[CR] Pinarello Info needed

(Example: Production Builders:Pogliaghi)

From: "Steven Maasland" <themaaslands@comcast.net>
To: "CR" <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 14:43:33 -0400
Subject: [CR] Pinarello Info needed


Bienvenu Bobby,

As Michael has already written, the serial number does not necessarily give you any information as many Pinarello bikes were coming from subcontractors at that time. The bike is regular production bike for the early-mid 80's. The brake levers are Modolo Kronos and to get hoods contact list member Wayne Bingham as he had quite a few sets available for what I recall was $60 a pair.

Michael suggested Alfredo Binda (Cinelli) toe straps as a good option and I agree with the brand, however I would advise you to stay away from the laminated version. When they were purchased newly produced, they were indeed great and would last forever if used regularly. Unfortunately they have not been produced for well over 10 years now, so everything that you can find in NOS condition is old and generally dried out, so you can almost be assured that the plastic laminate inside the leather will start cracking and the straps will begin to delaminate. (If on the other hand, you bought the straps back in the day like Michael and had been using them regularly, they will stay quite pliable and will generally not delaminate too too badly)

As regards the internal cables, I too am a sucker for them and have a few bikes with full internals. Unfortunately there are many "issues" with them. Most early 80's bikes did not have any internal guides, so the gear cables were made to run over a special metallic BB insert that makes threading cables extremely frustrating and difficult. It also makes for a great deal more friction that what you would have with external routing. I don't remember whether Pinarello used internal guides, but most didn't. May I suggest that should you ever desire to replace a rear gear cable to find a teflon liner from a cable housing that can slip through over top of the existing cable and thread it from the rear drop-out forward at least until visible at the BB shell. You should do the same for the front gear cable. For the top tube brake cable, you most often needed to insert your finger into the top tube opening at the seat tube and guide the cable to the opening (later one builders used stainless internal cable guides that obviated this practice).

BTW, what do you mean when you say that "it is coming from the 1984 LA Olympic"? Veux-tu dire que ce vélo provient des Jeux Olympiques de Los Angeles? Il me semble bien plus croyable que ce soit un vélo réplique d'un des vélos qui furent utilisés lors des jeux, car ils en ont fait une bonne quantité.

Un beau vélo!

Steven Maasland Moorestown, NJ, USA formerly from among others Ottawa, Canada and Treviso Italy...