A couple of weeks ago I noticed a message posted by Steven Maasland which outed an eBay auction for what purported to be a chrome framed Bianchi sporting some interesting Nuovo Record parts. The Buy-It-Now price was a very reasonable 289 Euros. I bought it. (Steven had alerted me to the fact that the bike was not a Bianchi, but the price seemed fair for the parts alone.)
The auction page can be found under Ebay item #190029479525. I have also posted the photos to Wool Jersey (http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/simonpj/)
The bike arrived yesterday. The seller was very pleasant to deal with, had packed the bike well, and after its journey from Germany to England it arrived in good shape. To the last part, the bike was spotlessly clean.
The main mystery is the frame. Clearly not a Bianchi, the frame is lightweight, has fairly fine lugs, and contributes to a total bike weight of about 22 pounds. The fork and rear triangle do appear to be chromed, but the main triangle doesn't look like chrome to me - though it is very shiny. Could it be the nickel plating that was underneath the original paint finish?
There are markings on each side of the fork crown from which the letters S and D can be identified, plus one other possible letter which looks like a backwards B linking the smaller S and D. I will post more detailed photos to Wool Jersey tomorrow.
The chain rings are elaborately pantographed with rainbow colours and a B which is not the Bianchi B, and the brakes are also neatly drilled and filled with rainbow colours.
The 26.4mm Nuovo Record seat pin was the wrong size - it should be 26.8mm. The wheels are GP4's on Record hubs, fitted with new Wolber tubs. New bars and stem have been fitted, along with Mavic brake levers which I found very uncomfortable on the first ride that I had on the bike today.
I'll post more photos tomorrow to Wool Jersey, in the hope that someone might be able to identify the frame.
Wyndham Pulman-Jones
Girton, Cambs.,
UK.