Ottrott horizontal top tube?

[smontanaro]

I was mildly surprised to see an Ottrott on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/252305324251) with a horizontal top tube:

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/OD4AAOSwFNZW1cTm/s-l1600.jpg

I sort of always thought they were a sloping top tube model. I'm an old fart who finds sloping top tubes less attractive. Is there a good reference where I can see how Serotta's designs changed over time?

[AngryScientist]

Is there a good reference where I can see how Serotta's designs changed over time?

take a stroll over to the catalog section:

http://forums.thepaceline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=18

[smontanaro]

Cool, thanks. Was completely unaware of its existence...

[PaulE]

You might also find one with a 1 inch F-1 fork. The F-1 was still in the 2002 catalog when the Ottrott was introduced.

[Dead Man]

I guess he likes to ride "on the rivet" all the time.

[tuscanyswe]

Ottrotts were custom bikes and as such you could have it with a sloping toptube or a level toptube if that was your preference. I too prefer a level tt ottrott. They are not that rare with a level tt either. Here is my old one as an example.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5725/20522566150_f805064fa2_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/xgvvVq)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/xgvvVq) by Björn Lundquist (https://www.flickr.com/photos/35497133@N04/), on Flickr

[happycampyer]

The Ottrott I got from Joachim (which he got from akelman who in turn got it from...) has a level top tube. I would generalize that, older Ottrotts were more likely to have level top tubes (which is the same case with Legends*), and in later years sloping top tubes started to become more common as tastes changed. As tuscanyswe notes, since Ottrotts generally were custom, whether an Ottrott had a level or sloping toptube was down to the original owner's preference.

* A while back there was a thread in which the OP expressed surprise seeing a Legend with a sloping toptube, thinking that all Legends had level toptubes.

[Dead Man]

Man I don't think I'd even buy an Ottrott that has a sloping tube.

[Plum Hill]

Mine were horizontal (2003 and 2007).
I was offered my choice. At that time I thought sloping top tubes were hideous.
With a flat stem, they have that classic look.

[dave thompson]

The original Ottrotts were level top tubes, with either Ti straight leg seat stays or carbon ST seat stays.

[93legendti]

I was mildly surprised to see an Ottrott on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/252305324251) with a horizontal top tube:

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/OD4AAOSwFNZW1cTm/s-l1600.jpg

I sort of always thought they were a sloping top tube model. I'm an old fart who finds sloping top tubes less attractive. Is there a good reference where I can see how Serotta's designs changed over time?

I had one very similar to this.

[happycampyer]

This one is almost level.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-pNTgVKv/0/XL/i-pNTgVKv-XL.jpg

I also have one like the one in the OP with ti stays, but haven't had a chance to build it up. I've always been curious to feel the difference in the various iterations from the Legend to the Ottrott (Legend with ti stays > Legend with ST stays > Ottrott with ti stays > Ottrott with ST stays).

[akelman]

This one is almost level.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-pNTgVKv/0/XL/i-pNTgVKv-XL.jpg

I also have one like the one in the OP with ti stays, but haven't had a chance to build it up. I've always been curious to feel the difference in the various iterations from the Legend to the Ottrott (Legend with ti stays > Legend with ST stays > Ottrott with ti stays > Ottrott with ST stays).

Still my favorite bike of all time. Such a beauty.