Any Kirk Precision experts out there?

grarea

I am hoping you can help?
I have a kirk precision (I know it is not a revolution) frame.

I am wondering if there was any differences between the road bike and the MTB version?

I am wondering if mine is the MTB version?
It is unpainted, doesn't have a frame number.
Where the gear levers normally sit on the down tube are brake cable bosses.

I am wondering if there were any other differences at all?

I have searched all the general Kirk sites but am struggling to see exactly what I have here.

I was looking to make a bit of a roady but am keen to have modern shifters anyway.

benpinnick

Mtb ones have a cable stop on the seat stay that road ones d of have by the look of it.

grarea

Hmmmm,
Right, I am trying to upload a few pics, sorry if I mess it up.

Are we saying though that the frame itself we think is the same, just a matter of a lug here and a cable stop there?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/46850214@N08/15444092889/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/46850214@N08/15445144050/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/46850214@N08/15630741975/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/46850214@N08/15607028576/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/46850214@N08/15444609048/in/photostream/

Is this the right way to put photos?

Ber Nard

It's a road frame.

The stops on the down tube are for mounting down tube shifters and, as far as I know, Kirk's MTBs all had elevated chainstays.

grarea

That was the Revolution.
I know they did a Precision MTB.

If you look at the third photo down they look like cable stops as opposed to lugs to attach shifters.

Actually, have found this:

http://www.classicbikeshop.eu/frame-KirkPrecision-details.html

This one has lugs for downshifters.

I was looking to make up a road bike, I just wondered if there was any difference other than the odd lug.
The more I look, the more I think it was meant as an MTB or a hybrid.

Ber Nard

After a bit of digging, this thread suggests the early ones were the same save for the brake bosses, later ones had different geometry.

http://forums.mtbr.com/vintage-retro-cl ... 87352.html

Your frame certainly has the bolt holes for the canti bridge which would suggest it's either an early model which could be both, or a later MTB specific one. If the forks are original, I'd say it's an early one as they don't have canti bosses.

redvee

Before you spend too much time and money on it grab the seat post and headset and see if there is any flex in the frame. I was in a LBS nearly 20 years ago and a customer brought one in saying it didn't feel right so the owner asked why and the customer flexed the headtube/seattube and got them out of line by 3" :shock:

grarea

Appreciate the post.
Have tried pulling and pushing in all directions.

My biggest concern is that they do break.
Initially, I reckoned that one that had lasted this long had half a chance of being a good one.
The more I look at it, the more I wonder if it has ever been used.