You are looking at a 1991 Rocky Mountain Summit Max. In the '91 catalog, the Summit RL was referred to as 'a bike as rare as the summit it reaches.'
So what does that make this Summit, which was so rare as to not even appear in the '91 catalog?
So what does that make this Summit, which was so rare as to not even appear in the '91 catalog?
The story goes that Rocky Mountain fell on hard times in the early and mid 90's. Saving them from shutting down was Procycle of Quebec purchasing them in 1997. But before that, their lifeline was a very strong German market.
Ever heard of a Rocky Mountain Glacier? How about an Element Limited? Or a Vertex Limited?
All of these were special models sent to Germany, just like the Summit Max.
Ever heard of a Rocky Mountain Glacier? How about an Element Limited? Or a Vertex Limited?
All of these were special models sent to Germany, just like the Summit Max.
This exceedingly rare bike came to me as a total disaster, and part of a package deal with a 90% complete GT, and a BMX bike. Covered in hockey tape, faded by the sun, and infused with super-fine sand in every threaded part. Everything was a major pain to remove, right down to the water bottle bolts.
And the seatpost was stuck even worse. I had to melt it out with acid. Having never worked with it, I did a pretty horrific job, and it was sad to lose a Ritchey post, but the bike was saved.
And the seatpost was stuck even worse. I had to melt it out with acid. Having never worked with it, I did a pretty horrific job, and it was sad to lose a Ritchey post, but the bike was saved.
I was ready to build then, and I was happy to do this in a more period-correct way than my green Summit. It came with Ritchey brakes, levers, cranks, and the stem. I found a good Ritchey bar and what was left of some old grips, and a Ritchey headset. I used my own wheels, but I'd be happy to find some Ritchey wheels.
One thing I really wanted to try was to run Shimano XT thumbshifters with an 8 speed cassette. I recall reading in Mountainbike Action back in the day that they found a 'phantom' click in these shifters, which they felt meant 8 speed thumbshifters could be in our future.
They were not. But there is kind of an extra click there, so it seem like you could use that if you set it up right. Spacing is the same for 7 and 8 speed, so it should work.
So far it really hasn't.
I just run them in friction mode instead.
Anyway, there's a good chance this will be the bike I use to build the Bridgestone XO-1 homage I've wanted to build. It doesn't have a perfectly flat top tube, but it's close, and I can put a 9 speed cassette on it to run the bar cons I have. I don't have a Softride stem, and probably wouldn't ever find one, or be willing to pay the price that people would ask for a 1", 26mm clamp version of one. If that even exists. But that's ok, I can get close enough for my liking.
One thing I really wanted to try was to run Shimano XT thumbshifters with an 8 speed cassette. I recall reading in Mountainbike Action back in the day that they found a 'phantom' click in these shifters, which they felt meant 8 speed thumbshifters could be in our future.
They were not. But there is kind of an extra click there, so it seem like you could use that if you set it up right. Spacing is the same for 7 and 8 speed, so it should work.
So far it really hasn't.
I just run them in friction mode instead.
Anyway, there's a good chance this will be the bike I use to build the Bridgestone XO-1 homage I've wanted to build. It doesn't have a perfectly flat top tube, but it's close, and I can put a 9 speed cassette on it to run the bar cons I have. I don't have a Softride stem, and probably wouldn't ever find one, or be willing to pay the price that people would ask for a 1", 26mm clamp version of one. If that even exists. But that's ok, I can get close enough for my liking.
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