Delivered today, on a friday afternoon. There are worse ways to kickstart the weekend.
Some time ago I rediscovered my love for the old steel Rockies, and now this is number five in my basement. Thanks Retrobike! Other than in marriage, this kind of bike polygamy is perfectly legal in this part of the world. However I am sure my wife rather sees me marrying another wife than what I do now, piling up more and more bikes in the basement...
How cool does it look with this set of Mag21s! I knew it was a good thing to keep these forks apart for a future build. I don't even mind the slight colour difference. I'm just amazed how well this Altitude frame has survived the last 21 years. The colours are vibrant and the quality of the paint is just amazing. The decals still look fresh. Contrary to later Altitudes, the decals are lying underneath a layer of blank paint, so that for sure helped preserving this frame during the years.
The serial is RM668. That says it all. It's nice to own an early, handmade Rocky. FluffyChicken pointed my on another Altitude shown on the web, with serial RM666. Just 2 numbers away from this one. What a coincidence.
Details, as with every high end Rocky Mountain frame, are fantastic. It was the first year that Tange Prestige Ultimate was used for the tubing.
Also note the typical single wishbone seatstay. 1992 was the last year that Rocky Mountain applied this typical frame design. My '92 Blizzard is constructed in a similar way. It's a design I really like.
Here's the headtube. It's externally milled, note the reinforcements at both ends.
Sleek, stylish Ritchey dropouts.
So, here's the plan. I have a minty set of XC Pro from the same year lying around. Microdrive 7 speed with thumbshifters, SE cantilever brakes and everything Grease guard. I know Rocky Mountain those days was purely focused on Shimano. So period correct, yes. Catalogue spec, no. I've never seen the joy of building a catalogue spec bike. BITD, bikes were amended and upgraded instantly after purchase. At least I did that, and so did everyone I knew those days.
However Syncros is mandatory. I have a silver coloured Cattleprod that might look well on it. The frame requires the odd 27.0 seatposts, so I need to sacrifice my Blizzard. Luckily I still have a silver Syncros seatpost spare... Else? no clue yet... This build is going to take some time
Some time ago I rediscovered my love for the old steel Rockies, and now this is number five in my basement. Thanks Retrobike! Other than in marriage, this kind of bike polygamy is perfectly legal in this part of the world. However I am sure my wife rather sees me marrying another wife than what I do now, piling up more and more bikes in the basement...
How cool does it look with this set of Mag21s! I knew it was a good thing to keep these forks apart for a future build. I don't even mind the slight colour difference. I'm just amazed how well this Altitude frame has survived the last 21 years. The colours are vibrant and the quality of the paint is just amazing. The decals still look fresh. Contrary to later Altitudes, the decals are lying underneath a layer of blank paint, so that for sure helped preserving this frame during the years.
The serial is RM668. That says it all. It's nice to own an early, handmade Rocky. FluffyChicken pointed my on another Altitude shown on the web, with serial RM666. Just 2 numbers away from this one. What a coincidence.
Details, as with every high end Rocky Mountain frame, are fantastic. It was the first year that Tange Prestige Ultimate was used for the tubing.
Also note the typical single wishbone seatstay. 1992 was the last year that Rocky Mountain applied this typical frame design. My '92 Blizzard is constructed in a similar way. It's a design I really like.
Here's the headtube. It's externally milled, note the reinforcements at both ends.
Sleek, stylish Ritchey dropouts.
So, here's the plan. I have a minty set of XC Pro from the same year lying around. Microdrive 7 speed with thumbshifters, SE cantilever brakes and everything Grease guard. I know Rocky Mountain those days was purely focused on Shimano. So period correct, yes. Catalogue spec, no. I've never seen the joy of building a catalogue spec bike. BITD, bikes were amended and upgraded instantly after purchase. At least I did that, and so did everyone I knew those days.
However Syncros is mandatory. I have a silver coloured Cattleprod that might look well on it. The frame requires the odd 27.0 seatposts, so I need to sacrifice my Blizzard. Luckily I still have a silver Syncros seatpost spare... Else? no clue yet... This build is going to take some time
