1988 Grove Innovations Assault

[rody]

Hey folks,

As many of you already know, I've got a soft spot for Groves. This little gem was stored away in the back room of a bike shop in Connecticut and I was able to persuade the owner to part with it for what I thought was a steal. The bike is NOS, and other than a spin around the parking lot, has never been ridden. Here's the dilly-o...

1988 Grove Innovations Assault, 19.0", Neon fade paint with a lovely black splatter

Grove Assault fork

Grove Hothead bar/stem combo

First generation Deore XT 7 speed thumbies, brakes, levers, derailleurs, hubs, qr's, crank and bb

Ritchey logic 1.0" headset

Have a few items to swap out (seat, post, tires) but overall, I want to keep it as close to original as possible.

Took it out today for a short ride and instantly brought smiles . Can't wait til I have a bit more time so I can really carve up the trails .

keep it groovy,

rody

 

[cchris2lou]

So cool when you manage to find that special bike or part you thought would be impossible to own .

The smile on your face says it all .

 

[Elev12k]

Yes, first pic prooves it all ....a happy, proud guy!

Like the paintwork. Pretty sure it must be sturdy no hassle performer. Just curious: How does Grove finishing and built quality actually compare with for example a Fat Chance? Never saw one live

 

[adamgent]

Textbook- Retro!

Well done that man.

I don't know a lot about Grove but just looking at it sums up all things that are good about Retro.

 

[rutteger]

Rody,

awesome find and a definite BOTM contender. You planning on riding it much?

The whole style of the bike is soooo 1988. But that's a good thing

 

[cchris2lou]

Only missing a bit of fluo green and they would have been all on it .

A typical 80s paint job .

 

[rody]

You planning on riding it much?

Yeppo, no queens for me. As much as I admire the art of framebuilding, I'm in it for the thrills

How does Grove finishing and built quality actually compare with for example a Fat Chance? Never saw one live

Ironic you should ask Melvin...when I first spent time at Grove Innovations Bill asked me the same question.

All hype aside (putting on my glasses and taking a serious tone), to actually compare the two you truly need to see them both without paint.

Fat City really needs to be separated into two time periods...When Chris and a small cadre of friends were fillet brazing frames and the Sommerville heydays, when Fat was in full boom. The early Fats are very nice examples of handmade frames; beautiful brazing, attention to artistic detail, and the personal touch that comes with one or two people sharing the build responsibilities. The Fats (from mid 80's on) are all TIG welded with the exception of the silver brazing on the toothpick assemblies. The welds were gently polished to smooth over rough puddles before painting. Each step of the build process was handled by a different individual at a station. The frames are very nice, dare I say the best, examples of assembly line products.

Grove bikes are a little different. The main frame members are machined to incredibly tight tolerances which allow the smallest TIG bead possible. An .028" filler wire was used so the miters must be exact to keep a steady puddle flowing. As you would expect, the weld beads are immaculate and almost invisible. No touch up or polishing was required. Areas such as the braze ons; canti posts, H2O bosses, seat binder, drop outs and front derailleur pulley wheels were all brass or silver brazed to give a seamless appearance. Secondary, the brazing vs. TIG process for these bits allowed for repair or replacement down the road. All finish reaming and tapping was done by hand to prevent additional heat tempering possible with machine finishing. Your frame may pass through 3 sets of hands over it's 40 hour creation. Bill, Hubby and Johnny set a standard that I hope to reach some day.

I personally feel that the construction of both Fat and Groves are to be admired in their own respect; Fats as a high volume assembly product, Groves as a hand built, small volume frame.

If you have a chance to pick one up, I would highly recommend it.

I shared this same view with Bill...he smiled kindly before he told me to stop kissing ass

Oh well, sometimes the truth hurts

cheers,

rody

 

[Elev12k]

Always liked the styles and what it was intended for, but now I also know what is underneath. Thanks

Will I ever buy one? Always had a weak spot for sturdy steel bikes like Groves, FROs, Extreme. My riding style became more grown up and wear is spread over numberous bikes with me today, but I still consider them highly desirable.

 

[rody]

I'll keep my eyes open for you Melvin...do you have a model you are most interested in; Assault, X-frame, Hardcore, Agressor, Extreme, TI?

Every so often I run across one that needs a home and I can only keep so many

keep it groovy,

rody

 

[Elev12k]

Rody,

I want FirstFlight's clown Assault....

I have to deal with constraints like space and money, but of the brands I mentioned in my above post it is most likely I will go for a Grove. With my current knowledge I doubt whether John Parker was always serious towards the quality of his bikes (correct me if I am wrong) and of Extreme pretty less is known by me. Grove is pretty well covered by the purplelizard website and by the comments of you.

I do not really like the easthetics of the X. FS is no option. Would like any conventional frame, but I think the Assault be best for my current needs.

There are still few other things on my short list like spare Miyata Carbolite frames (like always) and an eighties FAT, but I do have Grove @ eBay bookmarked.

..and of course you can always notify me when you encounter something nice.

Thanks