Originally Posted by
Wilfred Laurier
Sweet bike!
I retired my 'clops a couple years ago after discovering cracks beginning on the underside of the seat cluster. Mine is also a 'Freuler' style, too, although I had never heard that term before. I believe mine was built for the 1991 Toronto bike show, and I bought it in 1992.
The one thing about the RC tubing is that I believe it had a published rider weight limit of 190 lbs. I was never under 200 lbs when I rode it, but the tubes held up fine.
Funnily enough, mine was built by the shop where I got it with all Shimano parts except for an older Campy front derailleur - it is like a photo-negative of yours!
I'll keep an eye on that seat cluster area as the bike sees use.
I know True Temper spec'd rider weights for their tube sets at this time, and I'd seen that on their promotional material for RC...but, yeah, I wouldn't put too much stock in the lawyer-safe numbers. I'm not going to be racing or otherwise giving the frame a hard time, and the tubing specs are comparable to Columbus SL or Reynolds 531C, nothing fabulously thin/lightweight (unlike that fateful RCX stuff mentioned earlier).
My bike and yours almost certainly date within a few years of one another, I'd reckon, as it seems like the HT/ST extensions fit into that late 80s/early 90s timeline.
It is funny that your ended up as 'photo-negative' in that regard. Maybe they tried the Shimano FD, and noticed that it crowded the rear wheel because of tight geo and particular design of certain Shimano FDs of the period - an issue I'm currently dealing with right now! It's possible, if yours is as tight as the one I have here.
Any pics of your retired Cyclops?