Serotta Ottrott

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by norcalbiker

Anyone have idea on what is a decent price for a good condition Serotta Ottrott frame? This is frame, F3 fork, and Chris King Headset.

Thank you!
NorCalBiker

Might check this..

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...&LH_Complete=1

[pdmtong]

Originally Posted by glepore

I paid 1500 for a ST/f3 here, but it was for all purposes NOS condition, and the fit was as if I had ordered it originally.

A fair number of these bikes were built with less aggressive geo than many are used to, as they were so premium priced at the time that they tended to end up under mature riders of means. I wouldn't buy one without having precise measurements and running those through a stack/reach app to determine whether it really fits. Really good bikes should really fit...I'm still searching for a 50 or 51 c40...

^ very diplomatically and well said
I also wouldn't touch one unless I knew the tubing spec.

[maj]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Might check this..

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...&LH_Complete=1

I just bought the small light blue one in that eBay link to surprise my wife. It’s currently en route in the tender care of UPS. She’s a strong rider and still riding (and loves) her 30+year old Univega. She’ll never part with her old friend but it’s well past time for an upgrade whether she likes it or not. Three kilo-bucks seemed like a fair price for what’s on it plus it’s her favorite color. Seller is the same size as my wife and seems pretty cool too. Looking forward to getting it set up for her.

[Coffee Rider]

Originally Posted by maj

I just bought the small light blue one in that eBay link to surprise my wife. It’s currently en route in the tender care of UPS. She’s a strong rider and still riding (and loves) her 30+year old Univega. She’ll never part with her old friend but it’s well past time for an upgrade whether she likes it or not. Three kilo-bucks seemed like a fair price for what’s on it plus it’s her favorite color. Seller is the same size as my wife and seems pretty cool too. Looking forward to getting it set up for her.

I'm glad to see that one sold. It is quite beautiful and I might have gotten it if it fit me, though I'm better off that it doesn't.

[jlwdm]

Originally Posted by glepore

I paid 1500 for a ST/f3 here, but it was for all purposes NOS condition, and the fit was as if I had ordered it originally.

A fair number of these bikes were built with less aggressive geo than many are used to, as they were so premium priced at the time that they tended to end up under mature riders of means. I wouldn't buy one without having precise measurements and running those through a stack/reach app to determine whether it really fits. Really good bikes should really fit...I'm still searching for a 50 or 51 c40...

I lived in an area with a strong Serotta dealer and there were many really good riders on Ottrotts.

I would not buy any bike without having precise measurements - new or used. Ottrott is no different than any other bike in that regard.


Jeff

[54ny77]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Serotta-Ott...p2047675.l2557

this was a stunner. sold for a strong price.

the chromalusion paint must've been incredible.

[Toeclips]

I remember seeing that bike, it was a looker

I have an Ottrot it's a head turner and I'm a marked man when I ride it
Sierra Nevada Kodak
Even got Ben Serotta to sign it
It was a good deal on Ebay I've had for at least seems like close to 15 years now...wow

The bike shows it's true colors when you hit open roads with pressed gravel, and it tracks down mountain roads beautifully

I do agree on the soft geometry seems like a trade off for comfort but I'm well into comfort now

[54ny77]

I've riden my Ottrott on everything from really crappy rocky dirty muck-filled roads to spinning out and going quite fast on smooth tarmac. It's a rock-solid gorgeous ride that always gets compliments. Definitely a keeper, and for the ages.

Originally Posted by Toeclips

I remember seeing that bike, it was a looker

I have an Ottrot it's a head turner and I'm a marked man when I ride it
Sierra Nevada Kodak
Even got Ben Serotta to sign it
It was a good deal on Ebay I've had for at least seems like close to 15 years now...wow

The bike shows it's true colors when you hit open roads with pressed gravel, and it tracks down mountain roads beautifully

I do agree on the soft geometry seems like a trade off for comfort but I'm well into comfort now

[mokofoko]

Originally Posted by maj

I just bought the small light blue one in that eBay link to surprise my wife. It’s currently en route in the tender care of UPS. She’s a strong rider and still riding (and loves) her 30+year old Univega. She’ll never part with her old friend but it’s well past time for an upgrade whether she likes it or not. Three kilo-bucks seemed like a fair price for what’s on it plus it’s her favorite color. Seller is the same size as my wife and seems pretty cool too. Looking forward to getting it set up for her.

I'm guessing you mean this one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/124241132412

The link provided before goes to nothing in particular.

That looks like a fantastic build without requiring any additional work. Quick suggestions though: keep an eye out for a metal headtube badge (something that nice deserves better than a decal), and maybe look into swapping the crankset to a 165 (if she's as short as I suspect).

[glepore]

Originally Posted by jlwdm

I lived in an area with a strong Serotta dealer and there were many really good riders on Ottrotts.

I would not buy any bike without having precise measurements - new or used. Ottrott is no different than any other bike in that regard.


Jeff

I intentionally didn't call it a doctor/lawyer bike, like so many did at the time. There are plenty of "very good riders" who also happen to be, ahem, more mature and prefer a bike that has a slightly relaxed fit but is still performance oriented. The current Roubaix can be as fast as a Tarmac in capable hands, just feels different. Same with a Domane. The Ottrott was built before there was an "endurance geo" category, and as a custom bike could be spec'd either way. So yes, some have normal "racing" geo, and others have geo that today would be more "endurance" oriented. My post wasn't a slam at the bike or its owners (mine has a highish headtube, which I like because I can run a -17 stem, and I like that look) but simply a caution. Ottrotts were as custom as you can get from a "production" manufacturer, just like Seven is today, for example.

