Re: [CR]Intro; Mystery frame - Italvega is my guess

(Example: Framebuilders:Dario Pegoretti)

From: "Diane Feldman" <feldmanbike@home.com>
To: "Charles T. Young" <youngc@netreach.net>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <004e01c0b4a9$91997580$dcc698d1@youngc.flashcom.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]Intro; Mystery frame - Italvega is my guess
Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2001 17:02:02 -0800


I'll second Italvega--dropouts, seatstay tops, shape of headbadge, shape of lugs. EX crankset with 9/16" pedal adapters, too! David Feldman


----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles T. Young"
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2001 1:29 PM
Subject: Re: [CR]Intro; Mystery frame - Italvega is my guess



> Chuck inquired:
>
> >I recently bought an old frame at a thrift store that I can't identify. It
> >included an amazing menagerie of components - sort of a cyclocross
> >configuration with a wild mix classic European road, Japanese road,
> Japanese
> >mountain (mtb), and a few other odds and ends. I've identified most of the
> >components that were on this frame. In particular, I've cleaned up the Zeus
> >2000 rear derailleur and Zeus seatpost and will seek information about
> these
> >in separate emails.
> >
> >The purpose of this email is to solve the mystery of the frame:
> >- Who built it? When?
> >- What type tubes and lugs does it have?
> >- Is it worth restoring?
> >
> >Here are the clues I've gathered so far:
> >- classic European road geometry and light-weight steel - seat tube
> measures
> >57cm from center of bottom bracket to top of top tube
> >- seat and head tube lugs appear identical to those on my circa '72
> Reynolds
> >531 Gitane frame
> >- bottom bracket lug is nicely shaped but different from the Gitane -
> serial
> >number stamped on the bottom is 1711, or 171, or 17 (hard to distinguish
> the
> >numbers from the scratches)
> >- seat and head tube lugs are unpainted and no longer have much of a chrome
> >finish (if they ever had it)
> >- stays are chrome at dropout ends, dropouts are the same size and shape as
> >the Campy dropouts on my Gitane (i.e., opening forward rather than
> downward)
> >but appear to have been cut out rather than forged
> >- frame appears to have been repainted - a smooth name plate on the head
> >tube has distinctive shape but has been painted over
>
> BINGO - It appears to be an Italvega based on the headbadge. I just went
> down to the stable and looked mine over.
>
> See Dale's site for some details on the marque. It is worth building up if
> you want an italian made Columbus Tretubi bike. Not sure how many models
> were made. Mine is a 1970 "Nuovo Record" model. Stock build (as far as I can
> tell) had a variety of equipment: Campagnolo NR derailleurs/shifter,
> Stronglight 49D crankset, Gnutti hubs, Mafac levers paired with Universal 61
> centerpull calipers, Sofatti Professional saddle on a steel pin. Judging
> from the scratches in my paint, the frame is fully chromed.
>
> Charlie Young
> Honeybrook, PA