My Favorite Part of the Job

   During social gatherings, a question often comes to me in the form of "What do you do?", and I can usually get by with the simple answer, "I have a home bicycle shop business." If the person is interested, I'll explain that I'd really describe myself as a builder of custom vintage (and some modern) bicycles, but that the repair/tune-up part of the business is far more consistent.
   The post-COVID bicycle bust was really discouraging, as the bulk of the customer work kept moving away from my favorite part of the job, which has always been searching for new bicycle build projects, collecting the needed parts and putting everything together. The sale of these bikes led to visits from prospective buyers who shared the same passion for vintage bikes. I also didn't mind occasionally delivering my finished products, since I would also put one of my own bicycles in the car and plan a ride in the area where I was headed.

   Understandably, I was excited to make a couple of sales over the winter, as some of my build budget was freed up, and some storage space became available for completed projects. I first moved onto assembling the Ciocc Designer '84 bicycle - by the way, the name should be spelled "Ciöcc", with the umlaut over the O to show a distinctive pronunciation. I usually eliminate the symbol, as it makes searches complicated, but I found out the dialect from Bergamo, Italy, pronounces the ö sound like the oe in "shoe". So the brand is properly said "chooch"!

   I've built a handful of Ciöcc bicycles over the years, and while the high-quality Italian brand might not be as recognized as Colnago and Pinarello, it's probably because they haven't had a presence in the pro racing. I've assembled the Columbus SL steel frame with a bit of a retro-mod build. The bike originally came with a fantastic Campagnolo Super Record crankset and seatpost, and I've added the rest of a Chorus 9-speed group, Cinelli stem/bars and a pair of excellent Ambrosio wheels!

   My friend Ralph asked if I might list his 2012 Colnago CLX 3.0 for him. Now in his 80s, he only rode this occasionally on the nearby Schuylkill Trail. Ralph has been a cyclist all of his life and was fanatical about caring for his machines; it is in nearly flawless condition! The 50s (fits like a traditional 54cm frame) bike is currently equipped with Athena mechanical gruppo, but the bike has the wiring ports available for the option of installing electronic components.

   The Colnago was originally over $4000, and I've seen prices all over the place. We're starting around $2500, but that is certainly negotiable.

   A couple of newer projects coming up include an early-1980s Tommasini Racing Strada constructed of Columbus SL tubing and Cinelli lugs. The frame includes wonderful pantografia (engravings) everywhere! The purchase came with a partial Campagnolo Nuovo Record groupset, including wonderful Tommasini-engraved shift levers, so I'm currently filling in the missing components.

   I was excited to recently find an Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra painted for the 1989 7-Eleven cycling team. It was mostly outfitted in Campagnolo Athena 8-speed, but again, I have to fill in the parts list. The previous owner had installed a Look carbon fork, which is a nice feature for weight reduction and ride quality, so I am thinking of having that painted to match the frame.

   The bike was well-used, so I am taking it completely apart for cleaning and fresh lubrication. The multiple nicks on the top tube will also need to be touched-up (white primer underneath, ugh!) A new saddle and some Vittoria tan wall tires will finish off the overall look nicely!