1983 Cinelli Speciale Corsa

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). Although, for some reason, they installed waterslide decals over top of the clearcoat, so they are mostly chipping away. I'll probably replace them with some from Velocals, the UV 1mil vinyl version. This one made me decide to sell the 91 Masi that was too small.

I've since picked up some dust cover caps for the cranks

1990 Basso Loto

UPDATE: Already switched up a few things. Swapped the threadless stem with black Cinelli bars, 1R stem and seatpost. Keeps the black and white theme going well I think. Much more comfortable with a little height on the bars. Score! I finally found a Basso Fior di Loto. I've been searching for this color variant and model for a while now and this one popped up on Ebay from Brownsville Texas. Super excited to build this up with the Campagnolo parts from the Pegoretti upgrade that's in the works. From what I have gathered so far, this frame is most likely from 1990. Its a 55cm Columbus SLX steel frame and fork, Basso Fior di Loto model in the Caribe colorway. It has a few fandom stickers on it that removed fairly easily and with a little elbow grease. The paint polished up nicely afterward and there are only a few nicks and scratches. This 1990 Catalogue cut shows the color variants available for this model. I've always been at

1989 Pinarello Treviso

I was able to find a new frame update for my collection, this installment is a 1989 Pinarello Treviso, Cobalto Smoke, 56cm frame. It was in decent shape when I purchased it locally off a bike forum member in SC. It has some ugly stickers on the top tube (subsequently removed) and a paint scheme that can only be described as.... classic 80's italian. An odd "smoked" blue, thusly named Cobalto Smoke, from the catalog. Here are some pics from the forum post. The paint was pretty dull and very fragile. One of the first tasks completed was to remove the unwanted stickers and try to rehab the paint. I tested a few paint options, using thinned testors model paint, and found a near match for the base blue. My brush technique wasn't great but it worked well for small scratch marks. Added a duple-color clear coat after a thorough polishing. Turned out well and should be better protected. Next up was to replace the decals, which were long gone, but g

1987 Pinarello Veneto-SOLD

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.

Cicli Meacci

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