ROSSIN PROJECT - ROSSIN BIKES

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Lightest Geared Rossin?

Spotted at a Mark Cavendish/Sky Ride promotional event this 80's Rossin frame that has been built up with a Dura Ace groupset and nice light wheels. This is easily the lightest Rossin I've ever come across that's for sure. A really classy rebuild that Lee Barrett its owner says rides like a dream. We discussed holding a vintage Rossin 'rally' at Richmond Park some day. Nice idea?

More details about the build when I have them, hopefully.

Monday, 28 May 2012

SOME ROSSIN BIKE PORN

Fast looking bike

Mark Fulton's Aero Rossin


Rossin Prestige - hexagonal tubing

The subtle approach

7-11 used the Rossin for their 1983 team.

Not sure of the model but it might be a Record.

This bike is all original except for a 90's respray.

[Below: Semi Matt Black by Armourtex. Very sleek]

A Rossin on a Scottish summer's day

San Marco Corsa - one of the classic saddles

Yes, you can shop with your Rossin

80's C-Record Rossin

[Below] Columbus SL tubing, splatter effect finish

Rossin Superb

Friday, 18 May 2012

MY ROSSIN

I took the Rossin out for its first proper ride on a cold, crisp day recently, 34 miles (home to Richmond Park, three laps and back home).

The first thing I confirmed, after about ten miles, was that the frame is too small for me. I always thought this might be the case, but you don't really know until the bike is built up. I'm 6'3" and I think the bike would suit someone between 5'10" and 6'1".

The ride was super smooth, the Campag Veloce gears shifted perfectly, braking was spot on and the new Rolls saddle that I've finally settled on was very comfortable and looks just right. Everything was excellent except that I'm just too long for the frame.

Because I have two other bikes (and because at Christmas I bought my six year old an Islabike) I should really sell her although to be honest I keep changing my mind about this.

If you're interesting in buying let me know via email and I'll have a think about it.

If you look at earlier postings on this blog you'll see how the bike was built up from a restored frame to create the current build. There's even a video somewhere.

My Rossin was built at The London Cycle Workshop.

Click on photos to enlarge

FRAME SPEC

Seat tube(c to top) – 58cm
Top tube(c to c) – 56cm
Rear spacing – 126mm
Seatpost dia. – 27.2mm
Brake calliper fixing – allen key type
Bottom bracket threading – 36x24T (Italian)
Front derailleur – braze-on tab
GROUPSET: CAMPAGNOLO VELOCE
Veloce Ultra-torque chainset 170mm 53/39
Veloce rear mech medium cage
Veloce front mech braze-one
Veloce skeleton brake calipers
Veloce 10 speed shifters
Veloce 10 speed chain

Cassette: 12-25
Headset & Bottom Bracket: Campagnolo
Wheels: Campagnolo Khamsin

Tyres: Schwalbe Lugano
Saddle: white Rolls (not as in photo)
Bars: Deda 215 Shallow (Silver)
Seatpost: Suntour Superbe

Seatpin: Campagnolo
Stem: Nitto Pearl 10

Bar Tape: Fizzik

Pedals: (SPD one sided)
Frame resprayed, new decals, nearly new groupset (front mech new, chainrings new), new wheels and tyres, new Rolls saddle, bars & stem new, new bartape, new cables.
Ridden about 100 miles since built.

ROSSIN PROJECT

I'm not sure how it happened but despite being in trouble for having too many bikes I accidentally bought a superficially tatty early 80s Rossin road bike frame on eBay [see earlier post]. I knew it would need restoration and new decals but it was what to do with it after that that was tricky. My choices were between an ´authentic´ re-build using a (very expensive) contemporaneous Campagnolo groupset, a rebuild using modern components, or building the bike up as a single speed.
I also discovered that there isn´t a massive amount of Rossin info online, despite the fact that they've become very desirable. This blog started as a way of keeping a diary of my Rossin build, but has become a haphazard attempt to collect some info on the Rossin brand.

Rossin History (from the Rossin official site)

NEW ROSSIN SITE
In Italy, cycling is the national sport, to the extent that most of Italy’s small villages have their own bike shop/custom frame builders - with their weekly bicycle races, and most, if not all regions of Italy have their monthly bicycle races, culminating in the national annual bicycle races; The Tour of Italy & The Tour of Sardinia. Both events are long and challenging with many regional and international champions competing, often showcasing the best bicycles & equipment Italy has to offer. The weekly, monthly and yearly Italian national bicycle races feed their passionate love of the sport and in turn, continue to support a strong cycling industry that produces innovative equipment ridden by many of the great World Champion riders. Italian artisan bicycles and their components; their designs, advanced metallurgy, integration and innovation produced during the late 60’s into the mid 80’s are regarded by most cycling experts as creating, “The Golden Years”.
One of many famous (and very successful) Italian designer/builders, Ernesto Colnago, (Colnago Racing fame) opened Colnago Cicli S.P.A in 1969. Colnago is noted for excellent design and flawless fabrication/execution. In 1978, Colnago lost his best lead frame builder, Mario Rossin, who had plans of his own, and left to start his own racing bicycle design/fabrication firm in Milan. As expected, Rossin framesets were individually-fabricated and custom-fit to their respective riders, hand-built, providing the levels of superior performance for successful racing bicycles in their day. Rossin was also very innovative; the first to experiment with and perfect precision-cast alloy components; bottom-brackets, arched rear brake bridges, and precision fork crowns.
During the 80’s Rossin’s outstandingly unique and artistic finishes was a pacesetter in the industry. As a result, not only were Rossin bicycles race competitive, they were usually visually stunning, and are considered today a hot addition in any vintage collection. Noted for their overall excellence in design, materials and finish quality, Rossin are also well known for having a uniquely efficient and very comfortable ride that sprints and climbs well, is very stable at high speed that is the mark of true craftsmanship/artistry. Rossin bicycles were ridden to victory in the Tour de France three times during the 1980's with many international teams/individuals exclusively riding Rossin racing bicycles. Marc Rossin left the industry after he was bought out in 1992, ending his contribution of his highly sought-after high performance bicycles.