Can somebody tell me amout the Serotta CIII

[stone56n]

I just bought a Serotta CIII used, 2002, in beautiful shape with C record components, and I love the ride and fit. The bike was advertized as a 56cm, but for the life of me I can't find a single tube that measures 56cm. Not that I'm complaining, for some reason its the best fit I've ever had, but I was just wondering if anyone could give me some info on the CIII.
Thank You.

[gone]

Depending on how old it is, Serotta might be able to give you the complete geo if you provide them with a serial number.

[Ken Robb]

post the serial # here. The first two numbers should be 56 even if it was a custom. It was built with Serotta's best tubes as was the CSi but was tigged rather than lugged.

[Marcusaurelius]

I had one it wasn't quite my size. It was great ride. The stock geometry for 56/57cm frame was 73 degree head and seat angles, 8 cm bottom bracket drop and 56cm and 57cm top tube respectively. I had a stock frame but I am fairly certain there were custom frames as well.

I think andrew might have the build sheet for the frame.

[Ozz]

The Colorado III evolved into the CIII and eventually merged with the Couer d'Acier (aka "CDA").

Great riding TIG'd steel....

[stone56n]

Damn!!! Youze guyz are the best, and quick about it Toooo!!!
Thanks for the info, I'll put it to good use. I love my CIII. It will most likely be my last bike. If I did it right I put in a couple of pics of my CIII, still workin on a name for her suggestions are welcome.

[stone56n]

Seems my file images are too large

[dave thompson]

stone56n sent me the pics of his very hot CIII. Terrific!

I'll let the 'official Serotta garage door' requirement slide, this time.

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/2276/hpim10111.jpg
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/6074/hpim10151.jpg
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/364/hpim10161.jpg

[stone56n]

Thanks Dave; really nice job on my pics, but i didn't know that the garage door was a requirement, so from now on thats the way I'll take the pics. I've just got to get a how to manuel on resizing and posting. Once again thanks for posting the pics.
Ride safe but ride hard.
Nelson

[Ozz]

nice bike and a cool setup!

enjoy!

[Ken Robb]

so--what is the serial #? It's stamped under the bottom bracket.

[stone56n]

It looks like CC05611, the # are not punched very deeply into the BB.

[Ken Robb]

usually the first two numbers are the "size" based on center-center measurement of the seat tube. One "C" may refer to Colorado Concept tubing which your bike has. Another "C" may mean that it was a custom frame. The numbers after the size are the number the frame was in the series build. Yours was #11 so it's one of the first. In the past Serotta has been very accommodating when asked for build info based on the serial number of older bikes. I don't know if that is still so. It looks like a lovely bike and lots of us really like our Brooks saddles.
BTW, when you wrote that it had "C Record" I thought you meant it had a Campy C Record gruppo which would be quite a bit older than this frame. Now that I see the pix (thanks Dave) I realize you were just abbreviating Campagnolo to C rather than our usual "Campy" or Campag" in the UK. :)

Now that I tink more about it I'd guess it stands for C=custom, CO= Colorado in size 56, number 11 built.

[stone56n]

Thanks for all the info. She really rides great, I'll give the #s to serotta and see what they come up with. Dave did a superb job on the pics, once again thanks.

[henrypretz]

stone56n - your bike looks sweet!

usually the first two numbers are the "size" based on center-center measurement of the seat tube. One "C" may refer to Colorado Concept tubing which your bike has. Another "C" may mean that it was a custom frame. The numbers after the size are the number the frame was in the series build. Yours was #11 so it's one of the first. In the past Serotta has been very accommodating when asked for build info based on the serial number of older bikes. I don't know if that is still so. It looks like a lovely bike and lots of us really like our Brooks saddles.
BTW, when you wrote that it had "C Record" I thought you meant it had a Campy C Record gruppo which would be quite a bit older than this frame. Now that I see the pix (thanks Dave) I realize you were just abbreviating Campagnolo to C rather than our usual "Campy" or Campag" in the UK. :)

Now that I tink more about it I'd guess it stands for C=custom, CO= Colorado in size 56, number 11 built.

