FS: Waterford RS-33 62x58.5 Road-Sport Frameset

Paul Brodek

unread,

Nov 12, 2020, 3:17:48 PM11/12/20

to RBW Owners Bunch

Waterford RS-33 62x58.5 Frameset, w/W'ford Fork: $725 shipped conti USA, $675 pickup NYC metro on Jersey side of Hudson; paypal goods/services payment

Though this isn't exactly in the ibob/RBW wheelhouse, it is fully steel, and I know there are some folks here whose interest in iron extends towards the bleeding edge.

The 33-series uses oversized shaped/profiled True Temper S3 tubing, making for a very light and responsive steel frame. W'ford currently showcases the R-33 as a high-performance race bike, but the RS-33 designation means this was custom-built for road-sport use, so the wheelbase is a little longer, angles likely a little slacker, and most importantly, it'll fit 30mm actual-width 700c tires under 39-49mm calipers.

It's also got a slightly sloping top tube and tall head tube, so it's easier getting closer to an unracer handlebar height without pushing standover higher.

The frame was built in '05 for a shop employee who quit without paying for it. It then sat in the shop till I got it in '10 or so. It came with an Alpha-Q fork, but I wanted more clearance up front, and steel i/o carbon, so I had W'ford build me a matching steel fork.

The employee who bailed was named Colby, so we're treated with his nom-de-huh "Colbzilla" on the top tube.

So you're looking at an older, but near-new frameset, built with what's still cutting-edge steel technology, but with some "classic" features. Meaning rim brakes, dt shifter bosses, no discs, no thru-axles, no weird bb standard. Crikeys, it's even got a pump peg!

It's a bit tall/long for me, 62cm c-c st x 58.5cm c-c tt. Somehow the classic "fistful of post" works visually for me better on something like a '72 Hetchins than a modern wundersteel frame. Between the sizing and me kinda not feeling worthy of what the frame can do, it was one of my least-ridden steeds, not more than 1k miles since I got it.

We had our sayonara ride recently, and maybe it was just that last break-up sex thing, but it was a great ride. Fast, solid, responsive, nothing noodly, but with 30mm tires it was nothing near bone-shaking, either. Note that the bb drop is a substantial 80mm, so there's a reason it feels so grounded.

No dents, dings, scrapes or other impact damage. There is some chippendale action at some of the component contact points, visible in the pix, notably the drive-side bb shell outer edge, top of the seat lug and the rear brake bridge.

It was at 17.5lbs in its final build, shown below, with the only carbon being the SRAM Red crankset, a Specialized carbon-railed Toupe, and I guess the Red brifter lever blades. That was a 1x build, so it'd be closer to 18lbs with a double/fder.

Current pricing on R-33 frames, with a matching W'ford steel fork, would be close to $3k. The W'ford builds are all custom, so you could spec an RS-33 build if you wanted new.

I have a copy of the W'ford Frame Detail sheet, which I'll attach. The angles/dims below are mine, with the official dims from W'ford in (). I've also added some standover actual dims to account for the slightly sloping top tube.

And though the last thing I want is to over-complicate and add drama, it's worth noting that the Frame Details specify no tt slope and clearance for 700x25c tires. But the tt clearly slopes, and the frame clearly fits wider tires. The tt slope seems like too big a detail to miss, all the tube cuts/miters would change going from level to slope, so I can only assume the buyer changed that but the detail sheet didn't get updated. Not sure what to think about the tire clearance, which is mostly having enough brake shoe drop for crown/bridge clearance and keeping enough width between the blades/stays for side clearance. The brake shoes on the RS-33 are close to rock-bottom, and there's no crowding on the sides with 30mm tires. So either they read "25c clearance" and figured they'd give more since it's a Road-Sport design, or the buyer tweaked that spec as well. Sheesh.

With an 80mm bb drop, this will unfortunately not be a great candidate for a 650b conversion, unless you ride 120mm cranks or never, ever corner.

The mock-up photo w/saddle & wheels has an 83cm saddle height, for reference. I usually ride 79-80cm, depending on shoes/pedals, which is what you'll see in my complete build photos. And the complete build photo is also for reference, what's offered here is the frame, fork and seatpost binder bolt only.

Frame weight: 3.9lb/1.8kg
Fork weight: 1.8lb/810g
Frameset weight: 5.7lb/2.6kg
Actual Dims & (Dims From Build Sheet)
ST: 72.5-deg, HT 73.5-deg (72.5x73)
ST: 62.0cm c-c, 64.0cm c-t (64c-t)
TT: 58.5cm c-c (59 theo)
Chainstay: 43.0cm (43)
WB: 102.5cm
BB height: 25.7cm
BB drop: 80mm
SO w/30mm tires:
Front of tt: 90cm/35"
Mid tt: 88.5cm/34.8"
Rear tt: 87.0cm/34.3"
HT: 230mm
Rear spacing 130mm
Waterford vertical drops w/no eyelets
Seatpost: 27.2mm, fits a bit tight
Brake reach: short, recessed

Lotsa pix on flickr, including various builds over the years.

Flickr album:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/26383479@N04/17n35K

Paul Brodek

Hillsdale, NJ USA