'92 Verlicchi DH - Finished 27/02/2011
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jango
Senior Retro Guru
That looks very tidy 
Best get together for a family photo with my dual response http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... highlight= ........before you sell it!
Best get together for a family photo with my dual response http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... highlight= ........before you sell it!
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I think the design of yours will work better than mine!
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wired99":1ncotzag said:Yuk!
First bike of your's I think is 'orrible :shock:
Bring back the 531 beasts ...
get your bits over here then:
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... 35#1037535
Normal service resumes...
MudHungry
Dirt Disciple
I've got the translation finished (as good as it gets) - I took the liberty of doing all three pages. I can do the other article also, but that would take up another evening.
Here it goes:
The name ‘Active Shock’ is on the rear forks, ‘Marzocchi’ is on the damper and the forks. The toptube has a decal that says “World Champion Downhill ’92-‘93”. In Holland, this bike, full suspended and specially designed for downhill is being marketed under the name Rudy Project.
Rudy Project actually is an Italian brand for sunglasses. So they don’t make these bikes themselves, they are produced “elsewhere”. Not in Taiwan, but in Italy, at Verlicchi to be precise: a name well-known in the world of MX for building top-rated aluminium monocoque frames. Earlier, they were involved in the development of frames for the Swiss-built S-Bike. Verlicchi offers its frames worldwide, and you can find the frames under all sorts of brands.
Last year they issued a full-suspension bike. The design was done by the also Italian brand Marzocchi, who produce suspensions for two- an four-wheelers. The frame was thoroughly tested before it hit the shops. American Dave Cullinan was offered the job – and he had a successful go. Branded as Iron Horse (‘made by Verlicchi’) he rode this bike very hard down the slopes of the mountains of Bromont in Canada and became the world champion downhill.
Alloy Frame. The TIG-welded frame is designed around the suspension. Three main tubes are made from 7000 series aluminium. Tubes are oversized and the down tube is ovalised at both ends (bracket and head tube) to guarantee stiffness. Cable guides are riveted into place. Rear cables for shifting and braking run on top of the down tube, the gears are led on top and by the pivot of the swing arm, the rear brake-cable is fed through a small tube across the seat tube. Front gears are operated with cables coming from underneath, the design of the suspension doesn’t leave enough space to have a top pull derailleur. The swing arm is constructed out of 6000 series aluminium and pivots in a Teflon coated bushing. The damper is mounted on top of the bracket and about 15 cm (6 inches) before the single pivot point of the swing arm. Other parts are also from aluminium and are stamped with the Verlicchi-logo. The neatly finished frame is sold separately with the rear forks and the damper – a complete single-coloured anodised kit with the seat post, quick-releases, bars, stem and forks is sold as a second separate kit, available at the dealers who then can build it up. The frame is also available without labels, so some dealers market this under their own brand. Our test bike has a nice combo of alloy with purple, a black frame with blue bits is also available. The bike is kitted with a mix of Shimano Deore DX and XT, Smoke Lite 1.9 tires, Sun Chinook 32-hole rims, Flite saddle and Ringlé quick-releases. There is no way to mount a bottle cage: there is no room left, so the frame has no tabs either. The bike comes in at about 12.8 kilograms (28.2 lbs), which is nice for a full-suspended bike. The frame without the forks comes (as stated) at about 2.500 g (5.5 lbs).
Marzocchi Oleopneumatico. The suspension elements of Marzocchi are the focal point of the bike. The front has a XC 400 forks, air-suspended and oil-damped. The travel is a large (sic!) 4 cm (1.6 inches), and the fork weighs 1492 g (3.3 lbs). The forks built differs little from the Starfork, Marzocchis earliest forks. The legs still have separate valves for adjusting the pressure, but the suspension and damping are on a much higher level than the old forks, that had trouble with soaking up little obstacles. Next to that, the weight has come down about 70 g (peanuts lbs) by drilling the outer aluminium legs and using a lighter alloy for the crown. Although the fork is marketed as ‘for sports use’ (riding hard and with small concessions to comfort), the ride with about 3.5 bar in each leg was very acceptable. The legs tend to ‘dance’ a little when going uphill though. If you raise the pressure with 0.5 bar, the party quickly is over. Besides that, the fork gave a much stiffer impression than the earliest Marzocchis. The mounted brake-booster probably contributed to that too, whatever antics we tried, the braking pads didn’t touch the rims. A manual is provided with the forks with instructions for maintenance, with a difference between race use and recreational use. Someone who rides competition is advised to change oils after 20 hours of competition, recreational bikers can do with one change every year. Best this is done at a Marzocchi Suspension Centre since there are some special tools needed for servicing.
