Serotta Identification

[REMENEK]

Need some help identifying the year on a Serotta Colorado I just picked up. Any help would be appreciated. I'm thinking it's a 1990 but some of the components seem too new.

[dustyrider]

It's steel. The down tube appears tapered, eh? How about the seat tube, is that tapered as well? Are the chain stays straight or S bend?
Any engravings on the BB lug? Maybe an S?

Looks a lot like the BB on my CR, coupled with the tapered downtube, yet I don't believe my drop out is the exact same as yours. The voids in mine seem much smaller. My SN also starts with a CR not SC.

Edit: After re-reading through the catalogues: Seems like the 89 colorado II or the 90. The key is the top tube routing is external on yours, so it can't be a 91. Though the '89 description doesn't state there isn't internal routing just a "power top tube". The 91 catalog says back by popular demand internal top tube routing. Assuming it wasn't there prior year. SC is supposed to be reserved for Colorado II. Your guess may be right on! Who has the 1990 catalog anyways?

[REMENEK]

The answer is yes. Steel. Tapered downtube.Tapered seat tube. S bend in chain stays. There is an S engraved on the non-drive side of the BB lug. It is external cable routing and there is no II after Colorado on the top tube. Simply says Colorado. I haven't been able to find a 1990 catalog anywhere. The Campy crankset is early C-record, but the rest of the gruppo seems later. I would've figured shifters on the down tube for a 1990. Must have been upgraded at one time.

Thanks for the reply!

[oliver1850]

Does the number read 1351 or 135?

I think the frame may have been updated and repainted. SC makes it a Colorado II. Early ones had the cable routed on top of the TT. Later ones had internal routing with ports on top. Yours appears to have split cable stops, which weren't used until the CSI came out for the1995 model year.

I see by the lugged BB/DT joint that it must be 1351. Early CIIs were fillet brazed at the BB. Yours is either a 1991 or 1992. That could well be the original group from what I can see. Oldpotatoe can tell you exactly when Ergopower was first available, but I think it was sometime late summer or fall of 1991. Here's the group from the catalog dated 1/91:

[dustyrider]

Does the number read 1351 or 135?

I think the frame may have been updated and repainted. SC makes it a Colorado II. Early ones had the cable routed on top of the TT. Later ones had internal routing with ports on top. Yours appears to have split cable stops, which weren't used until the CSI came out for the1995 model year.

I see by the lugged BB/DT joint that it must be 1351. Early CIIs were fillet brazed at the BB. Yours is either a 1991 or 1992.

Would someone have custom ordered external routing on the top tube then? 91 and 92 have the Colorado II pictured with internal routing...maybe it got replaced.

[REMENEK]

01351 is correct. I would be shocked if this is a repaint. It still has a bike shop sticker on it. Why put that on a repaint? The made in USA water slick is cracked. All the other logos seem to be cleared over. They definitely aren't decals on top of the paint. If this is a repaint, it's one of the best I've ever seen. Ever.

[oliver1850]

I don't know when Serotta first did split stops in general, but the CSI was the first of the Colorado series to have them. If the OP's frame was a custom, I'd say it might have been possible to have specified them. The SC code rather than CC indicates it's a stock frame. I'm guessing Serotta put the split stops on when it came back for a repaint. That might also account for the lack of the "II" on the TT, as they didn't always have decals in all colors for all models, especially for models no longer in production. Lots of repaints got a small "Serotta" on the TT, or nothing at all.

[REMENEK]

The brakes and shifters on mine are newer than the group shown in the picture. The crankset is older than the one in the picture (mine has a higher placed engraved logo, not the paint stamp lower on the arm).

The dropout spacing in the rear is 130. It is an 8 speed. Front wheel was missing, but rear wheel is Campy C-record hub with Mavic Mach 2 CD 2 tubular rim with 8 speed cassette. Don't know if that helps date it.

[dustyrider]

01351 is correct. I would be shocked if this is a repaint. It still has a bike shop sticker on it. Why put that on a repaint? The made in USA water slick is cracked. All the other logos seem to be cleared over. They definitely aren't decals on top of the paint. If this is a repaint, it's one of the best I've ever seen. Ever.

Serotta paint was no joke! Should have asked them for a quote when they were still around; $$$$. I like the logic of a repaint and change to split. It seems anything on the top of the tt can get quite rusty.

[oliver1850]

01351 is correct. I would be shocked if this is a repaint. It still has a bike shop sticker on it. Why put that on a repaint? The made in USA water slick is cracked. All the other logos seem to be cleared over. They definitely aren't decals on top of the paint. If this is a repaint, it's one of the best I've ever seen. Ever.

Bike shop sticker could have been put on any time, even when it came in for service. Pro's Closet puts a sticker on every frame they list on ebay.

Check the catalogs. You won't find a Colorado with split cable stops until the CSI. The top entry was a rust problem, and not a very good idea. I've seen other CIIs changed to split stops.

I'd say a repaint, but done by Serotta. No reason it shouldn't look just like a new frame after the repaint. I've seen them put tubing stickers on top of the paint, not sure about the made in USA. I know my early CII has the tubing sticker on top, will check the USA. No idea why they did this other than perhaps the stickers wouldn't stand up to the clear they were using.

[REMENEK]

That makes sense. An early 90's frame with a mid to late 90's repaint and upgrade? This is a Florida bike. So, rust on an internal routed steel TT makes sense.

[dustyrider]

Makes sense doesn't it! Now stick around and join the fun. Enjoy the ride.:beer:

[oliver1850]

You are right about the crank being older. Is your logo engraved? Logo was moved in 1988 I think, so yours is 1987 or older. Could have been original to the bike or not.

I can't see the shifters or brakes so can't guess the years.

[REMENEK]

Yes. Engraved not stamped. The shifters are integrated with brake levers. According to Wikipedia, those were introduced in 1992. 8 speed introduced in 1991. Mine are not the Delta brakes which makes sense for 1991 or 1992 dice they were discontinued in 1993. After nearly 25 years, who knows what had been replaced!

[oliver1850]

The earliest Ergo levers had solid brake levers with a lump at the bottom. Then they were solid but lacked the bump. The next gen had levers stamped from sheet AL.

Always a problem to differentiate between model years and actual production/availability. I'm pretty sure you could get the Ergo levers in 1991, though they were considered 1992 model year parts.

[victoryfactory]

This is fun to follow.
"The game is afoot!"