Help me identify this lugged beater(?) frame

[Gsinill]

So I've been on the hunt for a cheap frame on CL to practice spray painting before I tackle my old De Rosa and an EM signature that I am currently restoring.
Didn't have a lot of luck on CL but then I came across a local listing on eBay for a "Ron Boyd" 58cm frame with fork.
Googling didn't return anything on Ron Boyd so I thought maybe this might be a RRB frame made in Wilmette, IL by Ron Boi which actually has some following here in the Chicago area.

I put in a max bid of $30, well aware that it's most likely a piece of crap but with local pickup damage would be limited if it's indeed an old Schwinn Varsity; got it for $28.

Initial inspection of the fork seemed to confirm that it's low end: crown looks like made out of sheet metal...
So I went ahead and stripped the paint (rattle can) off the frame hoping that I might be able to uncover some decals but nothing other than that it was initially dark blue metallic with decent paint job quality (based on effort to strip it).
It did reveal the serial# at the bottom of the ST and some numbers and characters stamped in the HT lugs though.
Still curious, I weighed the frame and to my surprise it came in at 4.2 lbs. which isn't that much more than my 55cm EM Signature at 3.8.
Based on my very limited knowledge about steel frame quality, I always assumed that cheap means heavy...
So in order to get some clues, I thought I'll reach out to the experts here to get a some feedback.
I don't expect that someone will confirm that this is an "XYZ from the 70s made from 853" but would be interested whether this looks like a mass product or something from a smaller builder.

Here's a list of what I know:


Came with a Champion #2 sticker (probably meaningless given the rattle can paint job)
Rear spacing is 123mm
ST: 58 c-t-c
TT: 56 c-t-c
HT: 15cm
Serial# reads: P4151443
73 and 60 stamped on HT lugs (73 top, 60 bottom)
something that looks like E§ stamped on HT lug
27.2 seat post
nothing pantographed anywhere


Below are a few pictures but I can get more if needed.

Thanks in advance!
GS

Ps. Still need to tackle the fork...

http://i57.tinypic.com/2z5q987.jpghttp://i58.tinypic.com/szbucg.jpghttp://i58.tinypic.com/4qog48.jpghttp://i57.tinypic.com/ztj9rn.jpghttp://i62.tinypic.com/j0zl8x.jpghttp://i58.tinypic.com/24kxphe.jpghttp://i60.tinypic.com/16iywkh.jpghttp://i62.tinypic.com/8ydgz5.jpghttp://i57.tinypic.com/r1c5g3.jpghttp://i62.tinypic.com/346upz4.jpg

[jmoore]

You did great for $28. Looks like decent quality to me. No idea what it is.


And FWIW, I have a similar frame someone fished out of a trash pile. It turned out to be a Fiorelli. I stripped and rattle canned it and built it up as a fixie. It fits me well and rides great. Esp. for the $30 I paid for it.

[fiamme red]

Congratulations on getting what looks like a very nice frame.

If Ron Boi didn't build it himself, maybe it was a "house brand" that he imported from Japan.

I remember that Ron Boi built frames for Lon Haldeman.

[Ken Robb]

That looks like a pretty nicely brazed frame to me. If you look at the Paramount info/history, serial number info on the Waterford site you MIGHT get a nice surprise. I can't remember the codes and I'm too lazy to look again but your number is so long that it doesn't seem likely to have been from a small builder.

[fiamme red]

You might try calling RRB Cycles in Kenilworth, IL to get Ron Boi's contact information. He was the proprietor until recently.

[k-mac]

The lugs are very similar to Cinelli CM, so they either are or a very deliberate copy. In any case, it would have at least been manufactured to appear of some value.

The star-shaped water bottle bosses are also not typical, although the one on the down tube seems to be placed oddly low.

The E§ marking is certainly a great clue, although I can't place it.

The '73' and '60' are simply the tubing angles for the lugs, that the lug manufacturer would have stamped on them to make them easily identifiable when picking the necessary components to build up the frame.

[oliver1850]

Nice find. The weight and 27.2 seatpost are a good indicator of its quality.

I've never seen one of Ron's frames up close. You might post on thechainlink - there's probably a local that knows something about them.

[michaelh]

It looks pretty good to me.

[Gsinill]

Thank you all for your input.
I called RRB and yes, it looks like its one of Ron's frames.
They want me to bring it in, if I want more details.

[tv_vt]

Wow, do you plan to ride that? Great find! Looks like my size (60-ish). Maybe it was one of Lon's bikes!

[Gsinill]

Well, the main purpose is still to practice spray painting.

Did some additional research and found out that RRB did outsource some of their frames to Taiwan for a while.
Given the length and position of the serial#, I assume this is one of those but hope that RRB can shed some light on it.
Once it's painted, I will probably build it up and give it a try. Geo looks a little weird to me, so if it doesn't fit I will sell it/pass it on...

Wow, do you plan to ride that? Great find! Looks like my size (60-ish). Maybe it was one of Lon's bikes!