Ricardo Appreciation Society

Bobs old bikes.
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby Bobs old bikes. » Thu Dec 03, 2009 2:02 am

brendan03 wrote:Ricardoman,
Do you know how to interpret the serial numbers stamped on under the bottom brackets on Ricardos?

So far we've got: L1T8745, L6A1761 & L7Z2184
Hi, my Ricardo "Le Tour" (circa 1986?) is L5X4437.
It has 27" rims, Tange 900 tubing and Sugino cranks.
I've owned it from new and it's been a fantastic workhorse, getting me to school in Narrogin, then fitted with Wilderness Equipment panniers when I moved to Perth for Uni.
It's painted a nice deep metalic gold but is now ready for a restoration job and new stickers (after all it's years of loyal service it deserves it!).
I haven't ever seen another "Le Tour" so would be interested to know if there are any others out there.
Great to find the "Society".

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cycles gitane
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby cycles gitane » Tue Dec 08, 2009 9:43 pm

Bobs old bikes. wrote:
brendan03 wrote:Ricardoman,
Do you know how to interpret the serial numbers stamped on under the bottom brackets on Ricardos?

So far we've got: L1T8745, L6A1761 & L7Z2184
Hi, my Ricardo "Le Tour" (circa 1986?) is L5X4437.
Here are some pictures of a Ricardo Elite frame I have had hanging in the shed for a long time.
Cannot remember how this came to me... too many bikes/frames over the years in between. :)
This looks like a standard frame made with Tange no. 5 tubing. Not sure what components it was supplied with.

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Number is L3T1085
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Hope this adds to the sum of knowledge on the Elite.

PS seat tube is 22.5 inches C-C, top tube is 23 inches C-C from memory (need to confirm)

regards
cycles gitane
There is NO room in the shed for the next bike! New shed rqd.

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brendan03
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby brendan03 » Wed Dec 09, 2009 10:41 pm

Thanks for the pics cycles gitane. I'm wondering if ours are perhaps the same "model" since the BB stamps are L*T****. Perhaps mine is a 1981 (L1T******) and yours 1983 (L3T****)?

So far the stamps we have are:
  • L1 T 8745
  • L6 A 1761
  • L7 Z 2184
  • L5 X 4437
  • L3 T 1085
Only pattern I can guess at is that the first number is year (198X) and perhaps second letter is model code or something? :(

gusk
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby gusk » Thu Dec 17, 2009 11:08 pm

I've been meaning to write to this thread for a little while but I have been otherwise occupied with getting the seat post from my Ricardo Elite! (more later)

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I inherited my RE from a family member. It was in a pretty bad way with spot rust in many places, especially under the bottom bracket. the decals are OK and it has some stickers. It has friction shifters, Shimano 600 (x 6 speed), Ukai rims, Sugino alloy seat post, Dia Compe brakes. I cleaned her up, repacked the bearings, polished the Ukai rims, new cables etc but my biggest problem was the seat post was stuck. I wont write it all out here but point you to my blog post.

http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/profile ... the-frozen
I spent on and off 2 years trying to get it out because with it stuck in its position the bike was just a bit too big for me to ride. Finally it came out.
http://adelaidecyclist.wordpress.com/20 ... ally-free/

I did take the drop bars off because of it being too big for me. Now that's sorted I'll get some better flat bars and brake levers and set it up a bit nicer. It'll be my fast commuter. I did plan to put a rack on it for my pannier but quickly realised that being an 'Elite' it didn't have any rack mounting points!

I am interested in Adelaide's cycling history. If you are from Adelaide I invite you to join http://www.adelaidecyclists.com social community. Recently a sub-group was formed called Adelaide Bicycle Heritage where Ricardo is a big part of Adelaide cycling history. I will be linking this thread there.

Cheers
Angus
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Gallery of images: http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/photo/p ... Album:4822

gusk
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby gusk » Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:08 pm

I also meant to add this to my previous post.

Pony Bikes in Melbourne were selling an Elite. Link

WatermellonSnake
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby WatermellonSnake » Thu Jan 14, 2010 7:14 pm

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Hi, I picked up a Ricardo the other day after my other bike got stolen. I only really use it for riding down to the train station but enjoy riding it. I stumbled across this thread after looking for some information about Ricardos. I don't really think I have an undiscovered gem on my hands but am curious as to how old the bike actually is and what model it is. Any info would be interesting.
Cheers
Last edited by WatermellonSnake on Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

zues
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby zues » Tue Jan 19, 2010 6:50 pm

Regarding BB stamps my Ricardo neuvo I got from Thoglette has LoP0720 anyway thats what I can make out. The 2nd alphanumeric could be an 8 and I am guessing the 3rd is a P?
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Vivifyer
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby Vivifyer » Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:05 am

So I found this Ricardo Varsity as part of some roadside collection one morning, was thinking about fixing it up for my girlfriend to use :D

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hartleymartin
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby hartleymartin » Thu Jan 21, 2010 3:59 pm

New rubber and it should be ride-able.

