Not So Super?

   No news is bad news, as far as the Tarmac project goes, since that means the guys at Bikesport are still picking the pieces out of the rusty barrel adjuster mounts. I informed Bob of the situation: “I have everything waiting in my shop – I could have it ready for you tomorrow, if only I had the frame!” Well, maybe it would take me a couple of days to assemble everything, but he got my point.

   In the meantime, I can introduce you to a more long-term project that I’m going to work on during the autumn/winter, as funds allow. If you are a frequent reader of the blog, you may recall my discussion on Colnago bikes and my love for new or vintage models of that bicycle build. I have a saved search on eBay for Colnago bikes, just to browse through when the mood hits me. My brother-in-law also directed me to a fairly new internet site called If This, Then That, with which I can plug in details that will alert me to new Colnago posts on craigslist.

   A few weeks ago I saw an auction on eBay for a Colnago Super Saronni, which refers to a vintage machine modeled after the bicycle on which Italian Giuseppe Saronni (pictured above with bike) won his 1982 World Championship. The bike is distinguished by its wine red color, which I’ve heard is done by applying an undercoat of black with a translucent red topcoat – very much the color of a real candy apple, not the color people regularly call “candy apple red”.

   Colnago also started regular use of the World Championship rainbow stripes on their frame decals to celebrate Saronni’s win, even adding them diagonally behind their trademark Ace of Clubs logo (photo right) on their bicycle headtube badge.

   The bike up for auction wasn’t complete, but it featured a mixed bag of components, including Campagnolo front and rear derailleurs, aero seat post, pedals, brakes and brake levers with hoods, Cinelli handlebars and stem, a Dura-Ace crankset, headset and bottom bracket and a new retro-look Selle Italia leather saddle. Someone had obviously built up this frame with high-quality parts, but in my mind I was already selling off the mismatched stuff and returning the bike to its original all-Campagnolo glory!

    I was aware of the bike’s value, but I wasn’t willing to invest the $900 the seller asked with the “Buy It Now” feature, but he also had a “Make Me an Offer” button on the page, and I punched in $700. I was a little disappointed to see the auction end later in the week, but just a few days after that, I received a Second Chance Offer at my price when the original buyer backed out.

   Aware that the bike required a signature for delivery and that Carrick’s class schedule might not allow me to be at home when the FedEx truck came by, I requested the bike be left at the Collegeville FedEx office for me to pick up. On the way home from Wednesday's class, we picked up the package, which was obviously a do-it-yourself job in a U-Haul box. The box was not particularly well-sealed, with some of the seams split open a bit, but nothing from which I immediately thought any of the larger parts could escape.

   The large box wouldn’t fit into my Honda Civic, so Carrick and I unpacked everything and put it in the back seat. The contents were in a big, taped-up cluster of  what I thought was pipe insulation tubes used for packing protection, but upon closer inspection, I think the seller just split a bunch of those floating foam noodles kids use in the pool. There was no way Carrick and I were going to undo this in a parking lot, and with our empty stomachs begging for dinner, we decided to wait until we were at home to attack this mess.

   Sellers often use free shipping as an incentive to buyers, and unfortunately some people go the "do it yourself" route. I am used to receiving bicycles professionally packaged, especially because it involves partial disassembly of the bike and some experience arranging the parts in the box efficiently in order to protect the valuable bicycle – skills usually beyond the average person. I was very annoyed when I saw the packaging tape was all over the paint and the vintage decals, which (unlike modern vinyl decals that sit under a clearcoat for protection) do not stand up well to any type of handling, let alone adhesives!

   I was somewhat glad that the paint had no issues with the packing tape, but I wasn’t happy to spend hours removing all the torn pieces and rubbing off the tape residue left behind. With some assistance from Sue, I kept damage to the decals to a minimum, but this shouldn’t have been a problem at all, if the seller had a clue what he was doing.

   After the unwrapping was complete, I assessed what was in front of me. The nasty “splash” bar tape immediately stood out, and, as most people know how much I hate that crap, it was the first thing to go! I was disappointed to find someone had drilled holes in the beautiful Cinelli bars, apparently to allow for internal cable routing. The real problem, however, was that the seatpost, saddle and pedals were missing!

   I quickly ran out to the car to double-check that we hadn’t left anything in the back seat, but unfortunately it was empty. I then sent a quick note to the seller to inquire if he had accidentally left these parts behind, and after the time he spent on his tube/wrap extravaganza, I wouldn’t be too shocked to find out that was the case!

This posting is getting a bit lengthy, so next week I will let you know about the (painful) exchange of messages with the seller to try sort out this deal and any progress I’ve made on either of these projects.