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I just got this frame for a few bucks and I wonder if it is from a known manufacturer or not. I often find bikes with similar design aspects, but not this frame. There was also a Marzocchi 55 ETA from 2008 sitting in there, so I guess the frame has a similar age.

enter image description here


Edit: Assembled bike, after a paint job.

In-line image from comment.

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    No idea - the external reservoir on the shock looks above the normal cheap coil shock. Rear drop outs seem to be a space-frame design which looks neat. The frame has dings and wangs so has seen some hard use - check it carefully all over before assembling... use a bright light from several angles to explore for cracks.
    – Criggie
    May 6, 2018 at 20:08
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    Use derailleurhanger.com/shop to compare derailleur hangers for possible candidates. bikepedia.com can help. Looks like it might be a tapered head set, if so, narrows down year of manufacture to post 2010(ish), if not, most likely pre 2010.
    – mattnz
    May 6, 2018 at 21:25
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    the idea with the hanger is insanely good, thanks for that. a good site in general. haven't found the exact frame yet, but I dig into it deeper tomorrow- this is the first hope so far May 6, 2018 at 22:17
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    You can narrow it down quite a bit since given the approximate year, the Horst link means it's either a Specialized or one of the handful of companies to license the design from them. (That's true in the US at least, not sure if there are any major exceptions worldwide.) Mar 10, 2019 at 16:23
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    @Criggie no it wouldn't change at all! but I think it's good to know what you are dealing with. and yes I built a bike that I love, here a picture of it Mar 15, 2019 at 21:17

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+25

If I had this frame, I would look again at those frames that most resembled it. Rather than a tiny manufacturer that nobody anywhere can recall, it's much more likely that a relatively sophisticated frame like yours is a pre-production model, or a sponsored rider version that differs significantly from the commercially sold model. That's why you can't find that exact frame elsewhere in order to identify it.

I think you've already seen a picture of the descendant or tweaked version of this frame, but you didn't realise the connection, you only noticed the differences.

The frame having no frame number is another pointer to it being most likely a custom-built for a pro rider or being a development model, not a production bike. Some machines in these categories have no serial no. at all, some have a low number, or just initials, or a combination of both, often stamped in an unusual place on the frame.

Someone who was around the racing circuit when this frame was current might remember it - the marks of extensive use seem to indicate that it might have been raced at some time.

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    Interesting thought, there’s a first time for everything!
    – Swifty
    Mar 16, 2019 at 13:47
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    good input! the frame also has no frame number under the bottom bracket (but it doesn't look like it was removed either haha) so there might be a chance for that Mar 16, 2019 at 13:54

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