Ibis Spanky project - worth it?

[mev]

I came across this Spanky frameset on Ebay - I quite like it's heritage and it would be a good destination for leftover parts I have, but it obviously needs work and I wonder if that will be worth it.

I don't care much for that fork, or is it worth rescuing? From the stem it looks like the frame came with a non threaded fork originally. Just don't like the older style carbon forks so much.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/52-cm-Vintage-Ibis-Spanky-Road-Racing-Bike-Frameset-Yellow-Fillet-Brazed-Steel/254549222130

Any thoughts or advice?

[clyde the point]

good bead blast and powder coat might be in order but someone really needs to know what they're doing on the blasting/evaluation part. imho.

[cinema]

nah

[robt57]

For me, that fork painted to match the repainted frame [covering Alloy crown up] would look good.

If it is just a beater you are not going to repaint, if it fits and performs to your personal criteria. Why not...

[Hakkalugi]

I have a Spanky of the same vintage and absolutely love it. The bike rides beautifully and has a nice lively feel. I’m running tubeless 25s and there is plenty of clearance. Ritchey makes an alloy steerer/carbon fork that works well with it.

[weaponsgrade]

Restorations are never worth it - assuming worth is measured dollars. But I get the nostalgia appeal. I've got a steel Mojo frame that's been hanging on a hook for years. I know it rides like handling a live fish with soapy hands compared to my Ripmo. I still love it and have been wanting for years to get a repaint and a segmented rigid fork. I just can't wrap my head around the numbers so it sits in limbo. But back to this Spanky - that thing looks worked. I'd pass.

[charliedid]

I dunno but that fork looks more like a stork wearing tuxedo pants.

Maybe for free but I don't do vintage projects so what do I know...

If you're looking for something to do, do it.

[Pastashop]

I’ve a Sonoma-built blue Spanky, and it’s a fantastic ride. You could easily pay 10x as much and get nothing over it in ride feel, quality of workmanship, materials, etc. Natively it could only fit up to 25 mm tires comfortably, due to a funky bulbous shape brake mount in the seatstay bridge and a narrow (steel) fork. By the by, I filed the bottom of that bulb and swapped in a nearly identical blue, steel Serotta fork, which now let me run a true 28 mm tires fore and aft. Mind you, I could also run 650b x 33 mm tires in it with Tektro 556 calipers, pads mid-slot. (In that config, there’s room for fenders!) I’d ridden that bike even with 25 mm tires on the local dirt roads and am hoping to give it a go with the fatter tires...

[colker]

There is nothing complicated to restorate: strip. powder coat. decals if you must. new fork because that thing is weird and Go.
Spankys are super nice. They run long top tubes for their nominal sizes but all i hear is they are awesoem riders.
If you happen to live around a powder coat shop it´s a no brainer. Paint is a pita so it´s all i can see against. I would hit it.

[Peter P.]

Add up the costs of what you would do to restore it, then add it to the sales price. If the sum makes sense, then do it.

If I were to buy that frame I'd have a 1" steel unicrown fork built for it. 1" steerers on carbon forks, whether aluminum or carbon, were known to be flexy.
I'd also get a new set of decals because bikes look bland without them.

Know that if you powdercoat the frame, the rusty sections will have a hamburger like ripple unless you pay for bodywork to smooth things out.

The ad says it is fillet brazed but those "fillets" are too small. I think it was TIG welded.

[Drmojo]

the most real
sold my Spanky
still regret it
Sold my tandem Cousin It
rode 30k miles on it
went to a good home
rode it with Scot Nicol in 1989
long story
great bikes
great history!!!

[mev]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

Appreciate the comments on the fork, I was considering the Ritchey, or maybe a Columbus Minimal. I have a chrome Columbus Max fork in my parts box but that may be out of period and style for this :-)

@Pastashop thanks for the comment on tire size, I heard about that brake bridge getting in the way of bigger tires, but 25 might be fine for something like this.

Decals are actually sold on Cuck Ibis' site, and they seems to be the original ones. Not sure if this is still an active business but interesting to see support for older models.

http://chuckibis.com/decals/
.
.

[pbarry]

Beware of that top tube--rust looks pretty bad. Interesting the seller doesn't show it in detail as the rest of the images are great.

