1985 Redline RL-20II

This is my personal RL20ii freestyle bike from the 80’s. It was a long road to this bike - I started freestyle riding on a Torker, then moved on to Redline PL20 in ’83 when I found out about the longer top tube and taller head tube. In ’84 I switched to the first RL20, and ultimately this ’85 RL20ii. This bike is my Survivor and original as pictured - the only new items are tubes, grease and lube. I rode this bike for local Bike Shop shows, AFA competitions, and even ran a 4H club for younger local riders up until ’89. The bike is original finish, and yes, Redline delivered it with red fork decals. Check out my original shop build sheet from late 1984!

I put so much thought into this build, and a lot of that remains hidden from the photos. Some things, like the top tube cable routing could be done cleaner today, but I left it as I built it in 1985.

• Rear hub is the SST Race Lace Coaster Brake, commonly referred to as the Woody Itson Hub. It has polished races, matched Campy loose ball bearings, polished brake cylinder and matching brake shoes. It also has as Suntour Type 1 square-hole brake arm, that matches the brake cone’s square pilot, which does not deform/elongate with heavy use. The brake arm is also inverted so it's tucked-up behind the chain stay.
• BITD I rode every available detangler and the SR Spin Tech Stem was the best overall performer - smooth, consistent braking throughout rotation, and a firm lever-feel. I wanted a really clean install, with zero cable loops, so a custom tube and cable ferrule adapters allowed me to route the cable around the double-top-tube wrap at the head tube. It still works smooth as glass!
• The Front Hub is a Sansin Gyromaster. This is a Road Bike hub that rolls super smooth and rarely ever wears out. It was rebuilt with a solid, hardened chromoly axle and loose campy ball bearings.
• At the top of the Toga seat post you can see custom seat clamp. This was liberated from an SR mountain bike seat post, and modified with a wedge and bolt (just like a quill stem). This was infinitely stronger than the standard seat clamp.
• The Rear brake is a modified MX900. The center pivot hole was drilled-out to 9mm to accomodate the larger Nippon center bolt, which greatly improved braking.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed my time riding it - in trick shows, half-pipes, competitions, and just for the fun of it!