So, with my intrigue-o-meter hitting maximum after all this research, I’m inspired to make this a mean custom build worthy of a blue blooded frame. The history and development of these looptail, Japanese manufactured, Madison Taipan (and Scorpion) frames appear inextricably linked to that of the early DB Pros. Like the ‘Scorpion branded’ release of the same frame, a documented history of the early Taipan frames is limited, but both the 1979 ‘VM’ serial Taipans (mooted to have come out of the Kuwahara factory, using Tange tubing, as with the early ‘VM’ DB Large Pro) and the succeeding 1979 ‘baseball’ Koizumi Taipans (noticeably better welds + a few other minor differences), appear to have been commissioned as simply a gusset variant to the Diamondback Pro on the same production lines. Light and beautifully made, as one would expect from Koizumi, I know of less than 10 of these Koizumi Taipan frames that I know exist.
One of those needle-in-a-haystack right-place-right-time scores that makes you squeak with joy when you take it out of the box and see that little Koizumi baseball symbol! The rare ’79 looptail Madison Taipan, off the same Koizumi factory line as the identical (in every way, bar the gusset hole) Diamondback Large Pro frame of the same year but even harder to find.
This build was recently featured on CycleEXIF, read the article HERE.
