My Davidson for your...?

[Epicus07]

Looking to trade my Davidson Handbuilt Frame/Fork for road frame of similar size (55cm).

Anyone interested?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47833614@N04/sets/72157630090845900/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/7170594197_b6ef3210e6_c.jpg

[JLP]

Nice bike. It might help if you let everyone know what kind of bike you are looking for.

[rcnute]

Sweet Davidson. Keep it and get a second bike.

[sirbryanclark]

Are you in Seattle?

[cnighbor1]

Nice Davidson. I assume 55cm center to center?
Why not just sell frame and keep the rest for a new frame.
Would a Masi Gran corsa 57 center to top new frame work for you $725
I have owned a few davidsons and have two now. A road and a MTB
Let me know size of your davidson

[Epicus07]

Frame is 56x56. I've already sold everything except for the frame/fork and HS.
Looking for racing or randonneuring frame. 55x55 is ideal. Can do 54 or 56 but not 57.

Prefer steel would consider frame + cash for something Ti.

Yes I'm in Seattle.

[sirbryanclark]

I have a 55x55 Colnago. PM sent

[Puget Pounder]

Putting a good word in for Epicus. We talk often and He's a good dude.

[Epicus07]

Bump

[Asudef]

Davidson makes some quality bikes and amazing paint. Super crisp shorelines!

If I didn't already have an Impulse, I'd be tempted to trade. Is that a Stiletto or something else?

[Epicus07]

I honestly don't know. It has tight racing geometry. Bill says its from the late 80s but since he doesn't do serial numbers I don't know the model.

[LouDeeter]

I thought most of the late 80s Davidson frames were made from Tange Prestige. If so, very sweet tubeset, my favorite of all time. I don't recall whether Davidson used tubing decals on his frames.

[Asudef]

The Impulse had a really modern look with the Takahashi fork crowns and Prestige tubing and rode really nice too. Not too sure about the other models, the Stiletto were Prestige as well with tighter racing geo but he also made Signatures which were custom so its hard to tell. I'm not too big on those decals but I'm sure the ride is pretty sweet.

[jtakeda]

Your Davidson looks identical to mine. Except mine is blue and has a Davidson signature on the top tube.

According to Bob mine is 1986-1988 made of tange prestige tubing.

Since yours looks identical I'm going to assume its the same tubing and similar year.

[chismog]

To me... this appears to be earlier than late 80s.

About 1987-8, the rear chainstay bridge was dropped in favor of a BB shell with a cast reinforcement. Also about this time the models shifted heavily to the production runs of Impulse frames. Challenge production frames used lesser quality tubing (not Prestige) but had a lot of the same qualities, and very basic paint like this one.

Stilettos have a fastback seat cluster and were later than the Impulse, starting production about 1989-90. Also, later models of Impulse and most/all Stilettos had internal brake routing on the top tube.

The decals look earlier than what was being used on the Impulse series. The rainbow detail sets were pretty typical for Davidson in the early-mid 80s.

Davidson was using investment cast Takahashi lugs for pretty much everything after 1986. So the brazed on seat binder visible on this bike is most likely earlier than this. Same thing with the fork crown. After 86 it was mostly a sleek low profile design with an internal lug. Also common were the cast "Davidson" seatstay caps, but they are absent here.

Around the same time, mid 80s, there was also a full custom model called the Signature. iirc, the Signature had a bunch of little finish options you could choose in addition to custom sizing.

I guess it is possible this is a Signature but I'm thinking it's an early 80s frame, likely custom, but definitely not one of the production models like Impulse or Stiletto. Could possibly be a Challenge, but I doubt it based on the seat cluster.

Make no mistake, this is a nice bike and very well put together. I bet it rides sweet too, like all the Davidsons I've been aboard.

Hope this helps.

[jtakeda]

Looking back at the email I got from Bob Freeman, I'm going to have to agree with chrismog.

They introduced internal cable routing in 1987 (which is how he dated my frame). That said, its probably made of Columbus SL and the decals date it to be somewhere in the mid to early 80s.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5127/5281769831_75c77bbefd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/57329557@N05/5281769831/)

Yours would actually fit me a little better....

[Epicus07]

Thanks for the great info. I lost the email so I was guess-timating.
Sounds like you know your Davidsons. Now that you mention it the DA had date codes from around 84 if I recall.