1992 GT Richter (probably)

Koupe

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So, last weekend I snagged this beauty* from eBay for the princely sum of £40, and yesterday it took up residence in my kitchen :D I deliberately haven't even cleaned it (let alone stripped it) until I could start photographing it. On reflection, I probably should have cleaned it. Oh well.

Cat is unimpressed:

Y9mz4GWl.jpg


Worryingly, it seems the previous owner was actually using barends on those risers:

WVeobLyl.jpg


And the infamous 'proof' of it being a Richter. Perhaps.

0ComaOil.jpg



The only bit I intend to keep from this bike is the frame, although one or two other parts might be kept for a while to save funds (u-brake, stem, maybe front mech). I'll be using as many bits from the Ballistic build as possible, but there'll still be plenty of gaps to fill.

First decision will be what to do with the frame - it'll be stripped and powdered, but I'm torn between black (original) and white (preferable). As I'm not doing a catalogue-spec build, and afaik the model designation was only based on spec level between 3 identical frames, I guess it doesn't really matter. I'd still like to put some Richter decals on it though.

I also need to think about what forks to use - I want to keep the weight down, but fear I'll be too heavy a rider for SIDs. Any suggestions welcomed, the sooner I decide the more time I'll have to look out for bargains :)
 
I'd go with white if that's your preference - no particular need to keep the original colour if you're not going catalogue spec - you could then have an inverted colour scheme with black decals if you wanted. When you're getting the decals it's worth bearing in mind that they changed between the '92 and '93 models (I have a '93, so if I got decals they would be in the '93 style, but I actually prefer how they looked in '92 with the model on the downtube and GT on the top tube).

I can't really offer you any advice on front suspension forks, as I'm using rigid on mine, but if you can live without the limited travel then rigid would make it lighter!

Great purchase for £40 :)
 
Damn, has it been that long? :oops:

Well, being skint once again, I've decided to go with a dodgy DIY paint job for now; depending how bad it turns out, I can always get it blasted and powdered in the future. It seems that Richter decals are unobtamium at present, however Gil_M does have the 92 Team Avalanche on file, so I might use most of those and just leave the downtube bare. Or leave the whole frame bare, not sure.

The only problems so far are that the bolts holding the seat-tube cable guide and the rear mech hanger have both been rounded off :evil: so I'll be drilling them out with fingers tightly crossed. On the plus side, I've managed to recycle a couple of bits that were heading for the bin :) and I've already made the purchase price back, so it's currently free :LOL:

Fork-wise, I've (almost) decided on Z2s; the frame's heavy enough that a couple more pounds won't make much difference - although I'd be tempted by early RST MozoPros, as I've heard good things about them, although they don't come up too often. I know that more than 50mm of travel will probably 'bugger up' the geometry, but meh :p
 
These dropouts were only available in model year 1992, so your frame is definately 1992! :)

The black is not necessarily the original colour as all decals are gone. So it does not have to be a 1992 Richter.

The Richter-frame (which came standard with a suspension fork) was identical in terms of material (True Temper GTX) and features (Groove Tube cable routing, replacable rear mech hanger, adjustable vertical rake on the rear) with the following tig-welded frames:
- Team Avalanche (3D forks, XTR)
- Bravado (3D forks, XT/DX)
- Avalanche (3D forks, XT/DX)
- Karakoram (Chizel cut forks, LX/DX/XT)

Here is a link to the 92 catalogue:
http://www.mtb-kataloge.de/Bikekataloge/PDF/GT/1992.pdf

Have fun with your project! The frame is very nice, IMHO one of the best GT steel frames ever made. I would give it a nice paint job. Here is a good example:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=191406
 
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