[charliedid]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

Appreciate the comments on the fork, I was considering the Ritchey, or maybe a Columbus Minimal. I have a chrome Columbus Max fork in my parts box but that may be out of period and style for this :-)

@Pastashop thanks for the comment on tire size, I heard about that brake bridge getting in the way of bigger tires, but 25 might be fine for something like this.

Decals are actually sold on Cuck Ibis' site, and they seems to be the original ones. Not sure if this is still an active business but interesting to see support for older models.

http://chuckibis.com/decals/
.
.

I'd go all out and try and find an Ibis fork for it. They're out there you just need to poke around and ask.

Are you in Nor. Cal?

[colker]

I'd go all out and try and find an Ibis fork for it. They're out there you just need to poke around and ask.

Are you in Nor. Cal?

They were sold also w/ Time forks.

[charliedid]

They were sold also w/ Time forks.

This is true but if I were going down this road I'd like that sexy steel Ibis fork. AT minimum a Tange straight blade from the era like what I had on my Salsa La Raza.

Cool bikes they were.

[mev]

I'd go all out and try and find an Ibis fork for it. They're out there you just need to poke around and ask.

Are you in Nor. Cal?

I'm in PDX since less than a year. Not very deep in the bike scene yet.

[charliedid]

I'm in PDX since less than a year. Not very deep in the bike scene yet.

Have fun, it's deep! :-)

Do whatever makes most sense.

Cheers

[ORMojo]

I have a Spanky of the same vintage and absolutely love it. The bike rides beautifully and has a nice lively feel. I’m running tubeless 25s and there is plenty of clearance. Ritchey makes an alloy steerer/carbon fork that works well with it.

the most real
sold my Spanky
still regret it

Agreed. I miss my Spanky - near the top of the list of bike sales I regret. That ebay seller also has a pretty rare Ibis/Castellano Fango for sale that looks to be in reasonable shape. Have to say, though, as great a ride as the Spanky is, I doubt I would touch that ebay Spanky at that price in that condition with that fork. I did notice that the Buy It Now listing says, in the description, "No Reserve" and "high bidder" so I'm guessing this was originally an auction listing. If you really want it, I would contact the seller and offer less than the BIN price, maybe in the $200-220 range. It can't hurt to ask, and it has worked for me a couple of times.
1697997016

[Hindmost]

I'm in PDX since less than a year. Not very deep in the bike scene yet.

Yes, the name Ibis has a bit of historic cachet. The fact that you asked here wether it was worth it says a lot. The frame you linked to is somewhere between well hammered and could be restored. As other people have pointed out, if restored this bike would result in an old school road bike and not the new school, fat-tire, gravely bike. You might be better served to look for another project that's a little more complete and less abused.

[mev]

Yes, the name Ibis has a bit of historic cachet. The fact that you asked here wether it was worth it says a lot. The frame you linked to is somewhere between well hammered and could be restored. As other people have pointed out, if restored this bike would result in an old school road bike and not the new school, fat-tire, gravely bike. You might be better served to look for another project that's a little more complete and less abused.

You kind of read my mind, and that's why I didn't pull the trigger yet. I already have two narrow clearance road bikes, one of which is vintage, and in my new hilly, wet and gravely habitat I may not need another one. Would be cool to find a steel Hakkalugi, though :-)

[ORMojo]

Would be cool to find a steel Hakkalugi, though :-)

Yeah, those don't come up very often anymore.

1697997048

[C40_guy]

Yeah, those don't come up very often anymore.

1697997048

Yea, that one comes with a Handjob.

(rear brake hanger)

I've got one as a keychain...

[mev]

Yeah, those don't come up very often anymore.

1697997048

That's a really nice one. Great color too :)

[ORMojo]

Yea, that one comes with a Handjob.

(rear brake hanger)

I've got one as a keychain...

Yep!
1697997051

That's a really nice one. Great color too :)

Thanks, sadly I also sold that bike.

[DHallerman]

I love all of my Ibis Spanky and Sonoma bikes (the more-than-one thing). The first one I ever got was a titanium Sonoma, sold directly from Ibis in 1999.

This blue Spanky pictured is the only one I have with a matching original steel fork; the others have carbon forks with steel or titanium steerer tubes. And I love this Spanky so much that I sent it to Joe Bell for a repaint several years ago, in basically the same blue it was originally.

http://www.inplaceredesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ibis_spanky_blue_rside_01.jpg