Unique Vintage Frame designs - Corratec, Alpinestars, ETC

[veggieburger]

GBCoupe's Corratec Futura got me thinking about some of the unique bikes I used to lust over. Haro had some different MTB designs, so did Alpinestars. There was the Colnago Bititan, Gianni Motta's pinched seat stay...

Any other interesting non-carbon bikes that you can recall?

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6f/ca/d5/6fcad5ebadfcbf2f3866b12666a3383b.jpg

[veggieburger]

Freschi Supreme with the split seat tube - another favorite.

[jpw]

Quite Able.

[one60]

beyond the head tube nothing is round on this Columbus Ego (aero) tubeset. Aero fork and fork crown, max chainstays, crazy seattube, flat top and down tubes.

For reference, the cardboard tube is 1 inch in diameter.

[choke]

Mantis XCR - At least on the early versions the rear triangle was bolted on.

Brave Warrior

[Toddykins]

I had one of those alpinestars - My first ‘real’ mtb. They were relabeled Gary Fishers.

[jemdet]

The Nishiki Alien (yikes)

https://uncommonwheel.weebly.com/uploads/1/8/7/3/18735540/sdc13236_orig.jpg


Veloforma hill-climbing bike
https://www.picclickimg.com/00/s/MTA2NlgxNjAw/z/r2MAAOSw9eVXUWRz/$/VELOFORMA-Fami-Road-Bike-Prototype-Campagnolo-Super-Record-_1.jpg

Lotus Super Pro Aero

http://www.vintagelotusbicycles.com/images/21113342.png

[Mike V]

Kirk Percision

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_urSQl6wUA5g/SXJb45fDnzI/AAAAAAAAFrg/AukXhHlnFRk/s400/P1000586b.jpg

[colker]

Mantis XCR - At least on the early versions the rear triangle was bolted on.

Brave Warrior

Mantis is a mixed material frame: main triangle is aluminuma and rear chromo. Bolts attaching the two parts come from suntour cranksets.
It´s said to be one of the best handling early mtbs.

[veggieburger]

Veloforma hill-climbing bike
https://www.picclickimg.com/00/s/MTA2NlgxNjAw/z/r2MAAOSw9eVXUWRz/$/VELOFORMA-Fami-Road-Bike-Prototype-Campagnolo-Super-Record-_1.jpg


That's nuts. Never seen anything like that!

[Dr Luxurious]

Split down tube Rigi

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Italy/RIGI_main.htm

https://www.speedbicycles.ch/velo/230/rigi_bici_corta_1978.html

https://steel-vintage.com/rigi-bici-corta-classic-road-bike-1980s-detail

https://www.speedbicycles.ch/velo/230/speed_004.jpg

https://steel-vintage.com/pub/media/catalog/product/cache/aa42655c8aa426cc3301878712478811/r/i/rigi-bici-corta-classic-split-set-tube-bicycle-13.jpg

[tctyres]

The Flying Gate, http://www.beaumontbicycle.com/flying-gate
(also, http://www.tjcycles.co.uk/)

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c786e1e4b05c4a4776f101/1467980769135-JPFU2O3E6FDRUVLCKACI/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kEL-xruewwJY7qjiW7HV5UF7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fypf6lmgoLG WA2VfxjamN-vsVRPymdV527MTt2UIfvoSayuH42GOXav-mlFWmpZfOZGjoBKy3azqku80C789l0h8vX1l9k24HMAg-S2AFielQn6pCfdsbpGpzvEdwbwJfQQrCewS7zGxgs62iOV18GA/IMG_0096-Edit-Edit-4.jpg?format=1500w

The Paris Galibier:
https://www.condorcycles.com/products/paris-galibier-frameset
A fun write up here: https://cyclingtips.com/2016/11/bikes-of-the-bunch-paris-galibier/
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0858/4882/products/0000007120_7c1fd3cd-22eb-442e-8b1b-167192cfb01b.jpg?v=1591239334

[tctyres]

The Nishiki Alien (yikes)

https://uncommonwheel.weebly.com/uploads/1/8/7/3/18735540/sdc13236_orig.jpg


I think this frame design was done by Charlie Richard Cunningham. Then, it was licensed to manufacturers. The Nishiki's are the most commonly seen.

One of the unique things about this type of frame is that it can take a belt drive conversion with no modifications to the frame.

Corrected below: Richard, not Charlie

[Dr Luxurious]

The Flying Gate, http://www.beaumontbicycle.com/flying-gate


whaaaaaaaat the :eek:

[colker]

I think this frame design was done by Charlie Cunningham. Then, it was licensed to manufacturers. The Nishiki's are the most commonly seen.

One of the unique things about this type of frame is that it can take a belt drive conversion with no modifications to the frame.

Richard Cunningham.. the editor of Mountain Bike Action.

[gbcoupe]

Slingshot. Made both road and mountain.

Not mine.

[gbcoupe]

Kirk Magnesium.

Also not mine.

[19wisconsin64]

Trimble Bicycles. Love them!!

[tctyres]

Richard Cunningham.. the editor of Mountain Bike Action.

Well, what do you know ... I had always assumed Charlie, but there you have it.

https://ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb18123395/p5pb18123395.jpg

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/rc-retires-a-tribute-to-richard-cunningham.html

[ORMojo]

Mecacycle Turbo. (Sorry for my old PhotoBucket link.)

