rideandgoseek 

Thoughts on the value of this 1982ish RIH wiht full Record? Reynolds 531 tubing and fork

Would be working it into a trade I have going but very curious as to what people know about these Danish bikes.

Are they common in the US?

Are they as collectable as I think they are?

Ride quality?

Thanks for any input. Meeting tomorrow at noon so any help is appreciated. Sorry but these are the only pictures i have.

Thanks!

big chainring 

RIH are nice bikes. Very few peoole would recognize the brand in the US. I value bikes like this at $500. If it said Raleigh International on it it would be $1000 bike. Or a Colnago a $1500 bike. Of those examples, me personally, would rather have an RIH.

non-fixie 

Where is the serial number located? If on the lower head tube lug, it's a handmade bike from the Amsterdam shop, built by Willem van der Kaaij. In that case you've got a very nice machine on your hands. Read more about them here.

If it's on the BB shell, it's a bike built by Cové in Venlo. Still a nice bike, but nowhere near as collectible.

rideandgoseek 

Serial number is on the lower head tube lug and reads 81 94

In regards to identification purposes, it has bocama long point lugs and it says Holland on the head badge. I did some reading on the RIH link you sent (thank you, btw!) and wondering if those things contradict one another as far as it being built by Wim Van Der Kaaij?

Also has a 60th anniversary sticker on the downtube which would put it as a 1981 if the company was founded in 1921

Thanks for any info!

I have some really good photos of it but i've been getting error messages for a week or so whenever I try to post on the forum which is strange because I've posted successfully many times before using the same method. If anyone could assist I can email them over.

Best,

juvela

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If the forum's photo upload system is not working for you you could post the images to a host site and post a link to the gallery here at the forum.

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rideandgoseek 

Good call

https://www.pedalroom.com/bike/1981-rih--34541

Here she is

Also, has a '79 patent date RD

juvela

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Gallery displaying fine now.

Happy to see it worked for you.

Fascinating bike. @non-fixie will be along shortly to enlighten us all.

BOCAMA lugset appears to be the Competition 76 R3.

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non-fixie 

You rang, sir?

Sorry about the tardy reply. I meant to respond earlier and actually thought I had, but apparently got distracted ...

Thanks for the pictures, @rideandgoseek! Definitely a bike from the Amsterdam shop. Wim van der Kaaij started with RIH in 1948 and took over the shop in Amsterdam from the Bustraan family in 1972. I've always assumed that that was when Wim Bustraan jr retired, and Van der Kaaij remained as the sole builder. But I've no evidence to back that up.

In the early eighties Van der Kaaij changed the serial numbering system and introduced a semi significant format, including a date. He told me something to that effect when I had a short talk with him in 2012. If the numbers I recorded in post # 1 are anything to go by, he actually did it more than once. So 81 94 could well be the 94th frame from 1981.

RIH Sport never really bothered much with consumer marketing. Because of legal issues Van der Kaaij was not allowed to produce more than 250 RIH-branded frames per year, and he could easily sell those to the professional racing crowd and well-endowed amateurs. Given the race results, his frame-building skills matched those of Ernesto Colnago, Ugo de Rosa or Gerald O'Donovan, but outside the small circle of people who've ridden his bikes (and you of course), hardly anyone has ever heard of him.