Ricardo Appreciation Society

mitchj
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby mitchj » Fri Aug 08, 2014 9:45 am

Try again...Image

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agrojim
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89 Ricardo Elite Sport

Postby agrojim » Sat Aug 09, 2014 8:27 am

I have just scored myself an 89 Ricardo Elite Sports in extremely original condition from the one and only original owner.
I also got the service manual and purchase receipt!
Everything on the bike is as it came from the factory apart from the tyres.

I'm trying to decide how I will go about restoring the bike. My original plan was a full strip, powder coat, new decals, new 'modern' wheels, seat, bars, gears etc.
But looking at the bike and the daggy 80's paint job and the fact everything seems like it's in such good condition, I think maybe I should just polish everything up, replace all the cables, give it a good service and keep the original look.

At this stage I'm going to just start by cleaning it up bit by bit and see how I go.

Anyway... some pics. :)

Cheers, Jim.

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Road - Cannondale Evo Six
MTB - GT Zaskar
Current project - Ricardo Elite

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yugyug
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Re: 89 Ricardo Elite Sport

Postby yugyug » Sat Aug 09, 2014 10:38 pm

agrojim wrote: But looking at the bike and the daggy 80's paint job and the fact everything seems like it's in such good condition, I think maybe I should just polish everything up, replace all the cables, give it a good service and keep the original look.
thats what I would do - match it to the original catalogue picture, if you can find it. Just new hoods though, and swap in some bigger cogs at the back so you can spin a little faster.

The saddle bag also looks like it might have been purchased with the bag, or soon after, thats cool.

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The Fixer
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Re: 89 Ricardo Elite Sport

Postby The Fixer » Mon Aug 11, 2014 1:31 am

yugyug wrote:
agrojim wrote: But looking at the bike and the daggy 80's paint job and the fact everything seems like it's in such good condition, I think maybe I should just polish everything up, replace all the cables, give it a good service and keep the original look.
thats what I would do - match it to the original catalogue picture, if you can find it. Just new hoods though, and swap in some bigger cogs at the back so you can spin a little faster.

The saddle bag also looks like it might have been purchased with the bag, or soon after, thats cool.
Agree. If the original condition is fairly good, I prefer to refurbish rather than restore, as it keeps the original 'patina' of the machine.

Also avoids the hassle of colour-matching and transfers if you want the original look.
I don't care if it's a $20 Huffy or a $20k Colnago, as long as you're riding, and you're happy.

mitchj
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby mitchj » Mon Aug 11, 2014 3:39 pm

G'day all;
So far, no luck it seems in identifying my gold Ricardo. I think my eyes are going square trying to find something that looks simillar! I have a couple of questions that might help me narrow it down a bit. A)-Which is older- the Eagle badge or the Shrike badge, & around what year did it change (assuming they were'nt used at the same time..)? B)-I see everyone here quotes their serial no. as starting with an "L". Why is mine just numbers?
The more I look at this bike, the more I'm convinced (in my compleatly un-profesional opinion...), that it probably compleatly origional, including the bell & seat & bar tape (besides tyres of course). As far as I can tell, it's just missing the stickers on the cross bar telling me what model it is! I took it for its 1st ride the other day (by me) & it rode like a charm. I think I'll just give it a good detail & leave it "as is". I love it!!

Any help/ideas for my very frustrating problem would be great!!

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Clydesdale Scot
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby Clydesdale Scot » Mon Aug 11, 2014 6:25 pm

Mitchj
have you looked for any date codes on the components?

ricard0rider
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby ricard0rider » Tue Aug 12, 2014 2:51 am

i have an idea that the eagle logo is older, a while ago there was a restored green ricardo on ebay with the eagle and arabesque components which were 1978-84. gold was popular 70s colour for bikes and the seat looks more 70s than 80s. im guessing late 70s, could be wrong. the crank may be newer

mitchj
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby mitchj » Tue Aug 12, 2014 9:01 am

G'day all;
You guys are legends!! Clydesdale scot, that link to date codes is gold mate! From that I found out that the seat,front & rear brake calipers, brake levers & axles were all made in 1980. Whan I clean it up a little, I will see what I can find on the Shimano rear derailer & BB area, & maybe the seat post.
ricardOrider, to me, that says you are pretty spot on with your estimates too. (By the way, what does "arabesque" mean? I've seen it mentioned before but have no idea what it means!)
At least now, I can try to find specificaly 1980 Ricardo pics to maybe work out which model it is. (I think its in better condition than I was at 34!!)

