merziac

So the last several weeks including the runup to Eroica and deep clean of the Merz I took included lots of wrangling, shuffling, digging and plenty else. I kept running into parts I had collected for the big Stumpy frame that I've had for awhile. As I unearthed them and started to put them back in the pile I decide to set them aside, clean, scrub and polish them so they would be ready to go. Well the Ritchey was right in the middle of all this and it had several of the parts already hanging on it so it got the rest of what it needed and finally sailed through its maiden voyage today.

Soody

browsing here i am desensitized to amazing bikes but that one wow that is SO nice

poprad

Bravo...slow clap...

That's a very nice build and I love the bars. Component selection is superb. Just an all around stunner. I haven't seen bars like that with apparently raw brazing before. What are the tubes coated with to prevent corrosion? I've always loved the look of the bull moose design, just so correct on that era bike. I have a Ross Mt Hood with them, but it's sure as hell no Ritchey!

merziac

Tx!

I just knew I had to have this when I saw it, being big enough sealed the deal.

Andy_K 

Wow! That's nice. Now you've got to go to Cino.

merziac

Tx!

The bars are clear coated, may be powder coat as its pretty tough. They are a Ritchey special version, stem and bar are separate, they alone were worth the POA. I am a stickler for bullmoose also and am stocked up on regular ones.




When I went to look at the frame, we talked for a while and i was getting ready to offer less than asking when he opens a drawer and says "you can have these too if you pay full price" they had not been advertised and of course I was sold. Then his wife comes in and says "don't forget to ask if he wants some shorts and jerseys". We go into the next room, 2 or 3 big flat screens and a couple of perfect, custom, top of the line Klein's hanging on the wall. He pulls out several storage bins with cycling gear. They had owned very successful J+L Velo clothing, sponsored several teams and "sold it for very good $$$, take all you want" so I picked out 3 pair of shorts. They have turned out to be the best I have used. And I recently reached out again and he sent me 3 more pair. Great guy, great deal, win, win, win all the way around.

merziac

Tx, its easy when you have a foundation like this, a pile of parts and enough elbow grease.

Like I said before, as soon as you line up a tandem and now add E-assist and are ready to drag my sorry azz through it, then I may be in.

Dylansbob 

Ugh, I came so close to buying this....

But I'm glad someone with the vision (and parts) for the great period build got it.

poprad

So what I'm hearing is that it's OK to hate you now.

Thanks for the better pic, those bars are really cool. I love the raw brazed joints. Bravo again on that build, you did that frame justice.

poprad

My Ross, nowhere near as nice but a lot of fun:

I built it up as my winter commuter in DC a few years back, it served well in that role. I added fenders and a custom rear rack set up with e removable growler box. Slick, but never did take pics of that before it went into storage. With full growlers it was ...53 lbs. Yeah.

Ross Mt Hood resto

It really bombed down hills though...

Fat Tire Trader 

Who made the fork? Its not what I expect to see on a Ritchey. Tange?

merziac

Yeah not what I wanted to see on there either and not sure, should have pulled it to check.

Got any spare handmade bi-planes laying around, cheap?

merziac

Tx,

we must have been the only ones, it sat there quite awhile before I finally got my act together.

ascherer 

Really well done. That frame is also in my "one that got away" list, I nearly jumped when it came up and you beat me to it. Glad to see it got the treatment it deserves.

merziac

Tx, not sure Ken would have shipped it, would have been a long drive to Seattle.

And its not really big enough but about the best you can do on these, I need the bars up another couple of inches and its not there to be had.

Oldairhead 

Very shiny! To me that is the definition of eclectic with it's unique Ritchey/Campy/Mafac/Shimano/Stronglight/Bullseye/Suntour/Brooks/Continental (what am I missing) component group! Is this a limited edition gruppo, or are you just on another level that the rest of us simply cannot comprehend? This is also pretty much "in your face" to the crowd here that like original spec!

