RWB m600

[Vintage_bike_basement]

Cool bike. Any ideas on what it is

 

[black lightning 1987]

You have to go back to 1994 to find a threaded fork on anything above an M400, and I think the 1995 low end bikes had smaller diameter steerers than the bike in the picture and wouldn't have had cantilever dropouts. There were no 2.8 MTB frames until 1995, and they didn't have the cantilever dropouts. So a repainted 1994 (or earlier) 3.0 frame with 2.8 decals (from a road bike?). Not sure any MTB had the 2.8 decals on the chainstays but the road bikes did. I don't think I"ve owned a 1994 frame. Pretty sure the 1993s all had 1 1/4" steerers if they had the Pepperoni fork. Don't know about the lower models with the Tange fork.

 

[Vintage_bike_basement]

You have to go back to 1994 to find a threaded fork on anything above an M400, and I think the 1995 low end bikes had smaller diameter steerers than the bike in the picture and wouldn't have had cantilever dropouts. There were no 2.8 MTB frames until 1995, and they didn't have the cantilever dropouts. So a repainted 1994 (or earlier) 3.0 frame with 2.8 decals (from a road bike?). Not sure any MTB had the 2.8 decals on the chainstays but the road bikes did. I don't think I"ve owned a 1994 frame. Pretty sure the 1993s all had 1 1/4" steerers if they had the Pepperoni fork. Don't know about the lower models with the Tange fork.

Hmmm, I have found 3 of them on separate pages/websites. Makes me wonder if it is some sort of limited release? On top of that, everyone is calling it a BOTE

 

[black lightning 1987]

Hmmm, I have found 3 of them on separate pages/websites. Makes me wonder if it is some sort of limited release? On top of that, everyone is calling it a BOTE

All have the same decals and paint? Certainly could have been a limited or end of the year release that doesn't show in the catalogs but the 2.8 designation doesn't compute - especially since when the 2.8 frames did appear in 1995 they didn't have cantilever dropouts. I have a 1995 M900 that I can check. But I guess it could have been a late 1994 release designated 2.8 but still with the 3.0 style dropouts. Bottom bracket height would be the best way to tell if it's a Beast frame. I think that 1992 was the first year for the BOTE. Catalog says BB height was 13". I have a 1993 that I can measure. The 1992 frames did have a 3.0 decal on the stay, but there were no 2.8 frames that early. Also the BOTE was always an M800 and always a 3.0 until the CAAD2 was introduced in 1996.

 

[Vintage_bike_basement]

So i found some more info. They are saying it’s a 1992. I think BOTE started in 1991 with the 13” BB but do have a different geometry from the sm’s in 90 as well. It is a cannonde bike shop in the UK that currently has the bike. I made contact with them for some better photos. Might need to add this one to the collection!

 

[Vintage_bike_basement]

I went ahead and bought the bike, it’s a 1992 for sure. I talked to them a bit more and it’ll be great in my collection. From what we found out, in 1989 cannondale had the option of the BOTE geometry on both the sm900 and sm600 frames that year only. It was the slanted top tube as well and the raised BB. Something I never knew so there were actually 2 BOTE bikes that year. Pretty awesome!

 

[black lightning 1987]

I have never checked the 1989 sloping SM900 Red Shred geometry to the later BOTE frames but the concept is clearly similar.

Glad that you picked the bike up. The paint and 2.8 decals are still sticking points for me but that issue won't detract from it being a great bike.