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/ORMojo1/64b54110.jpg

[ORMojo]

Bates, with Cantiflex tubing. Look closely and you will see that the main triangle tubes are all larger diameters in the middle than at their ends.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OzKmbGMF924/Vl_sCPDU76I/AAAAAAAAC7g/4Q2wnmv2J50/s1600/IMG_5979.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0yDGiYsnz9M/Vl_saKhMAKI/AAAAAAAAC9k/fRN-m00k2IM/s1600/IMG_6019.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9rjtZmP_r6Y/Vl_sXOQJZfI/AAAAAAAAC9U/Hk6Xuykmycg/s1600/IMG_6013.jpg

[ORMojo]

Ibis/Castellano Silk Ti

https://archive.ibiscycles.com/images/uploads/wygwam/SilkTiSide.jpg
https://archive.ibiscycles.com/images/uploads/wygwam/SilkTi2011.jpg

[ORMojo]

Ibis/Castellano BowTi

https://archive.ibiscycles.com/images/uploads/wygwam/BowTi_Side.jpg

[ORMojo]

Litespeed Ocoee. (Again, sorry for my old PhotoBucket link. I'm on a different computer right now and don't have access to my original photos.)

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv48/ORMojo1/cc5cd85d.jpg

[exapkib]

I have a soft spot for Koichi Yamaguchi's designs from the 80's and 90's.

https://www.instagram.com/yamaguchibike/

I'm not good enough to embed photos in this post, but the man is a disrupter in the best way possible. Form and function coming together in some of the most unexpectedly beautiful ways possible for two-wheelers.

[ORMojo]

. . . Koichi Yamaguchi's . . . I'm not good enough to embed photos in this post . . .

Excellent addition! While I'm good enough to embed photos, I'm not good enough to even begin to select the "best" examples from that!

[BryanE]

Me on my Slingshot tri bike.
Aren't BBs supposed to be stiff?

[exapkib]

Nice image from the Radavist:

https://media.theradavist.com/uploads/2020/01/Yamaguchi-Aero-Track-30.jpg?fit=1000,1000&quality=75

Here's one from Yamaguchi-san's Flickr page:

https://live.staticflickr.com/3682/33279669041_a1e6cae1b5_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/SGP1ag)YAMA Proto X-86 (https://flic.kr/p/SGP1ag) by Koichi Yamaguchi (https://www.flickr.com/photos/21218357@N07/), on Flickr

Just a taste . . .

[old_fat_and_slow]

Zipp beam bike. Man I would have killed to have one of these back in the day.

https://www.pedalroom.com/p/zipp-2001-pure-18672_24.jpg

[jamesdak]

Not that radical but we went through a few years of this type frames too. 700c on the back and 24" on the front. A bit of a twitchy ride but not as bad as you'd think it was going to be.

https://pbase.com/jhuddle/image/169180597.jpg


I was going to add one of my Y-Foils until I saw the "non-carbon" bit in the OP. ;)

[martl]

I think this frame design was done by Charlie Richard Cunningham. Then, it was licensed to manufacturers. The Nishiki's are the most commonly seen.

One of the unique things about this type of frame is that it can take a belt drive conversion with no modifications to the frame.

Corrected below: Richard, not Charlie

Think the main driver behind the "elevated chainstay" design, as i think it was called, was to prevent chainsuck, which was considered to be a big issue (and boy did my oversized alloy Proncipia MTB suffer from it). Of course, MTB designers always liked to do things that made their designs look *different* and *then* marketed it as being necessary...

[veggieburger]

Can't forget the ole softride.

https://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/618834_252_64248_imEvyRVTI.jpeg

[spacemen3]

The Polchlopek Rigideole 2 was pretty funky.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5041/13632808633_b7eccc022b_c.jpg

[David Tollefson]

The Javelin X-frame... This one isn't mine, but I have a blue one hanging in my shop.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241413558_7bc4f2184f_m.jpg

[veggieburger]

The Polchlopek Rigideole 2 was pretty funky.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5041/13632808633_b7eccc022b_c.jpg

That could be a first generation Cervelo. Wow. Very progressive!

[Davist]

Think the main driver behind the "elevated chainstay" design, as i think it was called, was to prevent chainsuck, which was considered to be a big issue (and boy did my oversized alloy Proncipia MTB suffer from it). Of course, MTB designers always liked to do things that made their designs look *different* and *then* marketed it as being necessary...

The original project in MTB Action was the Yeti Ultimate. Here's a link. http://www.vintagemtbworkshop.com/1990-yeti-ultimate.html#:~:text=The%20Ultimate%20was%20born% 20out,and%20an%20over%2Dsized%20headtube. The Nishiki Alien was cool in person as it had a purple metallic clear coat over the white which made it pop.

[spacemen3]

The Mantis Valkyrie also came out with an elevated chainstay design around 1990. I still love my Nishiki Alien. :)

[Mark McM]

From the "If one is good, two must be better" department,

Dual top tubes (Retrotec):

http://ingliscycles.com/img/retrotec-classic-hero.jpg



Dual down tubes (Colnago BiTitan):

https://premium-cycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/COLNAGO-Master-Bititan-Mapei-1995-P-11-500x489.jpg



Dual seat tubes:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d6/35/1a/d6351a7dc77a30dcadea07b79a209bd7.jpg



Dual seat tubes and down tubes (Viva Duro):

https://roadbikeaction.com/wp-content/contentimages/SBE_Viva_1_roadbikeaction.jpg

[Mark McM]

The first Monocoque bicycle frame, the Bowden Spacelander:

https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/schema_org/public/images/News/Bowden%20Spacelander%20%28Bike%20Blue%20Classic%20 USA%29.JPG

[fredd]

This thing

https://www.bricklanebikes.co.uk/images/thumbs/0022344_empella-track-frameset-50cm.jpeg

Gotta love the faux carbon chainstay protector