Thanks heaps fellas, youve made my day!!

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yugyug
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby yugyug » Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:36 am

mitchj wrote:G'day all;
(By the way, what does "arabesque" mean?
Arabesque is just a shimano group of components, some of which feature pseudo-arabic decorate elements, like so http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds ... onents.htm

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yugyug
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby yugyug » Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:55 am

A few pics of my Ricardo smokey town bike conversion:

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The bars should be angled down a little more which will make it look speedier. So far I really like the way it rides, perfect for riding in traffic. The VO left bank bars feel a bit flexy when riding hard, but perhaps thats normal for town bars of this length. Anyway, the bars have loads of hand positions which work great for out of the saddle ridding, which is why I taped all the way to the stem. This includes a nifty aero tuck position with hands on the flat bit equivalent to the tops on drop bars, but I'm not sure I'll use that much cos the hands are a bit too far away from the brakes for fast riding.

Cotton bar tape feels nice and matches the saddle ok, but I'm not so sure about the color of the cotton string once shellac'd. Its a bit too hippie middle-earth grant peterson. I should have stained the cotton string black before putting it on, or just used a black cloth tape. Maybe I'll try and darken it with a new coat of shellac mixed with some black stain.

mitchj
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby mitchj » Tue Aug 12, 2014 2:04 pm

Thanks yugyug-now I get it! Very interesting article too. So much to learn!! I've only had my Ricardo for a week or so & I can already feel myself getting right into this whole "retro" biking thing. I had no idea it even existed. Good stuff!! (Love that seat too!)

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yugyug
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby yugyug » Tue Aug 12, 2014 3:04 pm

mitchj wrote:I can already feel myself getting right into this whole "retro" biking thing. I had no idea it even existed.
me neither until about a year ago. If you are, like me, at all obsessive in your interests, there is a lot to absorb...

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silentbutdeadly
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby silentbutdeadly » Tue Aug 12, 2014 8:03 pm

yugyug wrote:A few pics of my Ricardo smokey town bike conversion...
I want to hate it but a bike unridden is no longer a bike...so needs must. Enjoy!
Ours is not to reason why...merely to point and giggle

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yugyug
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby yugyug » Tue Aug 12, 2014 9:29 pm

Haha :) thanks. I'll PM you when I get around to putting a rack and fenders on it. ;).

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silentbutdeadly
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby silentbutdeadly » Wed Aug 13, 2014 8:40 am

yugyug wrote:Haha :) thanks. I'll PM you when I get around to putting a rack and fenders on it. ;).
:| Cheeky monkey one day. Bush meat the next :twisted:

If the racks are timber trayed and the fenders chromed then I 'might' let you off since there's nothing wrong with ridiculous... :D
Ours is not to reason why...merely to point and giggle

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yugyug
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby yugyug » Wed Aug 13, 2014 10:51 am

silentbutdeadly wrote:
:| Cheeky monkey one day. Bush meat the next :twisted:
:shock: Eating monkey is how HIV got started! :shock:

Robinho
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby Robinho » Wed Aug 13, 2014 1:16 pm

And Ebola

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yugyug
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby yugyug » Wed Aug 13, 2014 5:13 pm

and dubious stories about Cambodian restaurants

LazerChrome
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby LazerChrome » Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:10 pm

Loving this forum guys. Some mighty good info on here.

Just got myself a Ricardo Racemaster and I'm pretty sure the Ukai Rims 27x1 1/4 are way to pitted and rusted to bring back. Any suggestions on replacements?

