bgeer

Followup on my 2016 post "37287D R1 seat stays, Columbus SPX/SLX, Super Record 11, wife's bike":
[Well, I tried to include a photo but got this!]
"You are not allowed to post URLs until you have at least 10 posts"

Anyways, My wife passed last year after a 2 & a half year fight with ovarian cancer. Prior to her cancer diagnosis I had changed her component set from 20 yr old Ultegra to the aforementioned SR11. In addition, to accommodate her neck & back issues I raised the handlebar as visible in the picture [that I could not insert - I used a Sunlite Cromo Quill Extender, 8.25, putting handlebar well above seat height!]. I now have a conventional quill adapter & threadless stem to outfit her bike so I can ride it with normal handlebar height. My Stouts are a little taller tho not so much; mine are built with Columbus SP/SX & her SPX/SLX has a very different feel.

Early in her cancer fight I succumbed to total impulse & talked her into buying new bicycles, our first new bikes in 30 years. Both are Ibis Hakka MX, mine with SRAM Rival 1x11 & hers with 2x11 Shimano Electronic XT, & Schwalbe G-Ones. We greatly enjoyed riding these on Albuquerque's Rio Grande Bosque crusher fine trail under the cottonwoods.

Wulf

Nothing beats American handmade framesets. Confente and Pegoretti are on the same level but in my opinion the US frames are better made and more aesthetically pleasing than anything else out there.

pcb 

I'm so sorry to hear about your wife's passing. Kudos to you for setting up her bikes, making her comfortable and helping her stay active while she was able to. She had some nice memories of the trail and the dogwoods to take with her, and you've got them, and her bike, to hold onto.

Looks like you're already at 8 posts, all you have to do is find a couple of posts you can "attaboy" to, and you'll be able to post those pix. Or if you have them online somewhere, flickr or google or iwhatever, you can always link to that.

All the best,

Paul

skiingtone

I don't have permission to post photos yet but I recently bought a pretty cool red/white/blue frame #048 . It caught my eye because of the beautiful paint job but I had no idea that it was built locally (to me) in Salt Lake City! Pretty cool. I wish I could discover it's year but I've only been able to find the frame number. Thanks, everyone for posting what info they know about Stout, it was really informative and interesting to read. My bike has internal cable routing, Campagnolo dropouts, and a wishbone style seat stay.

axel23

Eager to see some pix of #48 .
I still ride my Stout on a regular basis. I keep switching out different equipment, but I'm thinking maybe a complete 11-speed DA upgrade is called for. The frame deserves it.

steve sumner

note to Wulf: Confente frames were made in California USA
noticed on the Stout frames that he copied Colnago on the little holes in the sides
of the fork crowns. the lugs are nice and thin and clean but I'd like
to see them tapered.but that's REALLY nitpicking. they're beautiful.
can anyone tell me why Imron is no longer used? is it no longer made?

merziac

Environmental scourge, nasty stuff which is why it's so good, tough and used as truck paint.

79pmooney

Yup, Also very hazardous to work with. (I used to build boats. We did several 30 footers in Imron. I made it a point to be nowhere near the workplace when that was happening. (The best carbon filter respirators don't work with the solvents. I don't even like to think what those painters were doing to themselves.) Drawback for boats - paint touch-ups that are not obvious are very difficult to do. But on bikes, the best paint ever (IMO) - if done right with good prep. My Mooney wasn't. I pulled the virgin frame out of an unscathed UPS box to find paint chipping off the (beautiful) lug points. 5 years later, I had Ed Litton repaint the frame and the new, bare fork Peter sent me. That paint job was a complete winner and still looking like new where the wars the bike's been through haven't had their way. Been a (long distance) fan of Ed ever since. Used to look forward to Shaw (forget his first name) coming to Alpenrose for the Challenge in July to see him on his Litton track bike.

Ben

merziac

Its always about the prep as well, Imron was no exception, Merz used a zinc phosphate? dip before primer and with Virginia's expert application, many of his still look great 40+ years later.

mortona42

I picked up this Ron Stout frame recently and built up a fixie. This is #7451 - anyone know what to make of that? The seller said it was from the 70's, so I think it might be #51 from '74. The columbus steel frame is super light and the paint still looks amazing. I'm looking forward to putting many more miles on it.