In its era, very few bikes combined the comfort of an Ottrott with its performance ability. Its what makes the bike so revered. As a result, and due to the unavailability of production performance bikes with what we now call endurance fit, a fair percentage were built somewhat relaxed.

[Yo-Ottrott]

Hey there fellow Ottrott owner’s! I have just recently (EBay) purchased a sweet Serrano Ottrott and, after much back and forth to determine the actual actual dimensions of the bike, I’m expecting to receive it Monday!! My first real road bike was a Basso bought in 1987 whilst traveling in Austria, Germany etc. and I had that bike during a year or two in college ( Univ of Colorado, Boulder) before it was stolen! I skied on the team there and biking was just another extension of training that I did when not doing so with the rest of my team. I found that I learned to love setting a course on that Basso that resulted in a long climb with pay off being barreling down steep turny mountain roads! Since GS, Super G and Downhill were my strong suits, flying down stretches of road nose down only came naturally for me and I was hooked! Pretty soon thereafter got my 1st mountain bike as my friends would keep telling me about the great trails that were around Boulder, I know this forum is more geared towards roadies but I digress, so I “found” a ‘84 or ‘85 Wicked Fat Chance that originally came with standard chromoly forks. That was in ‘87, and there were no Shocks, so the “method” was to NOT grab on to your handlebars too tightly, in fact quite the opposite, so as to avoid getting hammered from the rocks you were hauling ass over! I would literally steer by pushing with either hand via my thumbs with my fingers outstretched! I have to admit, it was a little insane! Nevertheless, somewhere towards ‘89 I installed the first of the Rock Shocks! I had that what became a legendary bike for 10 years before it got stolen in SF! In ‘97 my girl and I got fitted for a set of Fat Chances (Yo-Eddy for me w/XTR) and a couple years later I ended up getting a road bike in Berkeley out of one of those bike shops crammed full of bikes everywhere and the owner took a look at my size (6’2”) and said he wasn’t sure he had one my size!?!? I took a look up at one of the racks and saw what seemed to be a larger frame he had across the shop and asked if I could take it down to check it out. It was set up w/105 components but it had a cool custom dark sky blue paint job which I later found out was a Lemond! I never cross referenced the serial number, but I think it was an Alp de Huez or Buenos Ares in Steel, but it’s a nice ride and fit my frame well and it and the Yo are unceremoniously sitting in storage!

As such, I had recorded my measurements the best I could not knowing what was generally accepted. I didn’t want to pay to go get measured/fitted when I had the bike set up for riding the steep terrain in San Francisco. I mean I obviously measured the length of the BB to top SP but also BB to middle of seat. Also from back of seat to Handlebars, which I know is not normal, but I’m hoping it saved my bacon in my efforts to find the right size bike online! I currently have a 61cm Schwinn but its only 22.5” from post to bars, and I need at least an inch more! Other “weird” measurements were plumb bobbing from the Center Seat to floor, same with handlebars, and from the front of the seat to determine how far behind the BB it was, little did I know that seats would shrink as much as they have for various logical reasons! The seat on my Lemond was a Selle San Marco 285mm, but now they go as short as 250, so I can throw that measurement out the window! Since the Ottrott I had my eye on had a 73 degree SP and a 74.5 degree HT, standard from what I can find, I was fairly confident I’d have enough room out front, but I had the guy take out a ruler and set the seat 29 3/4” from BB to middle seat, which left the seat a comfortable 5.5 inches from the TT, and then it measured only 1/2” longer than my desired 33 1/4” from the rear seat to the handlebars. With a 33” stand over height and my similar inseam, I should be able to live with that and by adjusting either the seat and/or swapping out the stem. Like most Ottrotts I understand, the Bars are level with the seat, which I am particularly OK with! On my Lemond, they were 1 1/2” below the seat, but being in uninspiring flat Florida, after I ultimately get back in riding shape, I’ll have enough room out front to set it up with Tri-bars and coupled with right seat, it could be the call!!

After the eBay purchase however, and because I had done much more self fulfilling research on Ottrotts, particularly those with the ST bushings, I had the sinking feeling having come to the perhaps misguided realization that because the Forks were not labeled with ST or F3, that I might have ended up getting an “early” version without ST or perhaps a GS, which I’m sure are marvelous rides in their own right, but after seeing the picture of the serial # on the BB (see pics below) and finding the informative Serotta cross referencing thread on this forum, I was more than relieved to find out that it is a Custom (C) OS (ie-ST version rear end!) size 59 with 60cm from post to stem! (The 60 cm was confirmed to me by the seller, not derived by the SN!) I had already ordered and received Ceramic Boca bearings for it when I came to that misguided realization! I also got a training set of Mavic Open Pro Wheels with SLC+ Hubs and am preemptively contemplating moving up to a 9000 or 9100 BB, but I’ll first see how it rides!

Here are some more pics of the ride!!!

One thing I noticed was the previous owner kept the 7800 Derailleur’s but upgraded to the 7900 BB and Crankset, nice! The wheel set is nothing to shake a stick at either being Zipp 404’s, but they’ll be hanging up in the garage until I get a little more in shape!

I can’t wait to ride this thing!!!