New alloy rims, and you should have a useful "ugly" bicycle.
Martin Christopher Hartley

http://raleightwenty.webs.com - the top web resource for the Raleigh Twenty

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singlespeedscott
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby singlespeedscott » Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:40 pm

Finally got around to sending my Ricardo Elite to the powder coaters the other day and picked it up on Friday. I have to say I am very pleased how it turned out for $60 (the photo's do not do it justice). Unfortunately the JIS Shimano 600 headset that I had planned to use (after scavenging parts from 2 headsets to make it work) has a stack height that it is about 3mm to high :roll: . If anybodies got I nice quality JIS headset setting around please PM me or I'll have source a new Tange Levin or sealed cartridge Dura Ace NJS headset (pricey even from these guys who are cheap http://www.tracksupermarket.com/). Please forgive my crap photography skills. :lol:

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rodneythellama
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Ricardo Elite

Postby rodneythellama » Tue Mar 16, 2010 1:22 pm

I went to the WA Police seized, forfeited, and unclaimed goods auction last week and found this Ricardo Elite.

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The bike was found in Northam. 62cm seat tube x 58cm top tube so it's my size or maybe 2cm too large. It feels great to sit on but it's not going anywhere fast just now.

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Serial L5E2839. It's a bit rusty as you can see. Most of the rust is on the frame.

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  • Kusuki handle bars
  • Diacompe 500 brakes and levers
  • Suntour ARX deraileurs and shifters
  • Tange 5 tubing, Tange fork
  • Sugino BT cranks
  • Tange Falcon FL250 head parts
  • Not sure what the rear wheel is but it has a Shimano 600 hub
  • Front wheel has a Weinmann rim and Suzue 4k hub
  • Sanyo Dynapower dynamo
My plan is to clean up the rust and convert it to a fixed wheel (how predictable?). Still have lots of research to do and important decisions to make (i.e. what colour).

cracker2378
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby cracker2378 » Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:13 pm

Found this ricardo Z series frame sans wheels under a share house I moved into - what a find - no one claimed it so i did - all original paint job and decals and original ricardo seat - just a bit of a minimal clean up required - new wheelset handlebars and chain

my first of many fixie projects

still a work in progress but so far rides well

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49095583@N ... otostream/

check it out - and for the serial number people this is one has L5L751C

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silentbutdeadly
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby silentbutdeadly » Fri Apr 09, 2010 11:19 am

Hello there.....found this little thread as part of a search for more info. So I though I'd better share...

I have had in my possession for 'a number of years' a matched pair of Ricardo Pinnacle road bikes. They came to me via a former housemate (and the exchange of $50 or so) who was given them (along with a pile of other stuff) by a client who was moving house - the client was going to bin them! They were in perfect but neglected condition.

In summary, these bikes are both Reynolds 531 frames & forks with Suntour Sprint groupsets (derailleurs, hubs, cranks, brakes), Tange headset, Sakae bar, Dia-Compe levers and Araya R-50 26" tubular rims. Frame finish on both is grey over white. One has a 58cm seat post and is stamped with L9P0077 while the other is a 54 with a serial number of L9P0080.

When I got them the tubular glue-on tyres held air but were badly perished - and barely worn. There's now the odd paint chip from a bit of moving around and one of the shift levers on the small bike has been broken off (both bolt and frame mount) but their physical appearance is pretty good for vintage bikes

Recently I decided to put the larger one of them back on the road. This only involved new wheels and tyres on the larger frame, new cabling, new grips and new grease. And it rides very very nicely.

Does anybody know anything more about them?

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Ours is not to reason why...merely to point and giggle

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Wee Jock
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby Wee Jock » Tue Apr 13, 2010 4:46 pm

Hey, found this thread while searching for info (not a lot out there!) on the Ricardo I picked up on eBay.
For those of you interested, the serial number is L5H4539. I'm guessing it was made in the 80's, has an 'Advance Australia' sticker on it, which I vaguely remember from around then.
Not sure what model it is, a sticker on the top tube says 'Sport 10', so that may be it. Someone has converted it to a fixed gear, I doubt this is its original function (the Sport 10 suggests a 10 speed) and there are holes for rear brakes.
I'm going to clean it up a bit, and probably replace the crankset and saddle. Not sure about a new paint job, possibly if I can get replacement decals, but I kind of like its knocked about charm.
If anyone has any more info, I'd be interested to hear about it.

