1991 Rocky Mountain Cirrus

[zonoskar]

Must be unicorn season for all these Cirruses to show up. I’v had an eBay search alert for ages for a Cirrus frame. If/When I got hits, it was always a frame that was too small. But this time a 19.5" frame showed up, so I snapped it up. After a short wait, it arrived. The frame is in remarkable condition. Not perfect, but close to. I have seen worse frames. This one doesn't have yellowed clearcoat, nor is is chipped. And the seat tube doesn't have cracks, so that's a bonus.

Current iteration:

This is how the frame came in:

The decals are not correct, so I'll have to get a new set.

I pulled parts from my other retro bikes to get an idea how it would look. I was missing a front derailleur and a seatpost that fits. And the steerer from my Pace is a bit too short.

I'm not going to built it up period-correct, I think parts from 1994-1997 work better and are still retro enough for me. So maybe the wheels need to go, but OTOH they look kinda good on the bike.

 

[FluffyChicken]

The pace forks go really nice, not something you usually see on them.
The serial number says it is a 1991 frame.

Looking forward to seeing what you eventually do with it.

Original stickers are thin style and not very robust. Most newer ones are a bit thicker

 

[zonoskar]

It was sold to me as a 1992, but I found this thread: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1991-rocky-mountain-cirrus-build.294602/ and he has the same "guaranteed built with custom designed 7000 series aluminum tubes" sticker I have on the frame. Mine is a bit faded though. I was already going to order the 1991 decals, as I like the red better than the green of the 1992 decals.

I found a few builds with an AMP F-1 fork, which I really like. So I'm on the hunt for an affordable AMP fork. But seeing the steerer needs to be 23-24 cm I think it will be a while before I find one.

 

[vtwinvince]

Remarkable is right about how many of these are coming out of the woodwork right now.

 

[zonoskar]

I found some sun for better pictures

 

[zonoskar]

Got the decals in today. Someone on the German forum still had them lying around. He said they are from Gil, but they look old

I think I'm going to strip the frame as careful as I can to not put extra scratches on it. Anyone can recommend a paint remover that works? All the modern stuff is no good, I once spend 2 weeks on a Turner frame and still there were some blue spots. After it's bare I'll apply the decals and a few layers of 2K clear coat. I know this is not the way it was done by Rocky Mountain, but I think the decals will last way longer this way.

 

[foxb13]

I've used V33 (water washable) and a pony hair brush (not to mark the aluminum) to strip the paint on my San Andreas frame [1].

 

[foxb13]

If you ever put a front derailleur on your Cirrus, I would be interested to know if you hit the same issue than me [1].

 

[zonoskar]

@foxb13 I found the V33 stripper in Belgium, close enough. About the front derailleur, I did have some issues with it, mainly it hitting the rear tire on the granny gear. So maybe I also have a BB that's too short. I run it in 2x9 for now.

 

[zonoskar]

A new acquisition:

Will do a new respray before fitting to the bike. Also, I need to lengthen the steerer tube before I can use it. The Pace fork can be moved to the Blizzard again after that