Last October I picked up a very rare Rocky Mountain from 1991, the Summit RL. It was one of those bikes you see other dudes restore, but you never think you'll come across one.
Yesterday I picked up a possibly even more rare Summit, the Summit Max. I don't think it differed a lot from the RL, but it was yellow instead of white. As you can see from the pic here, this is going to require some work.
Yesterday I picked up a possibly even more rare Summit, the Summit Max. I don't think it differed a lot from the RL, but it was yellow instead of white. As you can see from the pic here, this is going to require some work.
Did I buy a Mummy, or a bicycle?
There's black hockey tape all over it, which is actually not terrible, because it seems to have spent a lot of time in the sun, so the tape probably helped with the paint fading a little. Also someone has spray painted over the yellow on the down tube and fork. But not all of it - they masked off the Rocky decals.
And it seems like it's maybe been underwater for a while? Every bolt I've tried to loosen has been stuck; the water bottle bolts, the pedals, the headset. I'm really afraid to try the bottom bracket, even though it spins very freely. The seatpost also seems stuck - of course.
There's black hockey tape all over it, which is actually not terrible, because it seems to have spent a lot of time in the sun, so the tape probably helped with the paint fading a little. Also someone has spray painted over the yellow on the down tube and fork. But not all of it - they masked off the Rocky decals.
And it seems like it's maybe been underwater for a while? Every bolt I've tried to loosen has been stuck; the water bottle bolts, the pedals, the headset. I'm really afraid to try the bottom bracket, even though it spins very freely. The seatpost also seems stuck - of course.
What exactly is this? The tubing is Prestige Concept on both the RL and the Max, and both have flared seat tubes at the bottom bracket junction. Both have the Ritchey-style fastback seatstays, and the cable stops on the headtube like other 1991 model Rockys. It differs from the catalog spec of the RL in that it has Ritchey Logic brakes, and cranks. But then the RL I got had Ritchey cranks too.
Some Internet research says the Max was a special edition of the RL meant for Europe. Some of them I guess never got to Europe and were sold here instead. There's no shop sticker on this, so no help there.
Some Internet research says the Max was a special edition of the RL meant for Europe. Some of them I guess never got to Europe and were sold here instead. There's no shop sticker on this, so no help there.
Whatever it is, there is a lot of work involved to uncover it. All that dried up hockey tape and the black paint to come off. A big chunk of that tape was keeping a pump peg on, along with a ton of wire. Both of the Tech branded water bottle cages are sadly smashed. And check out that grip - it's disgusting. I remember these; they were dual compound, soft rubber over hard, supposedly providing comfort and control. But now, the soft rubber has melted into goop, and the hard rubber has bonded to the bar.
I am this close to cutting the bar and sliding the brake and levers off the other way. I'm not really sure how they're going to come off.
And the best part? Just like the RL, this Summit Max is a 17", so I won't be keeping it. So I guess the question is, how much work do I want to do on a bike I won't ride?
I guess stay tuned to find out.
I am this close to cutting the bar and sliding the brake and levers off the other way. I'm not really sure how they're going to come off.
And the best part? Just like the RL, this Summit Max is a 17", so I won't be keeping it. So I guess the question is, how much work do I want to do on a bike I won't ride?
I guess stay tuned to find out.
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