Buy the sounds of things the Racemaster isn't the best bike ever built, however I have zero knowledge of bikes (technical side) so it'll be a nice educator.

Pic to the bike at this url goo.gl/eEo0JA

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silentbutdeadly
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby silentbutdeadly » Wed Aug 20, 2014 9:17 am

If they are 36 hole then try these http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/alloy-27-x-1 ... 8/?geoc=au" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

However...if they are still straight and you want to learn yourself the art of wheels...then pitted and rusted is no barrier to restoration unless the damage has gone right through the rim.
Ours is not to reason why...merely to point and giggle

LazerChrome
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby LazerChrome » Wed Aug 20, 2014 1:55 pm

silentbutdeadly wrote:If they are 36 hole then try these http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/alloy-27-x-1 ... 8/?geoc=au" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

However...if they are still straight and you want to learn yourself the art of wheels...then pitted and rusted is no barrier to restoration unless the damage has gone right through the rim.
Really? Any ideas on getting these bad boys back into action? The spokes were done so they've already been cut off and in need of replacing. Front hub is a little pitted also. Haven't got to the back yet. Will check the hole count tonight. Thanks for the site, I'll check it out. Rims look straight as far as my eyes can see.

Also, noticed a few people have had some success on replacement decals. Anyone have a solid connect who does these??

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Typhoon Ken
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby Typhoon Ken » Wed Aug 20, 2014 2:40 pm

You'll pick up most of the decals you need from Greg at Cyclomondo http://cyclomondo.net/page27.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; As for re-building your wheels, Google is your friend, there are plenty of "how to" guides and youtube vids to get you started. It is not that hard to build a wheels but it is hard to do a good set well.

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find_bruce
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby find_bruce » Wed Aug 20, 2014 6:38 pm

LazerChrome wrote:Really? Any ideas on getting these bad boys back into action? The spokes were done so they've already been cut off and in need of replacing. Front hub is a little pitted also. Haven't got to the back yet. Will check the hole count tonight. Thanks for the site, I'll check it out. Rims look straight as far as my eyes can see.
Heed the words of the late great Sheldon Brown
Sheldon Brown wrote:Warning: loosen a freewheel before cutting the spokes to replace the rim, otherwise you may not be able to loosen the freewheel or to replace the spokes on the right side of the wheel. The barrel (between the flanges) of many hubs will break if you respoke only the left side and then try to unscrew the freewheel.

LazerChrome
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby LazerChrome » Wed Aug 20, 2014 10:07 pm

Typhoon Ken wrote:You'll pick up most of the decals you need from Greg at Cyclomondo http://cyclomondo.net/page27.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; As for re-building your wheels, Google is your friend, there are plenty of "how to" guides and youtube vids to get you started. It is not that hard to build a wheels but it is hard to do a good set well.
Typhoon Ken, cheers. I'll get in contact with Cyclomondo. Have seen plenty of how to guides on how to get rid of rust. pitting??? Haven't come across one of those?

LazerChrome
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby LazerChrome » Wed Aug 20, 2014 10:11 pm

find_bruce wrote:
LazerChrome wrote:Really? Any ideas on getting these bad boys back into action? The spokes were done so they've already been cut off and in need of replacing. Front hub is a little pitted also. Haven't got to the back yet. Will check the hole count tonight. Thanks for the site, I'll check it out. Rims look straight as far as my eyes can see.
Heed the words of the late great Sheldon Brown
Sheldon Brown wrote:Warning: loosen a freewheel before cutting the spokes to replace the rim, otherwise you may not be able to loosen the freewheel or to replace the spokes on the right side of the wheel. The barrel (between the flanges) of many hubs will break if you respoke only the left side and then try to unscrew the freewheel.
Yep. Rookie error right there. Hopefully it comes off no drama. Late Sheldon Brown? I've definitely seen his name mentioned a fair bit online. Must of been a bible of sorts.

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