Ricardo Appreciation Society

[HappyHumber]

Hi there,
is there an easy way to identify the type (Tange etc) of frame on a Ricardo bike? picked up a sorry looking Ricardo Nouvo today and wondered about it.... serial # looks to be L4T130C.... chain rings are selecta 1, suntour shifters on down tube, charger(?) RD, shimano FD.... unfortunately no rear wheel... ACE head stem... naked frame weighs 2.1kg.... cheers!

Mmm.. I have one and it's Tange 2... higher in the range of their tubing. If you scroll back through this thread, there is picture of similar ones, again Tange 2. I have only seen the Nuovos in this same livery as yours and the others, so don't really know if the model was offered for more than a couple of years. But from what I can gather, it was their top offering around the time. 1988 (+/- 1 mebbe 2)

Weight of the bare frame (sans fork & headset) is a good indicator of quality.

Mine was missing brake calipers when I picked it up, but otherwise pretty original period Shimano 105, as per one or two others mentioned here. Someone else says theirs was Shimano 600 from new.

I'm not as au fait with the Suntour range.... and how much is original on yours.. hard to say. But at the very least, if it was picked up for nix... You're laughin!

[zephy]

I'm not as au fait with the Suntour range.... and how much is original on yours.. hard to say. But at the very least, if it was picked up for nix... You're laughin!

yes, laughin! thanks for all the info

stripped her back last night and it looks pretty good, bit of sanding then paint time



any idea if this is the original front wheel? no markings on the rim but I think SR(?) D 84 on the hub....



.

[silentbutdeadly]

This bike's slightly larger twin (and its slightly larger owner) just completed its first major event in nigh on twenty years. It was the first such event the rider and owner had completed in 26 years...

I took it on the Port to Port Charity Ride event http://www.port2portcycling.com/ from Mildura to Echuca over the weekend with 387 other riders of which 6 were in my riding 'team'. Mildura to Swan Hill (250km) on day one, Swan Hill to Echuca (150km) on day two. The rider (ie me) managed 250km of the 400km distance at an average speed around 28.5km/hr. The bike performed flawlessly although the steep head angle (due to triathlon origins) and careless forwards weight shifting provided some handling issues on rough sections on occasion. No punctures, no nothing.

The only work to prep the bike was new wheel bearings. After twenty years of inactivity they'd met their end despite my best efforts. The bearing shop had hundreds of the bearing I needed and four set me back just $25. The bearing puller was another matter but T7 has them on special at the moment http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/T7T ... emover-set but it still isn't cheap at $90 (though this is a third of the price of a typical set) and I have other uses for it. The result was/is wonderful. And good for many thousands of km...

Not unexpectedly, an old steelie with downtube shifters was an exception in the general fleet of bikes and garnered some positive comments along the way from various riders plus the odd mystified comment such as (and I quote) "when did they make them like that?!".....I just couldn't help looking over and saying..."before you were born." It wasn't alone though. There were a couple of Cecil Walkers that I noticed, both of which had been sensitively modernised with SIS shifters, downtube cable stops and modern wheels. Which have me some cause for hope that there is potential for a long bike life should the driveline components meet their natural end.

I really like this bike. Glad that it (and its twin above) didn't end up in the skip all those years ago.

[HappyHumber]

I took it on the Port to Port Charity Ride event http://www.port2portcycling.com/ from Mildura to Echuca over the weekend

Awesome little story. Thanks for sharing.

[jbchybridrider]

This is what "Ricardo Appreciation" is all about. They sure make people look twice.

[PK1]

Hi,

My wife owns, and has done since 1986, a Ricardo Varsity in completely original condition that she is thinking of selling (in Sydney). Any ideas what its worth......it looks almost new! I tried to upload a pic but couldn't work out how!!

[jbchybridrider]

G,day PK1 ,
My opinion is your Varsity is not worth much even in like new condition "say $150 as new" and seeing as you've had it since new it's probably worth more in sentimental value "well it would be to me anyway"

The 86 model would be made in Australia not Asia like the later low end models. I have one myself 83 model and totally rebuilt it. It's a few pages back on this thread.

