similar frame (if not the same) as that.

So there is some info on this forum and I'm sure Anthony talked about the tubing in it