Cicli Meacci

UPDATE: I sold the frame fork and headset to a guy in Nashville, Tn. Kept everything else for the next frame. Not sure what that will be...maybe a Basso. A few parts went toward the Treviso. You can read that post to see how that build turned out.  I was able to mark another classic italian bike off the wish list this past weekend. This "Record Blue" 1987 Pinarello Veneto. The bike is 56cm and is equipped with: Columbus Aelle tubing, 3TTT Bars and Stem, Ofmega Headset and Cranks, Campagnolo shifters, NR front, Victory rear derailleurs and Modolo American brakes. I found a set of Mavic MA2 wheels with a campy front hub and a shimano rear 7 speed. Finally a bike where the old blue Michelin Kromium tires actually look decent. Its not exactly the model I was searching for but still rare enough to make an effort. I'll continue the search for a Montello SLX. Until that time, its not the lightest of my collection, its not in the best shape, but its still a joy to ride.

Some before and after photos of a 2001 Bianchi Brava road bike I picked up for a decent price. It was most likely the greasiest bike Ive come across but despite the amount of caked on grease and oil, it still had a fair amount of surface rust. The frame was in rough shape so I decided to experiment with a spray paint scheme after sanding down the rust spots. The base color is a matte blue that matched the accent color of the lettering that I saved along with the head badge decal.  The detail areas are layered matte blue with matte white paint and some old rear cassette cogs that were used as a stencil to create an overlapping gear pattern. It's a promising technique for future projects. It was originally equipped with a full Shimano Sora group which I'll sell. Yhe current build has a; 3ttt stem with Origin 8 Stash Bars, Hutchinson equinox blue strip tires, a Shimano 600 tricolor front brake, RPM cranks and a 48-17 gear ratio. The last item to add is some spacers for the rear hu

Found this bike at a consignment shop down in SC. Its a 58cm Austro Daimler Pacifica Touring Model from the mid 80's. Not a bad bike. I stripped it down and cleaned everything, added some new tires, tubes and bar tape. Its equipped with Suntour Arx RD and FD, Malliard hubs laced to 27-1/4" Weinmann rims, Weinmann Series 500 brakes and SR Sake cranks.

The newest incarnation of this much changed frame. Mostly Campagnolo with Bianchi RC brakes and Shimano 600 hubs and Mavic Open4 CD rims Already swapped the stem for something shorter and a bit more elegant.

UPDATE : I hadnt changed anything on the Masi in quite a while. but it just wasnt comfortable on a ride. It would seem that the bar height with the quill stem just couldnt be adjusted correctly. So, I dusted off the VO chrome threadless stem and installed it. While I havent gone on a long ride yet, the slight change in angle seems way more comfortable.   UPDATE: V8.0:  This bike continues to bear the wrath of my constant tinkering and has seen more change than   any other.  Its been a while since I've photographed the current state of this frame. Added a few new parts, changed some others in between, but here is how it stands today.  Masi Team 3v 56cm Columbus Nivachrome frame with serial number M56 2045 Campagnolo Centaur 10 speed groupset Brooks Professional Saddle (with the large hammered copper rivets) 3T Handlebars 3T Quill Stem Elite Ciussi bottle cages Stronglight Delta Headset Campagnolo Seatpost (Chorus maybe) Campagnolo Proton Whe

Update: Sold this to a work colleague. He seems to be enjoying it and I had no use for a mountain bike after all. So it was back again with a new mountain bike. And another Fuji at that. I keep this up in Asheville to ride the trails and fire roads. It's a carbon frame Mt. Fuji Team RC. Built it from the frame up. It was a backup racing frame that I got a great deal on from Chapel Hill. Mavic disk wheels, mixed Shimano drivetrain: Deore hydraulic brakes and RD, LX cranks, XT shifters and FD. 100mm suntour fork. Ridiculously light for a mountain bike. Right around 20 lbs.

What a find...and locally in Raleigh. I would have never thought a Cinelli Speciale Corsa would come up for sale any where near me, but this beauty was listed on Craigslist this past weekend. Couldn't resist for $700. After some research, I determined that its a 1983 (based on some frame details and the serial number 833), a 55cm Columbus SL frame with Modolo Master Pro brakes, Mavic wheels and a full Campagnolo Super Record group. The rest is all Cinelli as expected except for the white, Selle Italia Turbo "Bernard Hinault" saddle. Evidently this was the final year with 3 point lugs and a 26.6 seatpost. The last of the transition between Cino Cinelli's original company before it transitioned to A. Columbo. What a merger that was! Purists would debate whether the merger was all that. I personally don't care either way. Evidently it was refinished by Cycle Art (one of the better restoration shops in the US along with Joe Bell from what I gather). Althoug

I've decided to part with the Masi. Why, because I've come to realize its just too small. I feel like a Russian bear at the circus on it, regardless of the tweaks made over the years. That and I picked up another beauty yesterday that makes this one expendable. The nice thing is that I have a line on another one of the same vintage and color up in Asheville...if I can convince the owner to sell at a good price. Here's a few pics of the most recent iteration. Added the Campagnolo brakes levers, cranks and RD I had acquired over the past few years. Alas, the only thing I would do to this would be to add Campy brakes but its listed on Craigslist now. We shall see. Maybe the frame should just hang on the wall.....