There actually a very nice bike to ride despite the weight, very comfortable ride and stable they just dont turn like a race bike.

I say keep it.

[PK1]

Thanks mate...we figured about that price. It is a good bike though and we have tossed up keeping it......especially since it still has the sticker "Made in Australia" on it which is something we don't see much these days!

[Sd]

Hi Guys,

My GF"s father is moving away from the road bikes and into a more upright hybrid. He has a very clean Ricardo Elite that he may be parting with to fund the new bike. He was wondering what it was worth so I thought you guys would be the best to give some indication of value and maybe someone might even be personally interested.

It seems to be very similar to the black and white one that Ch!ppy posted "SR Sakae sx cranks, SR hubs, SR alloy bars, Shimano Light Action RD and FD and shifter Exage".

Here are some quick pics I will have to get some better ones.. I will also get the year model etc if anyone is interested in certain pictures just shout out. The bike and all the decals is in amazing condition for it's age he even raced it at the Noosa Tri last year

Enjoy

[silentbutdeadly]

A very nice bike. Sadly...it'll be worth much more if he keeps it himself. On the open market it is probably worth more as the sum of its parts rather than as a whole bike. Either way it won't fund a signficant proportion of a new hybrid...

[psilentp]

Hi! I found a Ricardo frame ditched by someone in a park. No wheels, no front derailleur, no seat. I'm looking for some help on identifying what model, or at least era, it came from.

I took a couple of photos which can be found here: http://plus.google.com/u/0/109159810136737361883/posts/WbzTJXY8yUG

I can't say much about it as i'm not all that proficient in bike speak. Are the any more photos you'd need to identify? the forks are green and chrome, and the crank arms are fixed with cotter pins. the remaining derailleur is shimano.

Any help would be appreciated

[jbchybridrider]

Need a full pic of the bike but I'll say 80 to 82 Race master 1020 Hi-ten frame worth 10-20 bucks.

[psilentp]

Need a full pic of the bike but I'll say 80 to 82 Race master 1020 Hi-ten frame worth 10-20 bucks.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24491535/2012-01-23%2021.08.29.jpg

sorry for the crappy lighting and quality.


Dia-Compe Stem and Brake levers, 96mm Front Drop Spacing, and the rear spacing is sitting around 106mm

[silentbutdeadly]

The hybrid rider has more ID skills than me but first impressions concur with his....it's a basic unit but like all basic units it's basic. So it's basically easy to get a good basic bike out of it as a basic pub bike with some simple basic scrounging efforts...basically.

[Note to Self: More coffee required before first post of the morning]

[psilentp]

The hybrid rider has more ID skills than me but first impressions concur with his....it's a basic unit but like all basic units it's basic. So it's basically easy to get a good basic bike out of it as a basic pub bike with some simple basic scrounging efforts...basically.

[Note to Self: More coffee required before first post of the morning]

haha! cheers, I didn't expect it to be a hidden gem, I've been riding mountain bikes all my life and this would be my first road bike. Glad it's a locally built one

[mpa61]

I am cleaning out the shed (32 various frames are just too much now) and thought someone here may want first dibs on this old frame which looks similar to the one above.
ST = 52cm & TT = 54cm. Located in Werribee...pickup only.

[Stuey]

WA people, there are a couple of Ricardos on Gumtree at the moment, an Elite and a Le Tour, around 56cm frames. Guy is asking $100 for both. Elite missing OE rear der, replaced by cheapy. Le Tour seems to have a reasonable Suntour groupset, cheapy brakes. FWIW. I'm only posting this as I made an enquiry and they're too big for me and thought others might want them.

[DKR]

Note: Not my bike, I wish I wish I wish! Definitely has a place in this thread though and is one of the sweetest restorations I've seen. Refer to http://velospace.org/node/2598 for original images and story.
My confession is that, would you believe, I put mine exactly the same as this one running beautiful Shimano 600 Arabesque out for hard waste collection about six years ago........I should be flogged. So regret doing it now

[singlespeedscott]

It is nice. Pity about the ugly BMX pedals. It also appears to have a dent in the drive side seat stay. Its do hard to find an old frame that is dent free I've actually got the same frame. Currently a fix gear but long term plan is to make a randonneur style build.

