New (old) Rambouillet

[Jake Watson]

Hi all,

Just wanted to share a picture of an older Rambouillet (60cm, RB1005) I bought used from the original owner about a year ago; he said it only had "maybe" 700 miles on it. It was like a time capsule with flight deck shifters and Mavic Krysium 18-spoke wheels, etc., which I (being about 220 lbs) obviously needed to replace.

I spent the past year planning and procuring new and used parts to make it a brevet bike, and I finally got everything together. Took it for a shakedown ride yesterday, and it's a real joy to ride! Very light and nimble ...

Here is a list of parts:

* Wheels: Velocity Quill rims with a SON dyno up front and Chris King R45 rear hub

* Tires: Rene Herse Orondo Grande tires with TPU tubes

* Crankset: Rene Herse compact double crankset (44/28) -- picked these for weight, appearance, and the ability to swap out chainrings

* Derailleurs: retained the Shimano Ultegra 6500, but am running it as a 10-speed

* Headset: found a used Chris King GripNut in great shape

* Brakes: Paul Comp Racer (I have honjo 40 fenders to still put on); Used some old (but new) Shimano brake levers I had ...

* Bottom Bracket: SKF JIS 107

* Shifters: Deore Dura-Ace bar end

* Handlebar: Nitto Moustache

* Stem: Nitto Dirt Drop

* Chain: Shimano 10-speed

* Cassette: SRAM 10-28 -- found this used in great shape for $40 at our local 'Recycled Cycles' ... milled out of one piece of metal.

* Seat: Gilles Berthoud Aravis (ti rails)

I need to find a front rack (and procure another Edelux II, maybe in orange to match the orange spring nuts on the Paul Racers), install the Honjo fenders (and SON rear light), lower the handlebars a bit ... but it is largely done.

I do have a few sets of Campy Ergopower shifters (both 10 and 11-speed) and a Nitto Rando bar, so I will eventually set one of these shifter sets up on the bar and a new stem to be able to swap the handlebars in/out ...

Cheers,

Jake

[Tyler Ryan]

Jake,

A couple of weeks ago I got a killer deal on a mostly original but very patina'd 60cm Ram, it looks much like yours! Here she I just about finished up:

Yours looks great.

My plan is to put some fenders and a rear rack on and have it be my "commuter."

Tyler

[Jake Watson]

Sweet!

[Victor Meng]

Jake and Tyler,

I love seeing pics of your Rambouillet.  Here's my '05 54cm Ram that I picked up from the original owner earlier this year.  I went from the original 41cm Noodle to Albatross, then Choco, and recently to Albastache.  The Ram is my first road bike, having mostly rode cruisers while wearing sandals growing up in LA.  My first thought when trying out the bike was "it is so nimble and rides effortlessly."  

Victor in Alameda, CA

[Tyler Ryan]

Looking so good! I like your pedal choice. How are you liking the albastache bars? I had a set that I never mounted.

Managed to get fenders on... I think my Ram may be an earlier one, it was troublesome to fit 35s and fenders:

[Jake Watson]

really nice Victor! This is the first moustache bar for me, and I'm really liking it, though now of course I am thinking that the albastache might even be better!

RE: Fenders (Tyler), I have resigned myself to just going with the Honjo H40s with 32s -- I have a set of H50s around, but they would require cutting and fiddling, and I've got a couple other bikes (A.N.T., Atlantis with Berthoud 60 SS fenders/48s, and a Moots Routt Rsl with 38s) I regularly ride. That said, really impressed with the weight and responsiveness of Rambouillet! I'll have to do a weight comparison--and post some pics of the Atlantis once I finish rebuilding it; just had it (re)painted, and it has an Appaloosa fork (sad story) ...

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[ascpgh]

Nice!

I'm still on my (big) orangesicle Rambouillet and ride it all over the place. Same old, same old for bars, shifters, and derailleurs. Paul Racers are "new". 

 

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[Patrick Moore]

Were the orange Rams the first edition, the blues the second? Did the blues take slightly wider tires? My blue took ~33s (1.35” Kojaks on MA40s) with SKS fenders, tho’ not a huge amount of air in between. But all that said, I do like the orange color better than the blue.

Very pretty and a nice setup.

