Rossin find
 

Picked up this Rossin the other day. It was originally posted on CL for a stupidly high asking price. I watched the price slowly trickle down over a few weeks and finally grabbed it for what I consider a fair price. It’s lost most of its decals for some reason, but replacements are available, and the paint is in fair condition. It’s spec’ed with a full Shimano 600 group, with ‘85 date codes, that I believe to be original to the bike.

Not a lot of catalogs available online, so I don’t expect to nail down the exact model year.


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Very nice! I’d say Record from first half of the 80’s. I’ve wanted a Rossin for a while but at some point 5-6 years ago people decided they’re highly desirable and it’s hard to find one at a fair price.

https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/rossin/

Check page 3-4 for features similar to yours.

I have also noticed the price had picked up over the last few years. I’ve had them on my CL watch list for a while now, and they don’t show very often.
I agree, probably a Record. I think mine’s later than the one on the Bulgier site catalog. Different rear brake bridge, with two logos vs one in the center.

Out for a ride this morning, I spotted an old Cannondale in someone’s yard atop a pile of old wood and window frames. My keen C&V eye instantly locked in on what appeared to be Super Record levers.
Flipped a quick u-turn and knocked to inquire. Nobody home. Did a quick up close look at the C’Dale and verified it was a full Super Record build except for NR RD (pat 84).
Went back and left a note with my number, asking if they wanted to sell it. A few hours later a nice lady named Ada contacted me and said her son no longer used it and that I could have the bike for free.
Even though the bike was pretty rusty and I will spend a lot of time refurbishing the parts group, it was too nice to take for free. I left her some cash under her Christmas decoration and texted her the location.
Except for the lack of an Italian BB, this will make a nice donor for the Rossin.
Here’s a few pics:

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Wow. And a nice 85-86 Cannondale frameset in the bargain!

Yeah, it’s a bit rough with some corrosion bubbling under the paint. As it was inverted in the work stand there was water running out of it. Most likely from recent rains we’ve had here, but judging by the amount of dirt and debris on it, it’s been sitting outdoors for a while. I’ll probably throw it up on CL for nearly free and see if I get any takers.

Put it up in the For sale forum. You never know!

I would like to keep it local, I’m not interested in shipping it. I’m not looking to make any money on it. I would only ask for an amount just be sure someone wasn’t grabbing it to turn it in for it’s recycle value.

Another interesting discovery I made on the donor-dale was the wheelset it came with. A set of Mavic G40’s on Campy hubs. Rear is a Hi-Lo hub. I had never seen one before, only online. The wheels are super dirty and I haven’t checked the spoke count, but I’m looking forward to servicing the hub and seeing how well it cleans up.


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One like this.

Completely agree on the no recycle fee. In any case, nice Rossin and I hope someone jumps on that 'Dale. Originals deserve some love. Would actually make a good single speed with a chain tensioner and flat bars, with a re-imagined paint-job (open canvas) for someone.

Anyone ever see this set up? I’m guessing it’s to prevent derailleur damage, but I’m not sure how much it would help.
The Cannondale had a bolt run through the center of the Campagnolo mounting bolt. A washer behind the bolt head and a nut on the outside. At first I thought it was some weird Cannondale thing, but after pulling the bolt out, the RD came off like any other.
Lots of interesting stuff on this find.


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All the Rossins I saw in Toronto were sold frame/fork only. Not that that justifies Shimano parts...

I have a Rossin from about the same time frame, and likely the same model. It was dressed in early Tri-color Shimano. I've seen a few others with Shimano parts.

Good luck with your build, and nice find on that donor!

Looked up the serial number, BB#### = 1984

Thanks. I really don’t have an issue with one group over another. The Shimano 600 is excellent and most likely works as good as or better than the Campagnolo of the same era. I have a Dura Ace bike already and haven’t had a Campy build in a while, so I felt it somewhat serendipitous that this full Campy Cannondale fell in to my lap.
I have several bikes to ride, so there’s no rush to finish this quickly. My goal on this build is to actually work on my ability to be patient and work on it a little at a time. I’ve attempted this in the past…maybe it will go better this time :)

BTW, the Rossin they sold that was color matched to the tri-color group is a beautiful bike. Is that what you have?
if you’ve ever seen the Crack On guy on you tube, he did a resto on one recently. Give it a look.