[jbchybridrider]

Thought I would show some appreciation for my Ricardo Pinnacle. Since i've owned it it's had tubular wheels and was never comfortable with them with cheap tyres so it's had just a few short rides around town.
Since a wheel rebuid I rode yesterday 76km from the bottom of Gorge road to Birdwood and back and had a ball riding it. This thing is so quick in the steering it makes it feel like a light weight race bike and handles real well though flowing high speed corners. I'm also wondering if this is the first time this rare model has ever graced the roads of the Adelaide hills in the home state it was built because I did buy it from Victoria.
There were some gear change problems on the third and fourth rear cogs, it looks like the internal derailler spring has lost it's tension so I'm searching for a new one. The ride was great though and looking forward to appreciating this rare bike more.






I wish I could video the decent from Kangaroo Creek dam to the suburbs it's gods country.

[toumbhar10]

Nice photos!

My love for gorge road is indescribable, although i've never ridden it. It makes for a nice sunday (any day really!) drive up to cudlee creek cafe for one of their burgers.

[Cycladelia]

Hi, this is my first post here as a member of the BNA. My partner and I both have Ricardos, and I also helped a friend buy one on Ebay a few months ago. It's become kind of a family.

I'm looking at having mine powder-coated, and have gradually been stripping the bike of its various parts.

The existing decals and overall colour are a little dull, so I'm thinking of using the decals from my partner's bike.

Does anyone know a cheap place in Adelaide or interstate to get decals printed? My partner is working on plans for them using her design talents.

[Cycladelia]

Took a picture of the frame and the Eagle logo. Interesting as most Ricardos I've seen have the Magpie.

The Serial Number under the bottom bracket is L5M9719

The rear derailleur is a Shimano with the letters/numbers FD-7204 VIA

The crankset is a Sugino No.5

The fork is a Tange 5F

Any of the experts here an idea what year or model type this bike is? I'm going to take a guess and say it was made in the late 1980s, but I'm no scholar on the model types.

[Clydesdale Scot]

Hi, this is my first post here as a member of the BNA...
Does anyone know a cheap place in Adelaide or interstate to get decals printed? My partner is working on plans for them using her design talents.

firstly, welcome to the forum.
for printing of decals Ryan at esigns[dot]com[dot]au is usually recommended (but not in located in Adelaide) (referenced here)
any chance of linking to a low resolution version of the artwork once completed? I may be interested in a set for my Ricardo frame and happy to share in costs.
Philip

[silentbutdeadly]

Thought I would show some appreciation for my Ricardo Pinnacle. Since i've owned it it's had tubular wheels and was never comfortable with them with cheap tyres so it's had just a few short rides around town.
Since a wheel rebuild I rode yesterday 76km from the bottom of Gorge road to Birdwood and back and had a ball riding it. This thing is so quick in the steering it makes it feel like a light weight race bike and handles real well though flowing high speed corners. I'm also wondering if this is the first time this rare model has ever graced the roads of the Adelaide hills in the home state it was built because I did buy it from Victoria.
There were some gear change problems on the third and fourth rear cogs, it looks like the internal derailler spring has lost it's tension so I'm searching for a new one. The ride was great though and looking forward to appreciating this rare bike more.

That's almost certainly the first time it has graced those roads since it was originally sold into Sydney at Chatswood Cycles. It spent its early days in the northern end of Sydney's Northern Beaches as part of a pair - presumably in the garage under the house. After about twelve years at rest, the pair were diverted from a one way trip into the hard rubbish by a former housemate who was helping the original owners move house. I acquired the pair in a mutually acceptable arrangement and they were transported to Bourke in Western NSW where they then spent another four years and three sheds just hanging around. Then they moved into north western Victoria for another four years and two sheds before being resurrected - one into the bike you see here and the other remains with me. Both now getting obviously regular use - finally.

Mine (the larger of the two) now finally sports a period appropriate seat - a Selle Italia Flite 1990 and is much better for it in terms of looks and comfort. A complete bearing service right across the bike has transformed the performance of the bike too. I have to say that the bottom bracket is a thing of mechanical beauty...