I have an Osell touring frame hanging in my garage. I've had the frame since 1997. It was a full bike for many years but I was never totally comfortable on it, so I stripped the parts (they weren't original). It has a 63cm seat tube.

I've had fantasies of building up a bike for years, but mostly due to other priorities, but also due to the fact that I know nothing about bike repair, I'm doubtful this will ever happen.

Maybe it's a piece of Minneapolis history that someone would love to build up, or maybe it's just another steel frame from the '70s (IIRC I was told 1978).

Anyway, I need a new bike and it's time to do something with it.

Should I hire someone else to build it or sell the frame and buy a new bike?

Out of curiosity, do you have any pictures of it?

I would sell the frame and not bother building it up to sell it. The next owner may well want to customize the build or have a drawer full of components they want to use. Plus, it I would not want to spend money on new parts and installation that are going to depreciate a lot immediately when you sell it. Better to take depreciation in miles-ridden, I think.

63 cm? Man that's big - buyers will be few, but they're out there. Your best chance for something this specialized is Ebay. Like Snak Shak said, the buyer will likely want to put his own components on it, so don't even think about building it up. Some potential buyers would want vintage components, some not.

I don't have any pictures of it, but I could take a picture of it. I'll do that and post.

I should clarify, I meant should I have someone else build it up and keep it and ride it, or sell it.

Of course, that is probably a question only I can answer. So I appreciate these replies.

Yes, it is very big. I'm about 6'5", and it fits height-wise, but it has a long top tube, and I wonder if that was the source of my discomfort or if it was the bars/stem.

Not a great shot, but that's pretty much it. I guess I didn't finish removing the old parts. Brakes, shifters and chain ring are still on there.

Beautiful frame, and I love the color. If it fit me, I'd be fighting temptation right now.

This is definitely not "just another steel frame from the '70s". Of locally built frames from the '70s' only a Chris Kvale would be more desirable.

I would take it to Jim at Hiawatha Cyclery for a build-up. He has an appreciation of vintage steel and can help you select components to suit both the frame and your needs. Especially a stem/bar combination to produce the fit you need.

BTW "Locally built" is high praise. This area has long had some of the top builders in the country. Both Terry Osell and Chris were already very, very good by '78. When I built Jane my 1st frame in'79 I was storing a friend's Kvale and rode with a couple of guys with Osells. Seeing those frames almost daily wouldn't let me forget how high the bar was set around here. So it took me a year to finish Jane's.

BTW2 Jim at Hiawatha may still have a 31" (78mm) Osell in the shop. That frame is so big Terry put water bottle fittings on the back of the head tube.

I think the last time I was in the Hub, I saw a tandem made by Osell. Yellow, I believe, and the frame design was unusual. Does anyone else remember seeing it?

Really?

yep. that thing is crazy kooky and cool. i think its going for $1800. not a bad deal. the frame is awesome looking on its own, then has some really odd features. dual canti brakes on the rear (one for the capt'n one for the stoker), a drum brake also for the stoker. its a 60something stoker and 52ish captain. which is pretty tubular too.

The tandem was an amazing piece of work and no doubt a steal at that price.

I also once saw a recumbent by Osell (blue, medium wheelbase I think) that looked very impressive. Recumbents can be ugly but his had a fine looking steel frame.

I'm pretty sure that Wyganowski's recumbent design is derived directly from Osell's design. I <i>know</i> that Wygo worked for Osell at his shop for quite some time, and purchased a lot of Osell's framebuilding gear after Osell hung it up.

I'd have a really hard time giving up an Osell frame.

For a while, the guys at the Alt were offering a new road frame designed by O'Sell - they called it the "Handsome Osell". I'm biased because I own a "Handsome Devil" frame, but I thought the Osell frame looked - great although the color (red) was not really to my liking. Unfortunately they didn't continue it as a product.

Obviously a guy with quite a history as a local frame builder.

Big Osell Touring bike by Hiawatha Cyclery, on Flickr