On Thu, Sep 4, 2025 at 6:27 PM ascpgh <asc...@gmail.com> wrote:… I'm still on my (big) orangesicle Rambouillet and ride it all over the place. Same old, same old for bars, shifters, and derailleurs. Paul Racers are "new". 

 

[ascpgh]

Orange was the premier series color done by Joe Bell.

I rode the 33.3 Ruffy Tuffy/Roly Poly combo with SKS fenders when new, tried (and fit) 38s without fenders, and found them beyond the design intent and poorer handling than the 32 or 28s. 

This is a bigger frame size, so maybe clearance issues existed in smaller sizes where geometry was closer to being violated if clearance was given a greater value.  I enjoy having three cage mounts, unsure if all sizes could fit them.

Long settled with Stampede Pass ELs and Honjos in the Racers as pictured.

Andy Cheatham

Pitttsburgh

[George Schick]

I own one of those early orange Rams and I've often wondered about the paint scheme that was used.  Some say that "House of Kolor" Nova Orange base coat was followed by HOK Spanish Gold clear coat and all of that painting of those early Rambouillet frames was done by Joe Bell.  But as far as anyone has been to admit over the past couple of decades, none of these things may or may not be accurate.  Nevertheless, it is an extraordinary color that simply can't be duplicated by any usual OTC touch-up paints. If someone owns one of these early "orange" frames and really likes the color I'd recommend doing everything possible (fenders, front mud flap, right chain stay guard (e.g., helicopter tape)) to protect the frame paint from being damaged. OTOH, if you're a friend of the over-the-top "beasuage" society, ride the bike however you wish and just live with the consequences. 

[Bryan Dalik]

  

If we're sharing photos of old/new Rams, here is mine - got it from a guy out in Oregon. Originally had 25s on there and was much more road oriented. Turned it into my "country road" bike and fit 38s. This thing rules.

[Jake Watson]

Shimergo! How's that going? That is my next project ...

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[Bryan Dalik]

Can't recommend it enough. I kinda want a full campy bike now... but it's great. Takes some patience on set up but now it works very well. There's another thread I started here with a lot of good information from fellow listers.

[chrisd]

Here's my 2007. With fenders the biggest tire I can safely use are 28C Chinook. Had the rear deraileur dropout break several years ago and Grant had it repaired for nothing and then had a paint matcher who repainted the repaired area. I couldn't tell it was so perfect. 

Use a Campy 10 Centaur with Shiftmate for Shimano RD, Ritchey Logic CS, and CX70 FD

Chris

Boise

[Tyler Ryan]

Chris,

Which frame pump is that?

Thanks!

[ascpgh]

Chris has the same pump as I do, a Topeak Road Master Blaster. 

Mine is the model 5964, or XL (frames 59cm-64cm).  I have lent it to or used it for more CO2 users who spent their gas without successfully inflating their spare tubes than I have for my own. I think I got mine from Rivendell BITD.  

It is a fine tool, well capable of pumping to over 120 PSI. The lever chuck is substantial and durable, even after multiple classes teaching the frame pump naive how to inflate a tire and tube with it, like a 70s-80s Volvo clutch for teaching a new driver how to shift manually.

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[John Dewey]

How about this Toyo ‘04 wooly 2-wheeler. In the daily mix for more than 20 years now. 

Conti 5000s @ 32mm and 60 psi comfortable and well-behaved. Workmanship impeccable. 

But does it plane 🤪 ?

Jock

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[George Schick]

Now this post from John makes me have to ask when Riv changed from the original orange to blue and later to green.  I bought my Ram in early '04 from Peter White and it was an orange.  Don't know when it was built by Toyo, shipped to the U.S., and painted, and then sent to then Riv supplier Peter for sale, but your bike looks an awfully lot like mine, only it's blue.  When did the change take place, anyone?

[John Dewey]

George et. al.

My blue Ram was resprayed by JB (surly one of life’s greatest guilty pleasures) a few years ago—not because I didn’t like the color but to clean up a small rust spot below one of the seat stays. I’m sort of off the charts when it comes to bicycle maintenance and rust is way up on the list of no no’s. 

I find it difficult to choose colors as there is no end to the possibilities. 

As we all know, JB is a wizard with a paint brush. There are others probably but certainly none more skillful than JB. The shorelines are all perfect, as if the color was molded on. Frame was new to me in 04 and it gives me more pleasure day by day. Lots of positive comments from the carbon folks and that’s always satisfying. 

Jock

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