jdawginsc 

Just arrived safe, sound and a but crusty. Wondering a few things of the wonderful minds that aggregate here.
1. Looks like a replacement fork, quality, but not Rossin. No R in a pentagon for me...
2. My guess is by the remnants of the sticker, decals and lack of braze on front derailleur, it is 1978ish...? Only marking on the bottom bracket is "55"
3. Is it a Rossin Record?
4. Will my pallet art bicycle wall be happy with her presence? I have started cutting through layers of something to get to the crispy layer of paint, which is being polished to a shiny rust colored patina.



Old Skool Columbus decal...Vertical Rossin embossment

Crispy non-pentagonal R

No pantograph engraving...Nice fork, no Rossin?

The shinier rust tube...polished and ready to...polish more.

Terrible photo...nice bottom bracket.

The state of patina. Hopefully removing the rust does not collapse the tubing...

jdawginsc 

That was Rina...this is Rosalita.





A bit shinier, for sure...

jdawginsc 

And why does the paint get chalky and milky when trying to polish/clean/wax?

jdawginsc 

...And, it looks like it is different eras thrown in...
1. No braze on FD...so not 1984 or later.
2. Plain R front decal and vertical "Rossin" seatstay caps...so not 1983 or before
3. Since it can't be 1984 or later, nor 1983 or before...

...it must be 1983.625. Or someone forgot to braze it on...or it fell off....

Gary Fountain

It looks like it is built with Columbus SL and I would date it from the early 1980's. It's a pity that it doesn't have it's original front fork but I have seen them on ebay.

Have you had a look at this site for answers? VINTAGE ROSSIN ARCHIVE

francophile 

Fork looks strangely similar to the Tange replacement fork someone dropped in the SLX-tubed Razesa I picked up last year. Of course, if that fork is Tange, and anything like this one, it may have a stamp indicating that on the steer tube.

jdawginsc 

Thank you guys for joining the conversation! I felt lonely in the comments.

Francophile
Definitely a Columbus fork. Has the dove symbol, then a 56. I am thinking that it was never assembled with the frame since there is a whole lot of excess stack height...might need to be sawed at some point. One way or the other, there is a whole lot of patina on the blades and crown, and near perfection on the steerer. Razesa is a Spanish company, isn't it?

Gary Fountain
Great site. I noticed you on there! I have been perusing the site and it seems to reinforce my latest theory. It is an 84 Record, which lost its braze on front derailleur at some point. The plain letter R seems to have arrived on the head-tube somewhere 83-84. However, it still has the barrel style brake bridge, rather than the pointed arch, which seems to appear a bit later. Chrome stay is more The fork is of course no help. And it doesn't have the portacena thingies on the dropouts which places it around the same era.

Now I need to figure out why the post polishing paint chalks up in white. It could be I have to de-oil it, or wipe with some acetone or alcohol?





1983...wrong head decal

1984-85 Right decal, braze on FD and vertical Rossin on seatstay cap

1983 Rossin correct R...wrong price range.

francophile 

Yup. SLX frameset pictured, best of the best. Most likely going to another BF'er on Wednesday afternoon.

Gary Fountain

Nice research jdawginsc. I agree with your determination of 84 Record. Personally, I have found my Rossin to be an absolutely perfect fit for me and it rides exceptionally well. I think it is my best bike to ride and I hope your Rossin turns out to be similar for you.

jdawginsc 

I am truly embarrassed to say this, but it is going to be the finishing touch on a piece of wall art in my pallet industrial farm living room. It will certainly never be harmed, and useful in the future, but it is small for me. Otherwise I would likely build it up.

I love my Rossin Performance EL, though.

Gary Fountain

Nothing wrong with that. It sounds like it will complement your decore. I'm not in the 'must be ridden' camp and who knows what the future will hold for the frame? In the mean time it will be well looked after.

I had a pretty severe accident about a year ago and all my bikes are currently wall art in my garage at the moment. I'm hoping to recover soon and perhaps climb back into the saddle (I sound like a cowboy - haha).