The damper in the back has gotten the code AOO33. It’s a mono shock element with a travel between 20 mm (not even an inch) and 23 mm (close to an inch). This may not look much, but with the levering-position this is to be multiplied about three times, which delivers you about 6 cm (2.35 inch) at the rear wheel. The damper is made out of steel and aluminium and measures about 14 centimetres (5.5 inch), and weighs about 345 g (0.8 lbs). Just like the forks, oil takes care of damping, air provides the suspension. The valve on top is somewhat hard to reach. Recommended pressure is between 9 bars and maximum 12 bars, depending on the weight of the rider and the terrain. For a rider at about 70 kg (154 lbs) 9 bar provided a very comfortable ride. When you mount, the suspension takes a small dip (sag). The little damper performed very well on both small and large obstacles. Even in some rougher terrain, the damping was proficient, it never bottomed out. According to the importer, these dampers are also very popular amongst builders of recumbent bikes. The small size makes it easy to built in.
Going down. The bike is specially designed for downhill. With a rake of 71.5° at the head tube and a seat tube at 73° the geometry can properly be called all round. Distance between the bracket and rear axle is 43.5 cm (17.125 inch), overall wheelbase is 106.5 centimetres (41.93 inches). The frame has a sporty feel when seated; a top tube of 58 cm (22.83 inch) and a stem 14.5 cm (5.7 inches) long makes for a stretched position on the bike. This is very well necessary for a downhill bike; shorter and steeper angles will too often lead to OTB’s. With a full suspension bike, it’s easier to make a fast and safe descent. While testing the bike around Spa, going down showed the best side of the bike. The rear triangle lacks some stiffness, which was noticeable on level terrain: there was a slight loss of pedal-power when hammering down. This also plays a role when going uphill. And the weight of about 13 kilograms (see above) doesn’t help either. With downhill bikes weight has a different role than with ‘regular’ mountain bikes; if you want to come down hard, you’re better of with some extra weight.
For those who mostly ride in the Netherlands, this bike may not be the best buy. A rigid bike, perhaps with suspension forks, are more efficient when riding sporty. For those who enjoy a more recreational ride and are keen on comfort but want a bike that looks fast, the Verlicchi frame is a very good choice. And off course the bike is very well suited for those who take the plunge regularly, and want to finish close or even before Cullinan. Without taking a spill…
Here it goes:
The name ‘Active Shock’ is on the rear forks, ‘Marzocchi’ is on the damper and the forks. The toptube has a decal that says “World Champion Downhill ’92-‘93”. In Holland, this bike, full suspended and specially designed for downhill is being marketed under the name Rudy Project.
Rudy Project actually is an Italian brand for sunglasses. So they don’t make these bikes themselves, they are produced “elsewhere”. Not in Taiwan, but in Italy, at Verlicchi to be precise: a name well-known in the world of MX for building top-rated aluminium monocoque frames. Earlier, they were involved in the development of frames for the Swiss-built S-Bike. Verlicchi offers its frames worldwide, and you can find the frames under all sorts of brands.
Last year they issued a full-suspension bike. The design was done by the also Italian brand Marzocchi, who produce suspensions for two- an four-wheelers. The frame was thoroughly tested before it hit the shops. American Dave Cullinan was offered the job – and he had a successful go. Branded as Iron Horse (‘made by Verlicchi’) he rode this bike very hard down the slopes of the mountains of Bromont in Canada and became the world champion downhill.
Alloy Frame. The TIG-welded frame is designed around the suspension. Three main tubes are made from 7000 series aluminium. Tubes are oversized and the down tube is ovalised at both ends (bracket and head tube) to guarantee stiffness. Cable guides are riveted into place. Rear cables for shifting and braking run on top of the down tube, the gears are led on top and by the pivot of the swing arm, the rear brake-cable is fed through a small tube across the seat tube. Front gears are operated with cables coming from underneath, the design of the suspension doesn’t leave enough space to have a top pull derailleur. The swing arm is constructed out of 6000 series aluminium and pivots in a Teflon coated bushing. The damper is mounted on top of the bracket and about 15 cm (6 inches) before the single pivot point of the swing arm. Other parts are also from aluminium and are stamped with the Verlicchi-logo. The neatly finished frame is sold separately with the rear forks and the damper – a complete single-coloured anodised kit with the seat post, quick-releases, bars, stem and forks is sold as a second separate kit, available at the dealers who then can build it up. The frame is also available without labels, so some dealers market this under their own brand. Our test bike has a nice combo of alloy with purple, a black frame with blue bits is also available. The bike is kitted with a mix of Shimano Deore DX and XT, Smoke Lite 1.9 tires, Sun Chinook 32-hole rims, Flite saddle and Ringlé quick-releases. There is no way to mount a bottle cage: there is no room left, so the frame has no tabs either. The bike comes in at about 12.8 kilograms (28.2 lbs), which is nice for a full-suspended bike. The frame without the forks comes (as stated) at about 2.500 g (5.5 lbs).
