Apologies for being away for a couple weeks; we moved and I ended up with a different computer, and it took me a while to figure out the login for this website again.
We're back and we're talking old bikes again. Last week I picked up a very rare bike from Rocky's 1991 lineup - the Summit RL.
We're back and we're talking old bikes again. Last week I picked up a very rare bike from Rocky's 1991 lineup - the Summit RL.
Like so many old race bikes, this one had been set up for commuting duty. Rack, fenders, and mirror installed. The wheels, brake lever/shifter pods, and rear derailleur had all been replaced with commuter-level parts.
The fork and stem are original though. This is pretty rare as lots of these old bikes got suspension, and typically a swap to a threadless headset too. Actually, check that; the catalog shows this bike with a Ritchey stem and bar, and Shimano cranks. I've got a Syncros stem and bar, and Ritchey cranks here. So, not "original" in the sense of what the catalog showed, but those parts are period correct at least.
The fork and stem are original though. This is pretty rare as lots of these old bikes got suspension, and typically a swap to a threadless headset too. Actually, check that; the catalog shows this bike with a Ritchey stem and bar, and Shimano cranks. I've got a Syncros stem and bar, and Ritchey cranks here. So, not "original" in the sense of what the catalog showed, but those parts are period correct at least.
You see here the most distinctive feature of the 1991 Rockys, the cable stops on the headtube. You found this on steel bikes above the Fusion and below the Tantalus/Thunderbolt custom bikes. This was presumably to save the potential stress of welding right where the thickness of the tubes changed.
I guess this just wasn't an issue though, and it must have caused other problems since they only did it this one year.
I guess this just wasn't an issue though, and it must have caused other problems since they only did it this one year.
I always thought that the RL in the name stood for Ritchey Logic, the tubeset I this bike was made from. But only the seatstays are from the Logic set, everything else is Tange Prestige Concept. I don't have the official TeamCow scale set up yet, so I can't confirm the weight, but It feels heavier than I would expect.
The bike feels super solid. I took it for a quick spin up the street and it was very nice - which makes me sad because it's too small. I knew it was a 17" when I bought it, but I didn't care because the price was right. But now that I'd ridden it, I really wish it was a 19"
I'd much rather mess around with this than my Breezer, which is cool of course, but it's not a Rocky.
Anybody got a trade?
I'd much rather mess around with this than my Breezer, which is cool of course, but it's not a Rocky.
Anybody got a trade?
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