A young guy named Nick, who was just getting
into racing, was thrilled with the new, old stock Olmo frame, and might have me
tweak a few details to get the machine set up just how he likes it. The bike
might not have its complete vintage look for long, but it now belongs to
someone else, and that’s all that matters at this point.
A few days later, I had the Patelli all
together and headed out to take some shots of that bicycle, which is now for
sale.
I had been searching quite a while for an
affordable Masi frameset, as it is a legendary brand that had provided bikes to
Coppi, Gimondi, Anquetil and Merckx, although often badged-up with alternative
logos for the respective team sponsors. Founder Faliero Masi opened his shop in
the 1950s at the Vigorelli Velodrome in Milan, after a professional racing career
and stint as team mechanic.
His son Alberto took over the Italian
business, while Faliero moved to California to start up U.S. production.
Unfortunately, a dispute over production led to a split in the company, and the
Masi name became property of U.S. investors.
Some “Masi-philes” would even argue the ‘70s
California bicycles, with Italian flair and a twist of American custom craftsmanship,
were the finest in company history. The brand grew to greater fame when it
appeared as main character Dave Stoller’s ride-of-choice in 1979’s
Oscar-winning movie, Breaking Away.
The Masi frame I’ve purchased is a blue 1985 Nuova
Strada, which features Columbus SL tubing and Cinelli lugs. The frame is
stamped “56” on the bottom bracket, but Masi geometry is a little more relaxed.
The top tube is 56 centimeters, center-to-center measurement, while the seat
tube is actually 54 C-T-C (56cm center-to-top).
I plan on “stepping up” the build level on
this bicycle, by using the iconic Campagnolo C-Record group, which will require
a little more patience to find at a reasonable price, but I’m in no hurry to
complete this project, since I have plenty of other builds on which to work. I
really want to make this project stand out, and the brand is worth the
attention!
I have another Olmo to work on, as I came
across a San Remo frameset which is a modern run of the company’s classic
frameset. This 2009 version displays the appropriate throwback graphics, but it
is made of top-quality Columbus SLX tubing. The lustrous cobalt blue paint is
stunning, too!
I haven't finalized a plan for this build, but I do have a newer Campagnolo Centaur carbon group which would provide a blend of classic looks and modern performance appropriate for this particular frameset.
I haven't been giving many details about progress on the Casati Fibra, as it was on the back burner while I was collecting the needed Campagnolo Record and FSA components. I should be finishing up this bicycle soon, if I can find a good set of Record brakes, preferably in black, but anything
affordable will do.
There was minor complication when I started some assembly and found
the custom 52-tooth chainring the previous owner had installed on the FSA Gossamer compact crankset created way too
much chain-wrap in combination with the 29-tooth largest cog on the cassette that came with the Vento wheelset
I had purchased. There was an excess amount of chain when I
shifted down to the smaller compact chainring (34t) and smaller cogs. This
caused the rear derailleur to flop back too far and the top pulley wheel to rub
on the cassette, since there was no back tension from the drooping chain. I swapped in a
50t chainring and a 12-23t cassette, re-sized the chain and everything works perfectly.
Next time I will be discussing some “must-have”
bicycles...or maybe “wish-I-could-have” would be more appropriate. I’m hoping
for some feedback/comments from regular readers, so stay in touch!
No comments :
Post a Comment