Retro Bicycle Thread

[HeartCoppi]

Had myself a bike find.

It's been a while since I've been this lucky...if ever this lucky, actually.

Spotted an ad with one horrendous photograph, clearly taken at night and from no less than 10 metres away.

Ha, but, my trained eye picked up what I thought looked like a bike with a DA7400 crankset and the STI's sharp and glinting enough to be DA too.

So went to see her and sure enough it is cycling's finest components: Dura Ace on a nice Panasonic frame.

 

It turns out that the real fund is not the GS, but, the frameset !

 

Later I research to find out that this bike is even heralded in some circles as : "finding a unicorn"

 

Wow, I immediately find myself deeply attached to this rare and prestigious frame:

 

a "Panasonic Team America Custom"

 

Absolutely beautiful detail in this frame.

I guess I've just got myself a new project.

 

Edited June 9, 2019 by HeartCoppi

[Badsam]

Had myself a bike find.

It's been a while since I've been this lucky...if ever this lucky, actually.

Spotted an ad with one horrendous photograph, clearly taken at night and from no less than 10 metres away.

Ha, but, my trained eye picked up what I thought looked like a bike with a DA7400 crankset and the STI's sharp and glinting enough to be DA too.

So went to see her and sure enough it is cycling's finest components: Dura Ace on a nice Panasonic frame.

 

It turns out that the real fund is not the GS, but, the frameset !

 

Later I research to find out that this bike is even heralded in some circles as : "finding a unicorn"

 

Wow, I immediately find myself deeply attached to this rare and prestigious frame:

 

a "Panasonic Team America Custom"

 

Absolutely beautiful detail in this frame.

I guess I've just got myself a new project.

 

IMG_20190609_150025.jpg

 

Very nice find indeed. Not enough appreciation for the Japanese steel here locally, I feel. So perhaps makes finding gems like these a little easier? Or not, because there aren't that many of them around anyway. 

 

We will get more pictures, please? 

[DJR]

Had myself a bike find....................... with a DA7400 ...............

The Dura Ace 7400 is really nice looking and bullet proof. Great find!

[DJR]

............................Not enough appreciation for the Japanese steel here locally, I feel. ....................

Especially Miyata

[Loose cog]

Very nice find. Now you need a Shimano AX groupset to go with it.

[Badsam]

Especially Miyata

 

I've got something in the works. Will start a build thread soon 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Awesome find, wow   

[LeTurbo]

Had myself a bike find.

It's been a while since I've been this lucky...if ever this lucky, actually.

Spotted an ad with one horrendous photograph, clearly taken at night and from no less than 10 metres away.

Ha, but, my trained eye picked up what I thought looked like a bike with a DA7400 crankset and the STI's sharp and glinting enough to be DA too.

So went to see her and sure enough it is cycling's finest components: Dura Ace on a nice Panasonic frame.

 

It turns out that the real fund is not the GS, but, the frameset !

 

Later I research to find out that this bike is even heralded in some circles as : "finding a unicorn"

 

Wow, I immediately find myself deeply attached to this rare and prestigious frame:

 

a "Panasonic Team America Custom"

 

Absolutely beautiful detail in this frame.

I guess I've just got myself a new project.

 

IMG_20190609_150025.jpg

You really are from a different world 

[Climate]

I've recently acquired a Colnago C40 frame, but am in need of a seatpost (28,0mm).  Please let me know if someone has a spare Colnago seatpost out there.

[DJR]

I've recently acquired a Colnago C40 frame, but am in need of a seatpost (28,0mm).  Please let me know if someone has a spare Colnago seatpost out there.

They are pretty scarce because they were only used by Colnago on the C40 and 50 and only for a few years. Mostly people sell them with the frame. Look on EBay, there are some for sale but they are normally expensive.

 

You can also use a smaller diameter carbon seat post and have someone make you a shim. I had Kevin Wilkinson (Ex-BMC in Salt River) machine me one until I found the right 28 mm Colnago one. Unfortunately I destroyed it in the removal process or I would gladly have passed it on. You can also make your own shim if you are willing to experiment a bit with different thickness aluminium beer cans, or you can buy brass sheet from an art shop (Deckled Edge, Salt River). They come in various thicknesses and the artists use them for engraving.

 

Enjoy the C40. They really give a magical ride! 

[Climate]

They are pretty scarce because they were only used by Colnago on the C40 and 50 and only for a few years. Mostly people sell them with the frame. Look on EBay, there are some for sale but they are normally expensive.

 

You can also use a smaller diameter carbon seat post and have someone make you a shim. I had Kevin Wilkinson (Ex-BMC in Salt River) machine me one until I found the right 28 mm Colnago one. Unfortunately I destroyed it in the removal process or I would gladly have passed it on. You can also make your own shim if you are willing to experiment a bit with different thickness aluminium beer cans, or you can buy brass sheet from an art shop (Deckled Edge, Salt River). They come in various thicknesses and the artists use them for engraving.

 

Enjoy the C40. They really give a magical ride! 

 

Thanks for the info DJR ... had to check for local availability first, but will resort to Ebay for the correct item if all else fails.

[Wayne pudding Mol]

I've recently acquired a Colnago C40 frame, but am in need of a seatpost (28,0mm). Please let me know if someone has a spare Colnago seatpost out there.

Call Carbon bicycle repairs in Durbanville and ask them if they could convert a carbon 27.2 seatpost into a 28 - I’d bet James could

[DJR]

This is what we all do with our classic bikes! Great!

[bikebloke]

This is what we all do with our classic bikes! Great!

yeah you should melt colnagos down and make drain covers because they are overated RUBBISH  

Edited June 23, 2019 by bikebloke

[DJR]

yeah you should melt colnagos down and make drain covers because they are overated RUBBISH  

This particular one is a Titanio.

 

The story goes that when Ernesto wanted to build titanium frames in the 1980s, the metal was simply impossible to get because the Americans and the Russians used it for their space programs and for intercontinental ballistic missiles and hoarded it. (B.t.w. that is where the nickname "unobtanium" comes from - and it was then later used in the movie Avatar as the valuable metal they mined on the planet.)

 

Anyway, rumour has it that Colnago bought a scrapped Russian submarine for its titanium. It was also used extensively in submarines because it is the most rust resistant metal. They then struggled to weld it, and Ernesto imported a Russian space program welder to teach the Colnago ones how to weld titanium.

 

It is a great swords into plowshares story, but it is not confirmed, so probably just urban legend!   

[bikebloke]

This particular one is a Titanio.

 

The story goes that when Ernesto wanted to build titanium frames in the 1980s, the metal was simply impossible to get because the Americans and the Russians used it for their space programs and for intercontinental ballistic missiles and hoarded it. (B.t.w. that is where the nickname "unobtanium" comes from - and it was then later used in the movie Avatar as the valuable metal they mined on the planet.)

 

Anyway, rumour has it that Colnago bought a scrapped Russian submarine for its titanium. It was also used extensively in submarines because it is the most rust resistant metal. They then struggled to weld it, and Ernesto imported a Russian space program welder to teach the Colnago ones how to weld titanium.

 

It is a great swords into plowshares story, but it is not confirmed, so probably just urban legend!   

that really does sound like a looooong colnago marketing story  

but it was fun to read anyways