Splined seatpost.Who made the frame?

[joeegg]

A bit of a longshot but here goes.
My neighbour has just bought a steel framed bike,likely from the 80's,but its had a repaint so we can't identify the manufacturer.
However it has a seatpost that has splines machined into it and it is clamped by 2 steel wedges that sit behind the seat tube in a housing and squeezed together by a single bolt.I've never seen this before.
There is a tenuous link to a bike shop in South Shields run by the frame builder Norman Fay.
Any ideas ?

 

[Sharky]

Photo?

 

[lazybloke]

Not splines but mine has some grooves milled into it, just for aesthetics or summat.

 

[joeegg]

The 2 wedges actually sit in the splines so they aren't cosmetic.The machining is similar to the photo.

 

[biggs682]

any pictures of the wedges ?

Sure someone hasn't used a too small a diameter post and the wedges are retaining it ?

 

[joeegg]

The wedges actually protrude internally inside the seat tube.When they are out,the seat post slides in and the wedges fit in to the grooves/splines from each side.A bolt holds the two wedges in.
There is no slit in the seat tube for a regular type of clamp.

 

[Sharky]

Could it be Miyata.
Several references returned by Google searches to Miyata splined bicycle tubes

What is splined STB Miyata Triple butted tubing? - Bike Forums https://share.google/uuZWD14KRv7jYlLtr

 

[Sharky]

Another reference
https://www.ragandbone.ca/PDFs/Miyata Catalogue PDFs/Miyata Catalogue 87.pdf

 

[biggs682]

Another reference
https://www.ragandbone.ca/PDFs/Miyata Catalogue PDFs/Miyata Catalogue 87.pdf

Be nice to see some pictures of the frame in question

 

[oldandslow]

I am very confused, because that picture shows a standard SR Laprade seat pillar, which was a very popular budget model for those who couldn't afford Campagnolo or similar, in what was a completely standard seat clamp on quality steel frames. I don't completely understand your description of the wedges. What is different about this frame?

 

[craigwend]

I am very confused, because that picture shows a standard SR Laprade seat pillar, which was a very popular budget model for those who couldn't afford Campagnolo or similar, in what was a completely standard seat clamp on quality steel frames. I don't completely understand your description of the wedges. What is different about this frame?

The photo is not the frame in question, another posters possible guess, as mentioned a few times photos of the actual frame and seat post would be 'most' helpful