Hi David, The serial numbers and the chain stay reinforcement bridge speak of an Italvega Super Speciale or Superlight (made by Torpado) from about 1973 to about 1976-77. See a corresponding pic here: <http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/fujifish1/MarksVintageBikes/Marks_Torpado /album110/Italv76_SupSpec57SilvGreen31.jpg.html>
However, each of these bikes I've seen, had drilled front and rear dropouts, and diamond shaped windows in the lugs, fork crown and fork tangs. They also have two huge elongated "D" shaped cutouts under the bottom bracket shell.
The seat stay attachments seem similar to this approx. 1971-72 Italvega Super Speciale (from before the introduction of the ones mentioned above), but mine don't seem to wrap like the ones on the mystery bike: <http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/fujifish1/MarksVintageBikes/Marks_Torpado /Italvega_1971_Super_Speciale/Italv73_SuperSpec52Brown_MillDrillReduce17.jpg.h tml?g2_imageViewsIndex=1>
If leaning toward Superlight/Super Speciale, then perhaps the fork is a replacement? Or, perhaps this is one of the very first ones that came out in about 1973 ... or a prototype from earlier? Or perhaps this is a later "trickle down" model that lost some of those features? There were midlevel Torpados in the later 70s that had some of the diamond cutout lugs, likely built using up remaining Italvega lug stock, so anything is possible. German listmember Kim Klakow may still have one, unless he sold it. If yours was a later Italvega (about 1976-77), then I think it would have had more braze-ons. I still have not been able to nail down the meaning of the Italvega or early 70s Torpado serial numbers, so I cannot yet be certain about the age of any of the ones I have documented.
Please feel free to explore the other photos in each of these albums for other similarities ... and let us know if anything stands out!
Ciao, Mark (anything Torpado) Agree Southfield MI USA ~ ~ ~
>Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2006 19:57:14 -0400
From: "David Bean" <beandk@rcn.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]My mystery ebay bike
>I bought a repainted bike on ebay a while ago which had a very odd
description. Few people bid on it and I got it very cheap. It came with
some Campy track hubs that I sold and more than paid for the frame and
shipping. I rode it down to the Larz Anderson show, but no one could
identify it. Perhaps someone on this list can!
>I put some photos on Photobucket
>http://s112.photobucket.com/albums/n178/beandk/Mystery%20Bike/
>I think it's Italian. 70mm BB shell, 26.6mm stem, 27.0mm seat post. BB
says 36 x 24F. The seat stays curve partially around the top of the lug.
The serial number is *412xxx* where the asterisks are little 5-pointed stars
stamped in the BB shell. The frame has Campy dropouts and fork ends and may
be chromed. At any rate, it seems nice and shiny where the paint is
chipped. It is light, a comfortable rider, handles nicely, and behaves well
no-hands.
>Does anyone recognize this?
>Thanks
>David Bean
Arlington, MA