MYSTERY to be solved - saw something SO interesting today - SE?

[generallee]

I found a bike shop near me today that only does second hand bikes... scored a few old parts but the owner has a bunch of old school MTB stuff - and on his rack was the most interesting bike Ive seen in ages...
It was a steel framed mountain bike from 1985 ... it was light almost candy blue, with chrome rear stays ... it was all original parts - so early shimano derailleurs and braze ons,, canti brakes, moose bars ..but most interesting of all was a26" front wheel and a 24" rear wheel... the whels were old mtb hubs with 24" geniune black Z Rims!!!
Not only that,the frame was pretty much standard mtb geometry of the time but has a DOUBLE DOWNTUBE like a quadangle... this got me thinking it mat be an SE attempt at an mtb crossover... it happened a lot with bmx companies back then, no international standards so they made it up as they went... cannondale and a few others didi the 26"/24" wheel mix too...
I couldnt get to the bike properly as it was wedged amongst about 30 other old bikes [including a 1981 stumpjumper - first mass produced mtb in the shops I think] but it really caight my thoughts...
the serial number the guy had written down...
it look slike an SE serail number...
T 85 C and then 3 numbers which i cant remember but may have been 381   .....  so T 85 C381
What might that T stand for? If you think many pk's, flovals andquads form that era have PK 85 *** or QA 85 ***  or FF 85 *** etc...
or perhaps its not SE - but it DEf looks like a bmx companies stab at an mtb type thing.. maybe Torker? I wont be able to get any pics until he unwedges it which wont be in the near future... and no, he wont sell it. Damn. It loks like a USA made bike too.
Anyway, and thought s appreciated - any pics of weird bmx/mtbbikes appreciated too...
Lets solve this mystery!
steve

[kennyhunter6061]

Sounds interesting.  I had a quick search about the net and couldn't find any twin-downtubed MTB's, but I did find the Quicksilver cruiser in BMXmuseum.  IS the bike you saw anything like this?

[generallee]

very similar downtube... but thts about it really - nice find tho - is that quicksilver as in the clothing company???

[kennyhunter6061]

The logo looks very similar to erarly Quicksilver clothing logo.  There are a few of them on BMX Museum.  Just wondered if someone had maybe butchered one to make an MTB

[mi16kie]

steve how much did he want for the stumpjumper and can you get any pics of it?

[generallee]

imagine a bike rack aqueezed between two walls - then imagine puttin on said rack about 4 times the amount if bike an y sane persaon would put on - thats what its like - no chance of getting to it. And he wont sell hat Stumjumper at all. As for the weird mtb thing - its not been butchers - its a perfect example of anearly mtb from that period - its all in the right place and all meant to be as is - its just a mystery!

[Dark Diggler]

what about a Kuwahara serial no ? T-Tange  double down tube, I am no kuwi expert but wasn't the exhibitionist a twin down tube 

http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php'topic=47884.0         check out tefore's et serial explanation.

If this is of no use, dont worry, Its my forte you know 

[Tefore]

if he has any skyway lemurian moutain bikes tell him im his best freind.lol

[thesku11s]

I love looking at wierd bikes in old dusty bikeshops,

the geezer in my local let his bike pile get out of hand, and it ended up an unmanageable mess which will probably go to scrap as his shop has just been bought.

The new owners are right meanies who wont let me loot through it, and keep the old 70year owner as a poorly paid ahop mechanic.

Quite tragic:


But let me know where your one is,

id love to have a nose round.

[stuntmaster]

i thought that was retro garage for a minute then 

[Dark Diggler]

I see a VDC in the middle........oh and a Patterson and is that a Hutch with shiney Aerospeed's 

[mi16kie]

I bet theres gold in them there hills

[MartyC]

There's a Dyno VFR in there at least, but deffo some gold buried for sure