A lot of good stuff on the C-dale for sure. The Rossin looks very nice even without original decals and it has to be fast…it’s red!

I've started to clean up and service some of the components from the Cannondale. It's been pouring rain and I had originally thought I would offset my riding with some shop work, but we have a six month old Weimaraner mix puppy that has been keeping me busy as well. He has a huge play reservoir that needs to be emptied regularly and that has lessened my available time for bike work...all good though.

First on the bench was the Pat 84 rear derailleur. Started off fairly dirty, but as I have found in the past a good layer of filth can actually preserve the original finish. There's a little bit of rash on the bolt heads, but the overall finish is very good and surprisingly the jockey wheels are not cracked. Before and After pics:

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I'm guessing the bolt running through the center of the mounting bolt was there to prevent damage to the bolt in a crash/fall. I had never seen that set up before. I can't say how effective it would be, but I could see it causing a bit more work to remove the derailleur if the bolt got damaged as well.




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I haven’t updated this thread in a while, but not because the project has stagnated. So here’s an update:
Continued with cleaning of parts from the Donor-dale. Brakes are mostly finished. I disassembled, cleaned, lubed and re assembled. They pads a petrified, so I need to order replacements for them. One brake adjuster o-ring was rotted and split, so I bought a set from an eBay seller. Very nice copies.
Front derailleur, headset and cranks are complete, and I’m happy with how they cleaned up. The cranks have the beginning of cracks in the usual spot, so I’ll have to keep an eye on those. They are 170 length, with an odd ‘84 (drive side) and ‘82 date stamps. I have a set of 172.5’s, so I may replace with those. The seat post and levers off the donor need cleaning but I’m going to use a Super Record seatpost and brake levers I already have cleaned up. It will save time and having to buy another set of hoods.
Since I need an Italian BB for the Rossin, the one from the Cannondale won’t work. Prices for good used Campy examples are waaay too much imo. So I opted for an era appropriate Specialized that has an 115 mm ISO square taper spindle. The seller accepted my offer, so I feel like it was a good deal.
The donor bike had a nice set of Cinelli bars and stem in the size and length I like, but I’m a sucker for a panto stem. I have one inbound, and I it hope works out. Pics when it arrives.

Next up are the wheels.


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...I guess it's too late for this time, but these are a pretty good deal: Campagnolo Square Taper Bottom Bracket 36x24 Italian 115mm OEM
I've used them a few times, and they seem to be of reasonably good quality. I'm honestly not sure why they're so inexpensive. Probably the end lot or something.

I saw those. I wanted something that looked more like the original style Record cups.

...you might know this already, but make sure when you do your final assembly that you highly torque the drive side cup.
I use blue Loctite on them as well, but I'm one of those belt and suspenders people.

Having a drive side RH thread cup back out in use, makes you appreciate why it changed eventually.

Had the time to tear down the Rossin and fortunately all the original Shimano 600 group came off without a fight. Bottom bracket fixed cup was notably snug, but that was expected…and required.

Sorry no pics of the bare frame, but I will post up during the “freshening” process. Fork has a serial number stamp, even though the frame only has a size stamp. No rifling inside the steerer tube. I had expected it to be present and found this odd because this is a Columbus frame. I did a little polishing by hand and I was happy to see how well the finish came back. Originally I had thought it might not clean up without leaving some pitting, but I think it’s going to be ok.

Anyone else ever seen a serial number like this on their Rossin? And can you confirm what tubing they used on the forks, if not Columbus? I searched it carefully for the dove stamp, but couldn’t find it. I guess it’s either just not there or buried under chrome.


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Another Possibility
 

The only markings on the steerer of my Ghibli's forks are "T56" running in a vertical row inverted. The steerer tube is "rifled". The bike's made of TSX. So, my Rossin is of no help to you.

In this thread it's suggested Rossin used Oria tubing for their "lesser" models.

The Ghibli is a bit newer frame, and super cool I must say. I’m quite sure my frame is a Record model, due to the color, chrome and decal outline on the chain stays. I guess the fork could be Oria though. I’m not sure when they started offering tubing for bicycles. I’ll have to look that up.

My Ghibli is on the way from Romania...

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