I hadn't heard of Ron Stout before I bought his frame. The quality of his work speaks for itself, and we're still appreciating it after he's gone. As someone who does creative work, I find this story both humbling and inspirational. Riding this bike is a celebration of quality craftsmanship, and while it is something for me to enjoy, I know it was also enjoyable work for Ron.

I feel like there is a message in this - that things we use have a deeper meaning to us than we realize, and when we care about where they come from, it resonates in us as we use it. Think about using a gift you received from someone, you tend to remember them when you pick it up. I don't get that feeling when I put on shoes that were made in a factory with cheap labor. Crafted goods are higher quality, provide meaningful work, and make for healthy relationships between people. I hope to see a revival of domestic design and manufacturing because a lot of people are struggling with the economy we have. I enjoy designing and building things just as much as using them, so I think it's a tragedy to produce things in a way that limits quality and creativity, especially at the cost of other people's livelihoods. This bike is proof that there's a better way to go.


Ron Stout Fixie

axel23

Wonderful post. And I agree wholeheartedly. You'd never feel that way about an off-the-shelf frame. I rode my Ron Stout yesterday. Great to experience craftsmanship even 35 years after the bike was built.

skiingtone

@axel23 You should! I road mine all summer, then decided to upgrade it with Sram Red. It's such a fast frame, it deserved a better groupset and I think it will be right at 17 pounds finished. Someone before me swapped the Campy Record groupset with Shimano 600, so I didn't feel too bad making it a neo-velo.

Pretty cool to have a bike with such close ties to Salt Lake.

repechage

a freind in school in the 80’s states flatly, there are no old Imron painters.
one Might think about Brian Baylis also- 62 and out.

F_A_T

Hi, I am the original owner of R. Stout #041, sold a few years back, after hanging in my garage for decades... very glad to see someone getting use/joy of this great bike. Can give history of purchase (San Luis Obispo, CA) and use...I have the sew-up wheels that were sold with the bike, Campi hubs, Matrix ISO rims. Can't post pics yet, given my new member status.

Time long past...

F_A_T

Hey, it's great to see it back in prime condition. I am the first owner, bought in college back in 1988 or so in SLO. I have the old sew-up wheels that I shelved for clinchers...in case they want to be reunited. New member, can't post pics yet.

wrk101

I feel like this thread needs to have more pictures. I picked up this Stout earlier this year. 2022 has been the year of US built bikes for me. Started with finding a Mikkelsen, then a Mountain Goat, and now the Stout. No idea which parts are original. Record wheels, Shimano Crane GS RD, first generation Dura Ace shift levers, 1st generation Cyclone FD, Sugino triple crankset, Galli brakes.... Stickers for 531 Reynolds frame and fork. Matching pump. Old Ideal saddle.

Other than the dried out saddle, it seems to work despite the odd mix.

georges1

very nice bike thanks for sharing

axel23

Very nice frame indeed!

RoughRiderXO-1

Congrats on acquiring a Ron Stout! What's the serial number? It should be on the bottom bracket. The last two digits should be the year it was built. (Although you can get more info on that in this thread; I believe the very earliest bikes may not have had a serial number. This bike looks "old" to me, like 1970s.)

Enjoy the ride!

wrk101

I have looked there without success at this point for a serial number. Its an early one based on other details.

axel23

The serial # is typically on the very bottom of the BB on the drive side. I know there are some very early models which also have the # stamped on the BB. Also interesting is that yours is a touring frame (eyelets on fork and rear dropouts) and that it has Reynolds tubing. I think Ron generally used Columbus. Keep us posted on your research.

curbtender

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/bik/7567764971.html

Stout road frame(american handbuilt) - $75 (San Mateo)

‹image 1 of 6›

himespau 

That's a beauty.

eastcoaststeve

Eusam

Do you have any more pictures of this bike? I also have a Ron Stout mountain bike, and this is the first picture I have ever seen of a similar bike. Like yours, mine is fillet brazed, and has "STOUT" stamped on the BB shell. It has similar Stout decals to the road bikes in the thread. I can work on getting some pictures of mine, it has front and rear U-brakes and is currently set up with drop bars.