Ridgeback 601 - help with year needed

[xxnick1975]

Just picked this up after it was outed on here and i won it on ebay.

Was a 'fire and forget' bid, but no one else wanted it :facepalm: .......

Anyway for £15, can't complain.

Feels mean to harvest this for its Shimano jewels, as its in good condition overall, but not really sure what else to do with it.

I guess the frame is single gauge cromo (at best), as its entry level.

Any one able to date it? I'm guessing 1987.

Theres a little back story to this one, but first the photos

 

[Nader]

I think this is a 1990 Ridgeback 601 LX.

 

[xxnick1975]

Thanks for that - I just search on here based on that and found the following link to the 1990 catalogue

http://www.rideandrepair.co.uk/Retrobik ... k_1990.pdf

Seems 601 SIS is the actual specific model, then theres the GS and then the LX

So this is the lowest of the low

The 1990 range have different decals, lower stems and gruppos etc so I think its earlier

I skipped back past 89 and 88 as I guessed U-brakes under chainstays would have been order of the day in those years - hence my punt on 87

having said all that - its got vertical drop outs and flat bars, so not really sure!

 

[raymondluxuryyacht]

Looks like it could be pre 1990 possibly, but not much. Absence of swan neck stem suggests late 80s rather than mid. Components also suggest earlier than 90. Looks like a sakae crank fitted and low end shimano derailleurs - possibly exage mountain. No idea what the brakes are though.

 

[xxnick1975]

brakes are shimano br at-50. quite nice

cranks are indeed sakae - sakae sx

araya rims and joy tech hubs

all in great nick

 

[xxnick1975]

so the back story....

picked this up from Windsor. Really nice fella. Normal chit chat, had it long, any other old bike stuff etc etc...

Turns out the chap was the estate manager for the group Queen

Not sure if it was a particular band member or if the band all shacked up together ....

Anyway when Queen decamped this bike was left and this guy "rescued" it

Hes had it ever since.

So maybe this was Freddies or Brians actual own bike, probably not but you never know


all together now....

I want to ride my (retro) BICYCLE

 

[raymondluxuryyacht]

Good point ....1988 ridgebacks would almost certainly have had u-brakes. Not sure about '89 but its not from that year as the decals are not like the ones I remember most. Also pretty sure the stems would have been longer in 89 and 90. You might have it with your original guess of 87.