Unidentified Ti MTB Frame(s) Any Idea?

Paddyosonic

Retro Newbie
I was in a local shop last year that mainly does repairs and used bike sales. While I was waiting for the proprietor's attention, I noticed what appeared to be a new titanium frame hanging on the wall. It had canti-bosses, cable-guides on the drive-side of the top tube (so pre V-brake era) and tapered chainstays with no chainstay bridge. (like a cyclocross frame or a Bontrager) Looking around the shop I saw that he had several of these frames. I asked about them.

He'd gotten them as NOS from a distributor. No other information. No idea where or who built them. He only wanted $500 CAD each for them. I bought one to build up as a work bike. Old school MTB geometry, similar to an early Merlin or an old Litespeed. 15.5" frame size with a 21.75" top tube length, bottom bracket 12" high (ground to centre) when using 26 x 1.8" tires. Cool! I like high bottom brackets. Straight-gauge head tube for 1+1/8", 1.25" diameter main tubes, 5/8" seatstays and tapered chainstays with no bridge. Top-tube cable-guides are alloy, riveted on. Water bottle bosses are also riveted.

I built it up with a Tsunami rigid disc-fork. Mostly using it for food delivery but I've taken it on a few short trail rides. Very bouncy, springy ride, much like an '89 Merlin I used to have. The welds on the main triangle are pretty ugly. They remind me a bit of a MiG frame I had for a short while. I love this frame so much though, I bought a second one to build up as my 'fun' bike. Somebody had stuck a Salsa decal on the head tube of the second frame but I've confirmed it is definitely not a Salsa.

Anybody out there have any idea of who made these? I'm guessing by the drive-side cable routing that they're mid-90s.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20200727_175111486.jpg
    IMG_20200727_175111486.jpg
    313.8 KB · Views: 112
  • IMG_20200727_175230393.jpg
    IMG_20200727_175230393.jpg
    305.6 KB · Views: 111
  • IMG_20200802_151032227.jpg
    IMG_20200802_151032227.jpg
    258.4 KB · Views: 98
  • IMG_20200802_151051201.jpg
    IMG_20200802_151051201.jpg
    337.2 KB · Views: 97
  • IMG_20200803_215245874.jpg
    IMG_20200803_215245874.jpg
    237.7 KB · Views: 85
  • IMG_20200803_215133166.jpg
    IMG_20200803_215133166.jpg
    407.9 KB · Views: 80
  • IMG_20210321_213317_349.jpg
    IMG_20210321_213317_349.jpg
    335.5 KB · Views: 90
  • IMG_20210321_213344_388.jpg
    IMG_20210321_213344_388.jpg
    327.9 KB · Views: 87
  • IMG_20210321_213359_683.jpg
    IMG_20210321_213359_683.jpg
    330.2 KB · Views: 92
  • IMG_20210321_213412_103.jpg
    IMG_20210321_213412_103.jpg
    362.5 KB · Views: 113
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Perhaps this seller may know? May be worth asking.

Ha ha! That certainly looks like the identical tubing, braze-ons, dropouts. (and weld quality) Hope my rear triangle doesn't become a seperate item like that one did. ;)
 
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
A shot in the dark, I have a vague memory that the REI sports outlet did their own Ti MTB frames at one point.
 
A shot in the dark, I have a vague memory that the REI sports outlet did their own Ti MTB frames at one point.
I remember Supergo also had one in their catalogue back in the early/mid 1990s. So far, only that scary looking rear triangle on Ebay is a match.
 
I was having a look at some of the threads regarding the Raleigh MTi-1000 frames of the early 1990s. I searched the web and studied a slew of pictures in detail. The two unidentified frames that I have bear some identical features to the 1994 MTi-1000. Same dropouts, same chainstays, same welded-on ribbed cable guides on the rear triangle, same riveted cable guides on the top tube. I am wondering if these frames were made at the same facility as the 1994 Raleigh MTi-1000? I do love the way they ride. Noodley-smooth, much like the Teledyne Titan road frame I used to have. Must be a thing with CP-grade tubing.
 
Last edited:
You may be on to something. Agree with many details. Except the wishbone seat-stay.

Thing is, I understood most (all) were made in Nottingham, UK. Something about the Derby Group, with sales across Europe if I recall correctly.

Gazelle in Holland, something else in Germany, perhaps Raleigh? It's odd, but only the other day I was looking at a Gazelle where they put a weird logo at the back of the seat-tube which is completely obscured by the wishbone stay. If it were normal stays, it would make complete sense, but I just thought how retarded; it should have really been picked up by anyone with any kind of bike visuals knowledge.

So......perhaps.....just perhaps there were some paper and design exercises for a normal rear stay, which would account for a lot with your frame and a rear triangle floating around Ebay!
 
Weren't there a number of Russian and Chinese factories turning out inexpensive Ti bike frames after the collapse of the Soviet Union?
 
Back
Top