The Search for Stock

   After I was nearly cleared out of bicycles the past few weeks, I started looking out for some interesting new projects. A customer named Vishesh, who had missed out on one of my bikes that sold, contacted me about building something a little more modern for him. I had always been interested in trying out a Museeuw (pronounced moo-SAY-oo) frameset, and a recent change in ownership for the company has brought about more focus on U.S. distribution. I found an internet sale on the frames which made them a particularly attractive proposition for Vishesh.

   Regular readers will know that I was a big fan of Johan Museeuw, a three-time winner of both Paris-Roubaix and the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders), as he was a member of the dominant Mapei team that rode Colnago bicycles. After his retirement in the early 2000s, Johan started a bicycle company that interestingly turned to including flax fibers in the frames’ carbon layup, when it was found to increase the vibration dampening qualities.

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   I found the white MFC 3.0 frameset with black and gold accents to be an attractive scheme, and we are going with a Campagnolo Centaur group for the build. I had to look into yet another bottom bracket standard, as the Museeuw frames have a press-fit BB86. This requires a fairly simple insertion of special Campagnolo cups that will allow the bearings for the Ultra-Torque system to fit in the shell. More on that later when all the parts arrive.

   Matt and I were able to finish up the Klein parts swap, but not before another round of complicated internal cable routing. There were plastic sleeves inside the tubes, but they didn’t connect from entrance port to exit port – perhaps someone accidentally pushed them into the frame during a previous cable change. Even without an internal guide, routing the cables should have been fairly simple, as the frame is aluminum and a magnet can typically be used to guide the steel cables through the ports. Unfortunately, the holes were only just a little wider than the cables, and a bit too much accuracy was needed to “hit the mark”.

   I first tried the vacuum method, but again the thread would just tangle on its path through the top tube. I noticed that I could actually see from hole to hole with my small flashlight. I then had a brainstorm and straightened the wire coat hanger, leaving the end hook attached to give me a sense of direction. I put a slight bend in my tool, in line with the hook, and with just a sliver of sightline to the flashlight, I was able to twist the hanger into perfect position. I let out a loud, “YES!” and actually did a little dance.

   The plastic liner for the downtube was the longer of the available pieces, so I slid it around the coat hanger and through the top tube as a guide for the brake cable. The two photos below give you an idea of the process – note the thread and taped holes are still present from my unsuccessful vacuum attempt.

   The down tube cable routing job would have been more complicated, since there was no direct sightline, but the folks at Klein left a larger exit hole, and I was able to find that spot fairly easily by just making sure the hook pointed at that spot as I slid the hanger through the frame.

   Here are a couple shots of the finished bike, which Matt snapped for me later at his home:

   The SRAM brake/shift levers and deep profile Token carbon wheels on the Klein were “donated” parts from a Ciocc bicycle, that I felt had components that were too modern for my liking. The company’s “Retro” model frame is a 2011 frame made with Columbus Nivacrom Zona tubing, and it has a paint job with a throwback look. I’m going to replace the SRAM Apex group with a Campagnolo set that will look just right.

Note: it should be spelled Ciöcc, but I realized that people generally don’t include the umlaut when doing searches, and that would cause them to unknowingly bypass articles and listings involving these bicycles.

   I also found another first for me, a Cinelli frameset! Although I would have preferred one of their classic steel frames, they are quite pricey. This is their aluminum Unica frameset, made with Columbus Aluthron tubes. These frames came as a direct response to Cannondale's advances with aluminum and experiments with alternate tube shapes. The teardrop profile downtube and elegantly sweeping seat and chain stays are precursors to designs seen on today's aerodynamic carbon frames.

   I picked up a black and silver Cinelli Alter stem and a matching black set of the company’s Eubios handlebars. I'm going to build this up with a Campagnolo Chorus 9-speed group.

   Not everything I do is Italian, as I also picked up a Merckx Alu Team frameset. The paint on this late 1990s Belgian product is rather tired, but I have plans to strip its nasty paint and hopefully have my friend Bruce Tatem do another of his awesome paint jobs on it. I liked the Italian trecolori job on my Pinarello Asolo so much, I was thinking Belgian black, yellow and red stripes would be fantastic. A new set of VeloCals will finish the look, but I haven't decided on the components yet, other than a 3T cockpit given to me by a friend.

   The final project on my current list involves a custom-painted Cannondale R4000 frame from 1999. This is a multi-chromatic paint, somewhat similar to that on the Klein, except that this one turns primarily gold, instead of green, as the photo in low angle light shows below. However, when I took it outside midday, it was a deep purple hue! I plan to use the Shimano 105 parts that were original to the Klein bicycle, as well as a set of Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels.

   I’ll leave you this week with photos of the recently completed Bottecchia Aelle Azurri, as I am calling the bike, in order to distinguish it from the others of this brand that I have built over the years. I went a slightly different direction from my usual preferences and assembled the bike using a Shimano Dura-Ace 8-speed group and Italian 3T cockpit.