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View Full Version : I am now a proud owner of a Serotta!

asava
03-04-2011, 05:20 PM
A while ago I posted a wtb classic steel in the classified section. I got some great responses, but I ended up chasing after this bike which I ended up getting for a great price ($475). The only problem is that a few of the decals have worn off. I'm 99% sure it's a Colorado II built with Columbus superbutted CrMo. The stamp on the underside of bottom bracket is Cinelli. Came with Cinelli stem and bars, dura ace 7400 throughout (cept the front wheel skewer, which looks to have been pulled from a specialized bike, and the right downtube shifter was taken off and replaced with a shimano bar end shifter for crits). The guy says he bought it it in 92, and that the bike was hand made in 1990. The wheels are some mavic hubs laced to mavic open pro cd4's. The collar on the front deraileur reads mavic as well, and I can't seem to find any sense of the deraileur itself being dura ace.

I am looking to start a collection eventually, and I want to make sure I start off right by making sure I have a bike that's true to it's period and original specs. So I thought I would post some pics and see if anyone could give me any more info on the bike at all. The mishmash of little parts throws me off a little so I I'm not really sure what to think, as the owner said they were all original parts. The bike is super smooth though, and just needs to be cleaned and fine tuned.

My best guess is that it is a 1991 Serotta Colorado II that is meant to be equipped with dura ace 7400 (the brake levers are 7403's sti). The post is also not dura ace, but I'm not sure it was originally. Anyway, if anyone has any idea on what it actually is, what the history is behind it, or what it originally had on it, I would be real thankful. The more information the better, as I want to maintain a database of all my current and future bikes.

Cheers!

http://t.co/yBDkItP
http://t.co/yfnNoh6
http://t.co/Y14uZaL

Ps. This is my first serotta and first classic steel body, so my knowledge is not crazy expansive on this period or these bikes. I just know they are beautiful and ride like butter. I dont even know where to find the serial on this bike (i gave it the once over and couldnt locate it). And my knowledge of the Columbus tubing on this baby is also intermediate at best. Now that I'm able to buy and care for em like they should be, I want to make sure that history is not lost 20 or 30 years from now.
Ken Robb
03-04-2011, 05:47 PM
better pix would help us guess. All Serottas I have seen had serial numbers on the BB. Has yours been repainted or powder coated so thick the serial # is filled in?

It looks like it does not have S-Bend chainstays or Colorado Concept tubing but the pix aren't that clear for me to be sure.
dekindy
03-04-2011, 05:49 PM
Great! As they say, ride it like you stole it.
asava
03-04-2011, 05:55 PM
Yeah i definitely can put up better pictures when i get home on Sunday. I'll be on the road till then. When I looked on the bb I couldn't see any, but there was also some dirt and grime on it so maybe when I clean it on Sunday I'll be able to find it. He says it is original paint, which makes sense considering the Cinelli stamp, and the places where the paint is chipped don't reveal anything that would lead me to believe it had been altered. Unless it's just a giant giant counterfeit, in which case we have a pretty mastefull 50 something year old bike forger out there. Thanks for your reply!

Edit*: Is there any specific pictures I should be posting, i.e. specific parts of the frame, thy would help you out the most?
miguel
03-04-2011, 06:07 PM
i would say just ride the bike and don't worry about the provenance
asava
03-04-2011, 06:11 PM
i would say just ride the bike and don't worry about the provenance

Definitely going to ride it and use it for what it was designed to do, but that doesn't mean I can't know what I have and maintain historic integrity, does it? But I definitely see your point. Rest assured it will not sit hanging on a wall begging to stretch it's legs.
mpetry
03-04-2011, 06:24 PM
That's a Colorado II, great bike and nice color combination! It has a Cinelli investment cast bottom bracket. Get the best tires you can, a full tune-up if you are not able to do it yourself, and you'll enjoy many happy miles.

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA
Sam in VA
03-04-2011, 06:39 PM
As mentioned, its hard to tell much without better pictures. I think I see a cable guide above the BB. That would make it much earlier. It also looks like a clamp on front derailleur, and I think all CIIs had a braze on tab (at least the later ones did).
asava
03-04-2011, 06:46 PM
As mentioned, its hard to tell much without better pictures. I think I see a cable guide above the BB. That would make it much earlier. It also looks like a clamp on front derailleur, and I think all CIIs had a braze on tab (at least the later ones did).

There most definitely is a clamp on the front derailleur. Cant recall if there are cable guides on the bb. I know the internal routing wasn't standard until 91, but from the catalogues i have seen 91 was the first to show that red to yellow color scheme. There is a picture of one being worked on in the 90 catalogue as well, but it doesn't list it as an option for purchase. The 1990 catalogue also points out that it would have been complete dura ace, whether sti or standard. I'm guessing that doesn't necessarily tell the whole truth?
oliver1850
03-04-2011, 06:53 PM
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Sam in VA
03-04-2011, 07:03 PM
There most definitely is a clamp on the front derailleur. Cant recall if there are cable guides on the bb. I know the internal routing wasn't standard until 91, but from the catalogues i have seen 91 was the first to show that red to yellow color scheme. There is a picture of one being worked on in the 90 catalogue as well, but it doesn't list it as an option for purchase. The 1990 catalogue also points out that it would have been complete dura ace, whether sti or standard. I'm guessing that doesn't necessarily tell the whole truth?

Take a look at this '86 catalog:
http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/serotta-86/

It has a Colorado in the red>yellow fade and a Nova with above BB cable guides. The Colorado series has a fastback seat cluster, s-bens chainstays, and a few other unique features. There are a few other catalogs on Mark Bulgiers site that will help w/Id when you have the bike in front of you. IME, the earlier bikes seem to be harder to come by and they still ride great, so you have a keeper regardless of age.
asava
03-04-2011, 07:14 PM
Where did you find a 1990 catalog? I've been looking for one for a year. I have 2 Serottas that I think are 1990s, one is a Colorado II.

Does your bike have a fillet brazed BB?

I am pretty sure they are lugged, but I could be wrong.

This says it is the 1990 catalogue (http://www.retrobike.net/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=1990&g2_itemId=15532&g2_imageViewsIndex=0&g2_fromNavId=xb6810487)

But I upon further inspection, it discusses serotta history up to 1992. So it looks like it's wrong.
oliver1850
03-04-2011, 07:52 PM
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oliver1850
03-04-2011, 07:53 PM
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R2D2
03-05-2011, 05:12 AM
[QUOTE=asava]....considering the Cinelli stamp........../QUOTE]

Cinelli make a lot of great lugs and bottom brackets. The Cinelli spoiler was/is very nice.