Nice job Van.

merziac

Tx Lonnie

All great ?'s, it came with the rollercam and I spent a fair bit of time thinking about canti's down there, nah, can't delete the roller cam, especially one with the Cunningham design plate. Mafac tandem canti's with short shoes up front were the only "sensible" choice so then the crank has to be full throwback, right? from there we need good but cool changers for the gears, a Deerhead and a nonDeerhead Deerhead FTW. Magura levers and the cool Suntour thumbies to give the Shimano's more cred, Oury grips, Skinny rims with Bullseye hubs, $5 road tires from BTD, the wacky SR slider SP and SR Surefoot pedals topped of with a Brooks Pro of course.

Yep, all about the eclectic, many of these parts had a bike attached when were acquired, when the price is right, you can't go wrong.

I had some big tired wide Araya wheels on it to begin with but the Bullseye's had to be part of this.

I'm not sure if its a gift or a curse, if you went to assemble a group like this on purpose with a sooner rather than later deadline, you would probably have to step up quite a bit for some of it. No idea whats in this but its a drop in the bucket compared to what it could have been.

Jim, owner, one man show and died in the wool MTB guru at Oregon bike shop said "perfect, you nailed the aesthetic". High praise from a guy that has raced and lived it for a long time.

After I took it by there I went up to Mt Tabor for the first Wed. nite bike race of the season in its 70th year, it stopped half a dozen people dead in their tracks, most asked to take a pic so I must have done some of it right.

curbtender

merziac

Does that one have #'s stamped in the top of the canti bosses like this?

curbtender

Looks like the same design but built in Japan. On a 86'.

Clyde1820

Chromed bikes aren't my thing, but ... damn, that's a good-looking bike. Beautiful.

bulgie 

Remaking the quill part longer wouldn't be difficult. I'd make it in 4130 steel to be safe. Heavier than your alloy part but let's face it this is not a weight-weenie bike. You could re-use the existing wedges, just cut the angles on the steel tube to match, and get a longer bolt. A plain single-diameter (7/8") tube without that larger diameter ring would be fine I'm sure. Ok, well that is a safety-critical part and it's your neck I'm risking not mine, but I would ride it for sure. I don't think the larger diameter ring is doing anything.

Cover the exposed steel with some aluminum — 6061 tube, 1" x .058", cheap at Online Metals or ebay. Mostly for looks, so you don't have to get the steel quill painted or plated. It won't add strength, but is weighs practically nothing and can be polished up nice.

Hit me up offline if you want me to make it for you, the quill and/or the alloy cover. Not cheap compared to some 'Hissing Lung' doodad from Asia (if such a thing exists), but not too expensive I think. I'd just use a hacksaw to make the angled cuts on the steel tube, which anyone can do if you have a vise, saw and a way to clean up the saw marks (belt-sander or file). Match the wedge angles by trial and error. I'd cut the Al cover tube on the lathe to make the cuts real flat and square, but since it's not structural, it doesn't really matter — hacksaw cuts cleaned up with a file would suffice there too.

Bravo on the bike, the build is superb.

Mark B in Seattle

merziac

Tx, it's one of those things that takes on a life of its own, the ideas and parts just started and kept coming. I have a ridiculous pile and most of it's not organized so I would find several options and it snowballed from there. I did start with some good parts, crank, roller cam, levers, other good wheels, SP and the Brooks Pro.

merziac

Tx Mark, really appreciate it. I think the ring is a redundant backstop but maybe a necessary one at certain times. I think your onto something, I should be able to cobble a longer one together. Hate to admit that I was considering a "Hissing Lung doodad" that I have employed a couple of times and may still mock this up with.

cooperryder

I'll add my congratulations on an outstanding build.

I'm quite fond of chrome bikes and vintage mtb's and what a wonderful job you have done on this one.

Over the years I've had a few chrome frames. Only one was a mtb and that was a pretty heavy Univega Rover. It did look cool.

Currently I'm enjoying a dark chrome Austro Daimler Puch Vent Noir to satisfy the love of chrome.

What can you tell us about the ride of the bike?