That is a cool bike! What weels did it come with?
Originally Posted by
Kanegon
Nice! Was the Campy group standard on the Legend? These bikes must be rare.
We attribute that model to 1984 (but could be 1985). Lotus had three Campagnolo equipped bikes that year; the
Legend Compe (like in the photo) with Nuovo Gran Sport, the
Competition with Nuovo Record and the
Supreme with Super Record. All the frames were Columbus tubing and had engraved seat stays and fork crowns. In order to offer a Campagnolo group at a competitive price, the remaining components on the bike were Japanese, like the SR bar and stem and the Kashimax saddle. Rims were either Araya or Ukai.
The first year for the Legend Compe was 1983 and it came equipped with Sugino, Suntour and Dia Compe components. Lotus called the dark green Oxide Green and the color in the photo was just called Tan. Navy was also available.
The
Legend Compe frame was slightly different than the
Legend. The Compe had different geometry and did not have eyelets on the dropouts. Both bikes shared similar components in 1983, but in 1984 the Compe came Campagnolo equipped. Anecdotal evidence we've gathered suggests that the Campagnolo bicycles were only a one-shot deal, meaning they were imported from Japan in one shipment and when they were gone they were not available for re-order. The Competition sold out first, followed by the Supreme and then the Legend Compe.
In 1986 Lotus partnered with Cinelli and offered 3 models of full-blown Italian racing bikes (Record, Supreme, Triomphe) all made in Italy.