Marzocchi Oleopneumatico. The suspension elements of Marzocchi are the focal point of the bike. The front has a XC 400 forks, air-suspended and oil-damped. The travel is a large (sic!) 4 cm (1.6 inches), and the fork weighs 1492 g (3.3 lbs). The forks built differs little from the Starfork, Marzocchis earliest forks. The legs still have separate valves for adjusting the pressure, but the suspension and damping are on a much higher level than the old forks, that had trouble with soaking up little obstacles. Next to that, the weight has come down about 70 g (peanuts lbs) by drilling the outer aluminium legs and using a lighter alloy for the crown. Although the fork is marketed as ‘for sports use’ (riding hard and with small concessions to comfort), the ride with about 3.5 bar in each leg was very acceptable. The legs tend to ‘dance’ a little when going uphill though. If you raise the pressure with 0.5 bar, the party quickly is over. Besides that, the fork gave a much stiffer impression than the earliest Marzocchis. The mounted brake-booster probably contributed to that too, whatever antics we tried, the braking pads didn’t touch the rims. A manual is provided with the forks with instructions for maintenance, with a difference between race use and recreational use. Someone who rides competition is advised to change oils after 20 hours of competition, recreational bikers can do with one change every year. Best this is done at a Marzocchi Suspension Centre since there are some special tools needed for servicing.
The damper in the back has gotten the code AOO33. It’s a mono shock element with a travel between 20 mm (not even an inch) and 23 mm (close to an inch). This may not look much, but with the levering-position this is to be multiplied about three times, which delivers you about 6 cm (2.35 inch) at the rear wheel. The damper is made out of steel and aluminium and measures about 14 centimetres (5.5 inch), and weighs about 345 g (0.8 lbs). Just like the forks, oil takes care of damping, air provides the suspension. The valve on top is somewhat hard to reach. Recommended pressure is between 9 bars and maximum 12 bars, depending on the weight of the rider and the terrain. For a rider at about 70 kg (154 lbs) 9 bar provided a very comfortable ride. When you mount, the suspension takes a small dip (sag). The little damper performed very well on both small and large obstacles. Even in some rougher terrain, the damping was proficient, it never bottomed out. According to the importer, these dampers are also very popular amongst builders of recumbent bikes. The small size makes it easy to built in.
Going down. The bike is specially designed for downhill. With a rake of 71.5° at the head tube and a seat tube at 73° the geometry can properly be called all round. Distance between the bracket and rear axle is 43.5 cm (17.125 inch), overall wheelbase is 106.5 centimetres (41.93 inches). The frame has a sporty feel when seated; a top tube of 58 cm (22.83 inch) and a stem 14.5 cm (5.7 inches) long makes for a stretched position on the bike. This is very well necessary for a downhill bike; shorter and steeper angles will too often lead to OTB’s. With a full suspension bike, it’s easier to make a fast and safe descent. While testing the bike around Spa, going down showed the best side of the bike. The rear triangle lacks some stiffness, which was noticeable on level terrain: there was a slight loss of pedal-power when hammering down. This also plays a role when going uphill. And the weight of about 13 kilograms (see above) doesn’t help either. With downhill bikes weight has a different role than with ‘regular’ mountain bikes; if you want to come down hard, you’re better of with some extra weight.
For those who mostly ride in the Netherlands, this bike may not be the best buy. A rigid bike, perhaps with suspension forks, are more efficient when riding sporty. For those who enjoy a more recreational ride and are keen on comfort but want a bike that looks fast, the Verlicchi frame is a very good choice. And off course the bike is very well suited for those who take the plunge regularly, and want to finish close or even before Cullinan. Without taking a spill…
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a good read, many thanks for your time.
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