I recently emailed Serotta twice (2/4/10 and 4/28/10) with my S/N and received a rejection letter :( from Lindsey the first time, with no reply (this one to Serotta Concierge) the second time. In the second email I even offered to pay .... oh well :o
I bought it used and have not been able to locate the original owner. I love my bike and would love to learn more about its history.

We appreciate your desire to know more information about a particular Serotta. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of individual frame record inquiries coupled with the fact that more than 20 years of records exist in hardcopy archives only, we simply do not have the time available to process archival requests. If you are not the original owner, we kindly suggest you contact the original owner for information about the frame. As further aid a section of our new web site will be dedicated to archival product information and photographs. Thank you for your understanding.
I really do understand ..... really.

[mnoble485]

Not sure why you got that response because mine was the complete opposite. I e mailed Serotta about 4:15 one day last week with the serial # of my new to me CDA. I got a reply from them by 4:30 along with the build sheet. Newer frame so maybe it is a simple computer look up. As an aside, I found out that K. Bedford built my frame!

Mike

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . been recording all the build info digitally for a couple of years now. When Steve Fairchild was still there he kindly allowed me to look through the 2001 folder to find my own build sheet to make copies. But I'm certain they would not let you do that--it would result in total confusion.

Anyway, this was a folder with about 250 sheets in it and that's just for one year. If you only know your bike was from, say, a 5 year period, then the poor guy at Serotta s looking through five folders and probably 1250-1500 sheets of paper just to find yours, then make copies, then spend the time writing it down to e-mail you or preparing snail mail envelope. If they get 20-25 such request a week imagine what it would take to fill them--ACK!

I had to do the same policy at the paper I worked at. We had negatives down in the basement from 1946 to 2004--boxes and boxes and BOXES of little envelopes and the photographers didn't have common conventions for filing them. If you had pics of a car wreck in Schenectady at the corner of State & Erie one guy might have filed it under "W" for wreck, another under "E" for Erie, another under the name of the fatality victim, etc. Could stuff be found if it HAD to be? Yeah. Did it take a pantload of time and effort? Yeah. Did I have people or time to do it? Nope.

BBD

[henrypretz]

Not sure why you got that response because mine was the complete opposite. I e mailed Serotta about 4:15 one day last week with the serial # of my new to me CDA. I got a reply from them by 4:30 along with the build sheet. Newer frame so maybe it is a simple computer look up. As an aside, I found out that K. Bedford built my frame!

Mike

My frame is a 2005, as far as I know. I guess I just thought that something that recent would be accessible. I love my bike and just want to learn as much about it and its provenance as I possibly can.
Cool that you learned so much about yours!

Henry

[stone56n]

I can't believe those bastards at image shack deleated the pics of my baby, after all the work that Dave did to put them up.

[henrypretz]

Sorry about your pictures :(

I did, at last, receive the info on my frame from my new best friend Lindsey :)
I so appreciate it and it was totally worth the short wait.
I got my build sheet and discovered that my CIII is an 04, not 05. Great stuff!

Henry

[stone56n]

Sorry about your pictures :(

I did, at last, receive the info on my frame from my new best friend Lindsey :)
I so appreciate it and it was totally worth the short wait.
I got my build sheet and discovered that my CIII is an 04, not 05. Great stuff!

Henry
Glad to hear that you got your info, and if you dont mind me askin who did you contact at Serotta, ie email address. Thanks Henry.

[henrypretz]

Glad to hear that you got your info, and if you dont mind me askin who did you contact at Serotta, ie email address. Thanks Henry.
serotta.concierge@serotta.com

The first try was to the old info@

Here's my CIII ....

[stone56n]

serotta.concierge@serotta.com

The first try was to the old info@

Here's my CIII ....
Thanx henry Your c III is sweet and I'm not gonna say that mine is sweeter than yours, but you'rs is to you as mine is to me, What a build!!!!!
Thanks for the info all my best to all your rides
Nelson

[rounder]

A Ciii is a good bike. It is not as light as carbon fiber, not as rustproof as ti or AL. But it has the same geometry and same quality control as the best from Serotta...whatever you like. I like my ciii and plan to keep it.