An '87 Brodie Romax - recent find, something odd though..

[Thias]

That paint looks all original. I don't think someone would repair a frame like this, not fillet the repair and then respray and put on all the original decals, including the store-sticker and that typical "art-department". I'd bet, this weld is all original.

 

[raidan73]

Re:

Perhaps it went back to Brodie for repair? I don't think Art was painting for Paul in 87

 

[RockiMtn]

That paint looks all original. I don't think someone would repair a frame like this, not fillet the repair and then respray and put on all the original decals, including the store-sticker and that typical "art-department". I'd bet, this weld is all original.

agreed, paint and decals look original from Brodie, but also agree with raidan's comment that it doesn't look original from 87 from the other specimens posted here. and why repair it with a weld and not FB as it originally was??? :?

either way, if mine… i''d leave it as it, both the weld and the paint/decals, which is original enough and in decent shape to merit leaving alone. why fix what ain't broken???

 

[Mr.Toad]

Re:

There is always the option of contacting Paul regarding the history of this frame.

 

[Retro_Roy]

Re:

hi, and welcome to the forum
beauty of a bike. consider yourself most fortunate. especially at the price you got it for.
mom better be getting a freakin' huge christmas present this year.

here we are again in the world of early (pre 1989) brodies where oddities and anomolies are the norm
not the exception I think.
here's a couple of comments.

has this frame been repaired? possibly. but not necessarily. someone may have asked for this head tube feature on a custom order.
anything is possible. I agree with RockiMtn……………..do not dick with this frame!!!!! :facepalm: leave welds as is. they all look very good.
if I was a betting man, I'd say this is the way it came originally. just because of what has shown up in the past year.

has this frame been repainted. once again, possibly. but it is a stunning Toadish green. love the look. true west coast feel.

has this frame been redecalled. this point I am fairly certain of. those decals are way too new for this frame.
especially the art dept. one and the tubing decal on the seat tube. as was mentioned, don't think art was painting for
paul that early. that is one thing we should get straight some day is a painter timeline. project for another day.

I agree this is one serial number that should be checked with paul. who knows it might not even be a romax. :roll:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=293801&hilit=climbmax
but most likely is. let's hope jimbotoad is around and well to give his thoughts. he's the brodie yoda.

regardless of the above, an excellent example. love the internal cable routing in top tube.
also the under chainstay u-brake. as well as the pump peg and continuous rear derailleur cable housing routing.
the fillet brazed fork is a nice touch as well. stem looks like it might be an early kona front loader (as I call them).
a few parts replaced and this one is good to go. I'd leave it all as is with respects to paint and decals.
please get us a whole whack of additional pictures soon. close up's of all the features mentioned would be nice.

congrats. oh and by the way, if you ever decide to let it go let me know.
regards
roy

 

[shutter]

Re: Re:

Nice! I would get the Tig weld fillet brazed over... They you will never know...

Check with Paul... he will likely remember something this unique if it's original...

If he did it like this as a custom order it would be a good idea to leave it as it...

If it's a repair not done by him and it bothers you then there is nothing wrong with fillet brazing over it...

 

[driedplantmatter]

Thanks everybody for the input!

I've always loved the way fillet joints flowed together at the head tube, but I'm of a mind to leave the weld as is. There is something endearingly odd about it, and I also have an appreciation for keeping the bike's history intact. I'm happy with the condition of the paint and decals, and the colour's pretty rad. I'll definitely shoot an email to PB, hope he has some info on the weld mystery.

Not sure what I'll do for parts yet, though the first thing I need is a shorter stem. Otherwise, I'm thinking Deore XT derailleurs and some different tires. The Suntour XC post might be original according to a 1988 MBA article I saw. Unfortunately I mangled the clamp a little while getting the post unseized, but it's still functional. Gonna stick with the mismatched wheels for now, they do the trick and don't look too egregious.

 

[shutter]

Good call

I'm a perfectionist so I always have an urge to re-paint frames if they have paint chips... After painting I'm always happy with them as they come out perfect, however in the long run I have had some regrets for not leaving things original. I have learned to leave things original (such as painting or re-locating lower U brake bosses) as long as possible before making any changes as some fixes can't be undone... I.e. Sanding off original custom paint and painting over it... Which I almost did to my Romax... Thankfully RetroRoy talked some sense into me so mine will stay original.

I agree with the paint on yours, way cool!

 

[driedplantmatter]

Here's an update from PB:

"#229 is interesting. It was finished on Aug 17, 1987. Customer was Doug Horn, one of our best local racers. I say "racers", because he is still racing, I believe. It's a 19.5" Romax, and Custom. Not sure what was "custom", but it could have been the tig-welded down tube. If not, the down tube could have been replaced. Ask Doug what he knows about it. #229 might have won some races…"

Anyone know Doug Horn?

 

[Retro_Roy]

Re:

very cool. he is mentioned here as partaking in a local ride.

http://singletrackadventurer.wordpress.com/