Stowe frames?

[Stevemikesteve]

A friend recently gave me this after a neighbor gave it to him. Curious what folks' opinions are of the quality of Stowe's frames. Online info is fairly limited (apparently Bob Stowe was with Serotta for a bit?). Feels a bit tankish but we shall see once it's all built. It's pretty beat but is a perfect size for me and it's been awhile since I've had a skinny tire (purple!) race bike. And well, free is free. I pretty much have everything to get it rolling as a classy beater right down to the matching tri-color sti shifters. Any info on this is appreciated.

[Hilltopperny]

I used to own an early phase3 Stowe frame. It was very nice and of high quality. Mine was slx tubing.


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[Stevemikesteve]

Interesting. Did it have a Columbus logo? This one does not.

P.s. I pm'd one of the mods to get my thread moved to general.

[jtakeda]

High quality great frames. My friend has a Stowe that he rode daily as a commuter and loved it. Tire clearance was a little tight.

[Hilltopperny]

Interesting. Did it have a Columbus logo? This one does not.



P.s. I pm'd one of the mods to get my thread moved to general.



They used Tange as well and Bob Used to build for tange at trade shows as well as work for Georgina Terry if I’m not mistaken.


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[makoti]

I remember Stowe frames being pretty well thought of.

[GParkes]

Rob Stowe built very nice frames. I met him once at an expo in Saratoga in 1989. He sponsored an elite team in Northeast that a friend of mine road for (right around that time, maybe a couple years earlier). Every now and again I see one floating around the area. I remember someone saying a few years back he is a cabinet/furniture maker in the Ithaca, NY area. Clean that puppy up and ride it.....

[GregL]

Stowe built frames through about 2002. He was based on the east side of Rochester, NY. He had a good following in central and western NY. He built primarily in steel, but invested in heat treating ovens for scandium toward the end of his frame building career. He was also a pretty strong rider, taking part in local races. If you search the forum, you can find more background on his work.

Greg

[pcb]

Stowe frames are indeed very nice. Early Stowe frames look very, very similar to contemporary Serotta Club frames, at least to me. All the Stowes I've seen continued to be built in that more traditional style. I can't recall seeing any Stowe frames built from oversize, tapered tubing, or with s-bend stays.

I'm pretty sure that the last time I checked, Stowe wasn't building furniture, he was _moving_ furniture. As in very high-end, white glove-treatment, temperature-controlled trucking of very high-end, expensive furniture. Evidently that part of NY state has a bunch of custom furniture makers, and Stowe packs/delivers that furniture for well-heeled clients.

Rob Stowe built very nice frames. I met him once at an expo in Saratoga in 1989. He sponsored an elite team in Northeast that a friend of mine road for (right around that time, maybe a couple years earlier). Every now and again I see one floating around the area. I remember someone saying a few years back he is a cabinet/furniture maker in the Ithaca, NY area. Clean that puppy up and ride it.....

[soulspinner]

Stowe built frames through about 2002. He was based on the east side of Rochester, NY. He had a good following in central and western NY. He built primarily in steel, but invested in heat treating ovens for scandium toward the end of his frame building career. He was also a pretty strong rider, taking part in local races. If you search the forum, you can find more background on his work.

Greg

+1 his shop was literally 500 yards from my house. Tried to have him paint a frame for me once but he wanted a small fortune, was a bit gruff and told me it would take 4 months. Still see his frames out in the wild once in a while.

[Stevemikesteve]

Thanks all for the input. Definitely sounds like this should make a worthy steed. Will share a pic sometime down the road when built....