Best of luck with the paint problem - it sounds like it will be solved. I was thinking a light clear coat after the white has disappeared may preserve it???

sykerocker 

You're another who's found a Rossin to be a perfect fit. With me, it was so perfect that I now have three. Different color schemes and drivetrains, but identical frames and fork.

Gary Fountain

Thats really interesting Skye, it makes such a difference when you get a good fit and to have 3 perfect fitting bikes is just the next level. I also see that you have a range of really interesting bikes to compare the Rossin's to. I have always found Colnago's to really suit me and I didn't give Rossin's a second thought for many years until I came across my current Rossin. I'm a bit of a 'sucker' for an unusual frame and this particular Rossin had some quirky build features so I bought it really expecting nothing. I slapped it together and took it for a spin around the neighbourhood. I didn't even have to change the seat height. It was a perfect fit. I immediately thought it was just as nice to ride as my Colnago's. Riding it after that I began to appreciate just how good it was for me. I began to class the ride to be a little bit better than my Colnago's. I'm now getting to the age that I want to pass my bikes on and just keep one or two bikes. The Rossin my just turn out to be one that'll have to fit into the coffin with me - haha.

Mad Honk 

I'm pretty sure they won't put mine in the oven with me! Smiles, MH

jdawginsc 

It's funny...I had always dreamed of having a real Bianchi when I was a 12 year old just riding a Peugeot low level guy. Bought a Japanese Randonneur and loved that bike until age 21 when I sold it (Dumas me), but got my Crest Cannondale. After many years of life, I decided to get into bikes again, and didn't want a Bianchi, but were drawn by the lesser brands that I could build up. THus the Basso Gap (which is awesome), the Rossin Professional EL (which if we had mountains, would be a goat), and then the Van Tuyl recently, and I have a Faggin which I had issues with installing a bottom bracket (alignment of threads), a Losa built Cassani which is still a mystery bike that I am going to strip and restore to something (I have only seen a single other Cassani online), a Fiorelli, and now the Rossin that will become a wall art piece. I have no desire for the celeste Bianchi anymore, and probably need to stop procuring frames!

Gary Fountain

Hahaha. I can't count how many times I've told myself, "Enough in enough.". Good luck with your last thought. I have an '82 Bianchi and it is a great bike in top condition but I just can't seem to love it as much as my Colnago's or my Rossin. It's a nice bike to ride but something is just missing???

You have a number of unusual marques and that must be real fun. There are a lot of great frames built by lesser known framebuilders that really don't get the accolades of the big framebuilding houses. Of your bikes, the Cannondale is one marque I have always had a secret desire to own but it just hasn't happened yet.

jdawginsc 

The reason I originally got it (and have kept it) was because it was a limited edition Crest Cannondale. I think dealers were given one each as a promotion to carry the brand, and they ended up selling them.

Its paint is still immaculate (3 small chips), and the equipment is all original except the saddle, which I moved to the Basso, the crankset, because I disliked Biopace and the pedals, because I moved up to clipless. I still have the original 105 crank and pedals.

Gary Fountain

A very eyecatching Cannondale and pretty much unique. I can see why you still have it and it in fantastic condition. Is the steel front fork original? I really like the era too. Congratulations on a lovely bike.

jdawginsc 

Steel fork is original. I guess Cannondale knew people's fillings would get rattled out without some vibration damping fork material. The bike is still quite...stiff.

Gary Fountain

Thats very interesting I was actually trying to cast my mind back to when the first Cannondales hit the Australian shores. I know the front forks weren't carbon as there was a question as to whether they would be able to handle the stresses of road riding conditions but I just couldn't remember what type of fork material that did have. I thought they had aluminium alloy front forks but I couldn't rule out steel front forks. I think it was to Cannondales credit that they put safety first and went with a front fork that ensured safety. I also remember the buzz the Cannondales created - I fell in love with a blue one but it was way out of my financial abilities.

jdawginsc 

He has served me well (the only male named bike in my stable). And he gets chuckles with the decal-ing.