1985 Salsa Custom #63
Ross Shafer built this custom Salsa mountain bike for triathlete Cindy Williams in an extra small size in 1985. He would then sponsor the Salsa-Pangea team that included at various times Sky Yeager, Carla Culbertson, Linda Dupriest, Martha Kennedy, and Christine Culver. The team became the first women-only in 1988, at a time when women raced shorter distances and received less prize money then their male counterparts. Building bikes for smaller riders became something of a specialty, and part of that involved custom-sized stems to make up for the limited available options at the time. The stem on this bike has through cable routing for the front brake, but later that year the first Salsa roller stems would be developed. Soon after that, Salsa would offer the Moto Stem in a wide variety of sizes and capitalize on a burgeoning aftermarket. Also around this time, tire models became available in different volumes, with this frame being built around a skinny 1.75 inch IRC Racer X-1 in the rear for pedaling efficiency and a fat 2.125 inch in the front for cushion and steering control. The stay clearance in the rear really won't fit a larger tire. The "Rosstamon Vibration" paint is a nod to the Ska and Reggae tunes constantly playing in the Salsa Cycles workshop and would be used for the repaint of Ross' personal 1984 bike. When Ross first moved to Petaluma, he rented shop space behind Pangea and their screen printing operation, which served local bike manufacturers.
More information about Salsas can be found on the Salsa Photo Archive page.
More information about Salsas can be found on the Salsa Photo Archive page.
The Build
Year: 1985
S/N: SM063 Frame: Salsa Custom Fork: Salsa Unicrown Stem: Salsa Direct Mount Headset: Specialized Sealed Bearing Bottom Bracket: Specialized Sealed Bearing Handlebar: SR MTB-200 Light Alloy Shifters: Shimano Deore XT M700 Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT M700 Rear Derailleur: Shimano 600 Long Cage Brake Levers: Suntour XC-Power Front Brake: Shimano Deore XT M700 Rear Brake: Suntour XC Roller Cam Crankset: Specialized Touring Chainrings: Specialized 26-38-48 Pedals: Suntour XC-II, Christophe/Specialized Clips, Christophe Straps Hubs: Shimano High Flange HB-MN72 / Specialized Cartridge Bearing Rims: Araya RM-25 / Saturne Alloy Tires: IRC Racer X-1 26 x 1.75 IRC Racer X-1 26 x 2.125 Wheel QR: Specialized Seatpost: SR Laprade Saddle: Avocet Touring-WII Seatpost QR: Modified Specialized Grips: Grab-On MTN-1 Chain: D.I.D. model L Cogs: Shimano 600 Extras: Silca Pump |
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