[CR]Pesenti crbon monocoque bike on UK Ebay

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing)

From: "Norris Lockley" <norris.lockley@talktalk.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 02:33:27 +0000
Subject: [CR]Pesenti crbon monocoque bike on UK Ebay

I should be in France by now, picking over a selection of randonneurs and r oad bikes, but the deep snow (for the UK that is) that has covered much of middle and southern England has deterred me for a couple of days.

So I have just a bit of time to fill in on this dramatic-looking Pesenti. I know the bike intimately having ordered it from Pesenti at the 1988 Cologn e Show. The sellers of the bike, for which I provided all the parts..NB&nbs p; the CORIMA corne-de --vache time-trial bars - the first in the UK, are t he Clayton brothers from Scarborough, who have had the bike from new. Mark and his younger brother were probably my best ever customers and spent a sm all fortune to obtain the very best machines available. Once their father c alled in the shop to pick up a pair of Wolber disc wheels and in handing th em over I apologised for what seemd a high price although it had been well discounted for these mega customers. In reply the father shrugged and said quite quietly " I'd rather they spent their money in htis sort of gear than the hard drugs their mates are using!

the brothers went to the Show with me with the idea of buying a Ferrari=e ngineered carbon-fibre COLNAGO time-trial frame that had been used by a ger man Pro rider earlier that season. I remember it seemd like a lot of sausag es stuck together. At the time I was also working on the Geliano stand when the lads came rushing back to tell me about the Pesenti they had seen.

Of course it was something of a show-stopper and I said as much when examin ing it on the Pesenti stand, advising at the same time that it was "just fo r show..not to be ridden" to which a beautiful Italian girl , who turned ou t to be Pesenti's daughter replied that the frame was for sale..and others could be made to measure. I still have my photos of the original frame on t he Pesenti stand (without Corima bars I might add) and also the poster that M Pesenti gave me

Money seemed no object for the boys..so the frame was ordered...the price b eing 3,500,000 lira ..or around £1600..making it the most expensive fr ame I had ever seen, let alone ordered. Delivery was quoted as about 120 da ys and true to his word M Pesenti sent me a fax one week short of the date stating that "..your frame is made and ready for its paintings" . In my ign orance I had assumed that the paint job would be in the £1600..and tol d M Pesenti so. He stuck out that he wanted another £300 ,but I refuse d to pay..so he backed down very politely.

The frame arrived shortly afterwards resplendent in a sort of metallic blac k, and I have to say that it was worth every last 1000 lira. The picture on Ebay just does not do justice to the elegance of this frame...the strutted front fork is just oustanding. The only problem for the brothers is that t he bike was not homologated for use in time-trials organised by either of t he sport's ruling bodies in the UK..so this mean machine only got outings i n the club's - the Scarborough Paragon - own club events. Bearing in mind t hat the lads also had about a dozen other superb machines, including three low-pro Bespoke of Settle ones, this Pesenti would see very little us e.

I delivered the frame, forks and other equipment in early 1989..the wheels and the bars being ordered at the same Cologne Show. I have not seen the bi ke since about 1996..but I would guess that it is absolutely immaculate...a nd worth every ££££ of the Buy It Now price if a bike o f this type is your scene..

If anyone is seriously interested, you should ask Mark to send you other ph otos, so that you can get the measure of this machine. I doubt whether ther e are many frames such as this one available..it might be the only one. Sho uld anyone actually buy it, I think I still have the original invoice..and it's a wonder that it isn't framed and hanging from the wall in my office.
>From a head-on view this machine is looks lethal.

Seriously if anyone is interested in the machine and needs further info, I would be very happy if you wanted to mention my name in your correspondence . I wrote out so many invoices for the pair of them that I still remember t heir address by heart - The White House (now there's a good omen!) 24 Osbor ne Park Scarborough Tel 01723 363103.

My guess is that the lads, now aged in the mid to late 40s are needing some cash..as well as some room..and they probably are turning to classic bikes ...or to bringing up families ..or both.

I have just taken a five minute break from typing this email in order to lo ok up the correspondence with Pesenti..and have found the whole file. The f rame ..the model is the MODULAR..was ordered on the 28 September 1988, and is a 58.5cms. from the centre of the B/B to the top of the seat tube.The de posit was paid on the 16 November, and the accompanying letter specified Ca mpag Record C groupset...using a 53 T large ring and asked for a BSA thread ed bracket. A fax dated the 27 March 89 stated that the company was havingb trouble supplying a BSA braket sleeve and asked if an Italian threaded one would be acceptable. The frame was originally to be supplied with "i ts first applicastion of Dupont Wash Primer and ready for your colours. ple ase take care of the temperature of the painting. It should not be over 70 degrees." In the event the frame arrived in the middle of April resplendent in its Dupont metallic black..

The documentation is complete with Mark's sketches giving his personal meas urements and a sketch of the finished bike using a three-spoked F.I.R carbo n front wheel..

The other memorable thing about the visit to Pesenti's stand at that Show w as that he was the first manufacturer I had ever met who used TIG construct ion for his frames, the process being used on his top-of the-range models. I recall ribbing him about this method of frame construction but obviously he was a very far-sighted fellow who read the market trend..or posibly set that trend.

Norris Lockley
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