Thursday, March 26, 2015

Recent Personal Acquisition: 1980's RIGI

     This is a frame  and fork I personally got recently. It is an early 1980's RIGI. It is a bit of a unique bike and I am looking forward to building it up. The most clear unique feature is the split seat tube design that enables the rear wheel to be brought closer under the rider. This design shortens the wheel base. The chain is shortened by a full 6CM! Also the head tube angle is very steep,  77 degrees! These bikes were built for speed, not comfort. Also, very twitchy at high speed. I have seen a couple examples before, usually lugged. This one is the stainless steel version, adding to its uniqueness. Even the fork blades are stainless steel! Here is a link to the Classic Rendezvous page about the marque: RIGI  Also of note is the special adaptor piece for the front derailleur. Gian Robert made a front derailleur specifically for these bikes. This one was made by the previous owner and works just fine. It is a bit of a long term project and I hope to build it up with a Campagnolo Super Record group. I also want to use all the after market alloy and titanium parts O.M.A.S. and Cobra made in the 80's for the Campagnolo NR /SR components. Those bits will probablly  take the longest to get I am sure, time will tell. I like oddball / unique bikes, and this one fits the bill for sure. Enjoy the photos!





















1 comment:

Dale said...

What a neat/weird frame! Look forward to seeing it as a complete bike! I really recommend getting a frame builder to carefully check the alignment of the frame & fork before building... Then double check that the wheels are properly dished. Having done that, the bike will go straight, and it will just react immediately to any steering input!