Rossin track bike NOS 1984 Columbus steel 55cm

It's a 1984? I'd turn it into a geared bike with period correct Campag.

It could and would look stunning if done correctly.

If you can't be bothered with that, black or yellow bar tape would make a massive difference. I'd go for black, personally. Having seen a proper photo of it, it's not ugly, just the tape is, so I take that back.

But it would be nice to do that and you shouldn't lose too much, especially if you buy the road bits on here.

It's a nice looking frame with good quality bits, if a singlespeed is what you want, leave it as that.

You could have a chat to the chap behind Campy Oldy about what it would (conceivably) have had on it when new, then put that together (or a variant thereof).

Who can find a picture of Gizmonds rather nice looking Campag equiped road bike?

And if you do change the stem, you'll need to figure out the angle you need, and this thread has a great image on it: http://www.lfgss.com/thread19644.html

You basically need to decide:
1) Take it back to being a road bike and do it faithfully
2) Keep it as a singlespeed and clean up the aesthetics so you're happy with it
3) Dispose of it whatever way you want and get the bike you really wanted

You can see from the last few posts that we're split between #1 and #2. #1 is expensive, so as you're doing your house up I'd probably do little things just to achieve #2. It would still look good and ride well, but that frame is a road frame and if you really want porn status over a great bike to ride, then it will cost money and time to restore it back to what it was born as.

Bitchin', that's a bit more like it! and what i thought forums were all about. Thank you.

Yeah, after riding around London for over 16 years, figured gears were pretty pointless unless you lived in Highgate, Ally Pally, or went out to the downs/weald at the w/ends. Using single speed around a largely flat city is good for building up power, and at full tilt, on a good day, it flies along.

That said, i'd certainly like to know more about the frame and forks, and making it more true to it's history. i'll deffo take the photos Velocio, cheers!

Damn, this is addictive, i'm s'posed to be working. my missus is going to kill me.

Ahhh. LFSS happy ending.

Or happy finish if you prefer.

Why are we so skeptical about the £1700 figure? I'm always shocked by BLB prices.

Yes it sounds stupid, but if the frame was £579 and the wheels £320, that's £900. Leaves £800.

Having had a look at the bits, made some guesstimates, you could easily spend:
£50 on Miche Supertype
£90 on yellow SLR
£30 gold izumi chain
£35 Dirty Harry's x 2
£60 Durano x 2
£25 BLB alloy pedals
£40 XE quill
£40 bars
£200 (!!111!!!1) Campag Record skeleton brakes (cheapest pair I can find online is £150!)
£240 Campagnolo Record Pista chainset (£215 on Wiggle)

= £770. I didn't even engineer the prices to be that close. I've not even added hipster tax.

So £770 + 15% hipster tax = £885

£885 + £579 + £320 = £1784.

Still think it didn't cost £1700?

Fact is if you throw money at a build it sticks. There's nothing wrong with the quality of the parts, but jeez it's feckin' ugly. A feckin' ugly conversion too.

I am amazed anyone would spend £1700 on that bike.

The frame is what gets me £579 is madness for any frame from that period NOS or not.

It's just too easy being a hater, and sticking the boot in when everyone else is having a pop. Fair play, it was funny for a while.

'Caveat emptor'...

How about being a little more constructive; here's the bike. What would you add/remove to make it sweet and worthy of going in the bike porn section? Maybe i'll buy the parts off BLB.

Indeed, anyone even have a clue about what model the frame and forks are? I think it may have been resprayed with new decals put on...

Why didn't you use this picture in your for sale add?

If you want people to split with £900 cash you need it looking perfect, my advice would echo others split and sell in parts if you really need the cash for other things.

Frame will make you a loss but looking at the condition you might make back a fair whack on the rest.

How the fuck is anyone buying this shit?

Yes some of BLBs prices are high. But this? Misselling to this degree? I don't beleive it. Everyone has just drawn the conclusion that it's BLB. Where has he definitively said "I bought this bike from BLB for £1,700"? He hasn't. He has deliberately left it vague. Why?

Also under what real world sinario does a shop tell you to go sell that on here?

-"hi remember me? I bought that Rossini track bike for £1,700 the other week. After spending all that money I have decided I want to sell it. What would you suggest?"

-"sorry after charging you £1,700, we're not willing to buy it back at a heavy discount and then just strip it and resell it. Instead we suggest you sell it on Lfgss."

It's all just a crock of shit and it pisses me off that people are running with it.

i have been in blb numerous times when lfgss has been discussed in a negative light and one even ended with a small shouting match.

Oh and just to be clear, I'm not saying I don't think it's possible, for BLB to have charged this much. I'm saying that until this guy says, in clear and no uncertain terms,

"I bought this bike from Brick lane bikes, and they told me that the frame was a NOS track frame, and it was on that basis that I paid £575 (or whatever it was)",

I don't see any reason to listen to a thing he's saying.

And if what he seems to be implying is true then he should go back to them, ask for part if the money back for the frame and if they refuse bring a small claims action against them.

I'm saying that until this guy says, in clear and no uncertain terms,

"I bought this bike from Brick lane bikes...

see popcorn thread

Why are we so skeptical about the £1700 figure? I'm always shocked by BLB prices.

.

True. Paid there £90 for an old Campagnolo Record OR headset.

Here's here the receipt, make of it what you will. Time to move on.

1 Attachment

so where's the black stem with risers and pedal straps?

So not really NOS after a year of use.

Bad luck, it looks like they took you for a lot.

Ok, so you paid more than the savvy members of lfgss and BLB overcharged a bit for building your bike.... nothing to get in a state about.

It's a lovely frame and you have some very expensive components hung on it. If you want to sell it you'll make a loss, but that's just the market. If you want to ride it, then do so and don't worry about how much it cost you. You're saving a big chunk via cyclescheme which may undo some of the high prices BLB charged you. At the end of the year you can pay the extension fee (prob about £70) which is an agreement for another four years. No massive payment like some have suggested - you just won't own the bike until that time.

I say enjoy the bike and when you come to build your next one, shop around using the internet and eBay.

Having looked at the receipt, nothing is particularly shocking imo - BLB is know to be on the expensive side when compared to buying from large internet retailers. Savings could have been made by compromising on some of the components, i suppose.

^ +1
There's no shocking prices there. You've got quality parts. Some nice bartape and pedals would really finish it off.

£12 for a beake cable and £10 for seatpin is alittle excessive

Here's here the receipt, make of it what you will. Time to move on.

BLB can't add up either

The world has gone mad when you can pay £1700 quid for a bike that is 'not quite there'

£2 hipster tax

I think it was there when it was first built, but the parts that have been changed don't go.