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Brad64
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby Brad64 » Tue Apr 20, 2010 9:20 pm

I worked in the factory between 88 and the closure in July 90 when I was transfered to Repco. From memory the stamping code was L for company name, a number for the year, a letter that changed each month I think? and a 4 digit number that did pass 9999.

Spent most of my time making forks, car carriers and exercise bike frames.

All frames were made in house until it was decided that low end range be fully imported (89?) and they would stick to light weights, MTB and exercise bikes.

Custom Built Cycles predates the Repco buyout and was before my time there.

I haven't been on a bike since 97 and that was a Wayne Roberts frame.

BrisVegas
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby BrisVegas » Wed Apr 21, 2010 11:07 am

great thread! Now you've got me kicking myself for selling my old Ricardo racer. I bought it new in 89/90 and it was around $1,000 back then, ie. a lot of money for a kid in high school. It was white with a smoke effect finish that looks like it had be 'flamed' with an oxy torch. It was a cool bike. I rode it through high school and uni and only ever upgraded the rims to Mavics with eyelets. Wish I still had it. I'm trying to track down the guy I sold it to, to see if he's still got it. I'd love it back as a restoration project. I'm riding my brother's old Apollo Team now from the same era and it's a very nice smooth bike. Only issue is his is a touch small for me.
2004 Litespeed Tuscany Ti SRAM Force 2x10 & 2021 Bombtrack Hook EXT SRAM Rival 1x11

rustychisel
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby rustychisel » Wed Apr 21, 2010 11:35 am

what size BV, I've got a frame set in 'smoked' green and white which I might part with.

BrisVegas
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby BrisVegas » Wed Apr 21, 2010 12:36 pm

rustychisel wrote:what size BV, I've got a frame set in 'smoked' green and white which I might part with.
rusty, I don't recall what size mine was. I'd guess around a 58-60cm. I'm 188cm and have been pretty much since I was 16 or so when I got the bike. I'm trying to track it down, but no response yet.

If I can't find it, it's not the end of the world. As mentioned I've got an old cromo Apollo Team that's doing the job. Sentimentally, I'd love my old Ricardo back is all.
2004 Litespeed Tuscany Ti SRAM Force 2x10 & 2021 Bombtrack Hook EXT SRAM Rival 1x11

Brad64
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby Brad64 » Wed Apr 21, 2010 11:59 pm

BrisVegas wrote: It was white with a smoke effect finish that looks like it had be 'flamed' with an oxy torch.
That is exactly how it was done and then given a coat of clear over the top.

mse
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby mse » Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:37 pm

Does anyone have some kind of Ricardo hierarchy list?
From entry level to range topping?

JeremiahGreenspoon
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby JeremiahGreenspoon » Thu May 06, 2010 12:50 pm

mse wrote:Does anyone have some kind of Ricardo hierarchy list?
From entry level to range topping?
That would be handy!
Might let me know where a Ricardo Bomborra City Bike fits on this scale, I get the feeling it's not a beauty by any means!

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hartleymartin
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby hartleymartin » Thu May 06, 2010 11:08 pm

I spotted a Ricardo 10-speed Mixte a while back. I think one like that might get my mother to cycle with me some time. On the other hand another folding raleigh twenty might be better, because she's more interested in driving to somewhere with the bicycle and then riding on bike-paths.
Martin Christopher Hartley

http://raleightwenty.webs.com - the top web resource for the Raleigh Twenty

Brad64
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby Brad64 » Thu May 06, 2010 11:57 pm

Mixte may be an import because the name brings back no memories for me. Bomborra does but not many were made from memory and I am not sure on the finer details but I think it is a flat bar with 27" wheels and wider than normal tyres.

JeremiahGreenspoon
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby JeremiahGreenspoon » Fri May 07, 2010 9:44 am

Brad64 wrote:Bomborra does but not many were made from memory and I am not sure on the finer details but I think it is a flat bar with 27" wheels and wider than normal tyres.
Not surprised that not many were made, as I can't find an inkling of info about it online.
I've got hold of an old Bomborra, and it's quite a nice bike for its age. Flat bar but with 26" wheels and I think 1.75 tyres.
A really decent ride with a solid frame. Actually wondering what "333 Special Carbon Tubing" means on the sticker?

y3ntil
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Re: Ricardo Appreciation Society

Postby y3ntil » Sat May 08, 2010 9:17 pm

hey guys, great thread

over the last 2 years i have found a red ricardo viva and an entirely white elite in Mosman Park, both only needed wheels.
The elite is now my daily ride and loving it.

on another note, i recently inherited my grandad's swansea 2 swan frame and am repairing it now
N+1 is nowhere near enough!

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