Rebuilding an Orange P7?

[PeteMCornwall]

Hi

Any advice buying an Orange P7 to rebuild?

Specific issues I'm thinking of are:
1) Even 'problem' frames seem expensive compared with posts I'm seeing on this site for bikes being sold last year. Is this a good time to buy?

2) I would ideally like to have one with front suspension and V brakes, will any P7 frame be ok for those?

3) There seems a wide range of P7s out there, is there a good year to look out for? Finding info on the difference between years seems challenging.

4) I see some with serial numbers, is that something to look out for?

Thank you!
Pete

 

[hamster]

Glad you've joined up Pete!
Certainly bike prices have generally firmed up since the Coronavirus, this includes old MTBs. However there are also plenty of chancers who do eBay ads with Retro-Rare-L@@K sort of listings (and hopelessly optimistic prices) at the best of times.

Changing braking is no trouble at all. Front forks are more difficult as older P7s take 1" steerers. It means you need an old fork, generally Marzocchi or Pace, as they have easily-swappable steerers and good spares support.

Personally I'd buy a nickel-plated one as to me it's the definitive style, so mid-90s. Good ones are around, but there is an awful lot of rusted tat as well. Wait for the right one.

The serial number was on all frames, there were batches with halfway features (mine is 1995, sharing some but not all details with 96 models). A bike with no serial number has been stolen at some time in its life with the number ground off. Personally I wouldn't touch one with a dubious history.

Finally, what size are you seeking? 17-19" are commonest.

 

[2manyoranges]

Re:

The hamster speaks much truth.

Nickel plated models are wonderful, and even very tatty pocked (but not peeling) examples can be restored with care (spontex and GT85). They are fabulous-riding frames. Non-nickel occasionally come up in great colourways - metallic cherry red, metallic lime - so don't forego painted ones just yet. F7 forks in 1inch are getting a bit hard to get, but period pace entirely in character and increasingly easy to get spare elastomers for.

 

[PeteMCornwall]

Thank you both.

Prices do seem to be a bit crazy, I've seen people asking £300- £400 for really tatty looking bikes down my way (Cornwall).

I do like the nickel plated versions. Seen some nice looking ones on Ebay for about £450, still more than I really want to pay though. I'm just over 5'ft 9 so I was thinking a 19" would be ideal. My current bike, various bits on a Handsome Dog HD aluminium frame is a 19". It's got XT mechs and mavic wheels that still seem ok, so I might be able to use them.

What's a good price for a nickel plated frame?

Also is there a way fo looking up info on a bike from it's serial number?

 

[rwm1962]

P7 - what's not to love?

 

[2manyoranges]

Re:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=192729

here is an outline of the frame serial number system.....

 

[PeteMCornwall]

Re:

Thank you for the link to the frame serial number thread.

Another question; I see a lot of frames described as 18", but the attached image shows a write up that made me think they only made 15", 17", 19" and 21"?

 

[2manyoranges]

Re:

...and your chosen specialised subject on Mastermind is the company called 'Orange' which works out of Halifax....

so...here we go...

I have bought 7/10 to 10/10 complete P7s typically at 250:00.
A frame two years ago 9/10 at 45:00.
Complete one at 90:00, nickel, but very ratty.
Complete and 10/10 at 250:00.

size....Orange official measurement is from the centre of the BB to the VERY TOP of the seat tube, not the intersection of the tt and seat-tube. So an 'Orange' 17 is actually more like 15.

I am 5' 7" with 31 inside leg, and ride a 17 inch (15ish centre bb to centre tt/st junction) but can easily ride the next size up (I have two of the bigger ones) with a shorter stem. I would size up, if you mean to ride the bike in anger, and use a 110-120 stem. They typically came with 130 stems, but you can raise the front a little with a PACE fork, and shorter the stem, and you then have a great-handling bike.

 

[PeteMCornwall]

Re:

Thank you 2manyoranges

Wow huge difference in what price people are asking and what you were getting them for last year. I may make this a longer term project in the hope prices drop again. People are asking £70 for frames with seized bottom brackets and nice examples for £185 at the moment.

So with frame size; is it that the official 19" is being measured as 18" by some sellers because they are measuring from the BB to the intersection?

 

[rwm1962]

Could be. You can get them to conform. You will soon get used to recognising frame size on the 90's & early 00's just by looking at the head/top/down tube join. Take a look at mine in my signature. All 19" except the 2011 which is the more modern geometry & 17" which I prefer for the standover.