Classic & Vintage - Anyone familiar with Dolomiti bikes?

Hi. New guy on the forum looking for some (any) info.

Found this at my local Yellow Bike Project and brought it home. Nice 5-speed drop bar bike. I'd post pics, but my camera isn't cooperating.

Here's what I can tell you:

Looks to be 70's vintage. Head badge reads "Cicli Dolomiti, Mexico". Welded steel frame with a reinforcing collar acting as a seat post clamp. Nice cast lugs front and back stamped "Magistroni". Crankset and alloy center-pull brakes are also marked as "Magistroni".

Unmarked alloy rims on low flange steel hubs. 27" x 1.25" Tornel tires (also made in Mexico). Hubs are cylindrical with no ridges, grooves or markings. Front is 1 1/8" diameter. Rear is 1 1/4" with a 5 speed cluster (14-22), freewheel reads "SY Freewheel - Made In Japan".

Shimano "RS" derailer. Only marking besides "Product of Japan" is stamped "HH".

Anybody?

Anyone?

East Hill

Anyone out there?

OK, here's some pics of the Dolomiti. Had to use my phone so their not great.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62104873@N00/377929383/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62104873@N00/377929384/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62104873@N00/377929386/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62104873@N00/377931832/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62104873@N00/377929388/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62104873@N00/377942632/

Hope this helps.

i don't know.. i have not heard of many bikes out of mexico at all aside from the Windsors..
seems to be a lower price bracket bike-boom type affair
looks to be ok quality though.. with forged dropouts ?

Yes, forged and stamped "Magistroni"

Can't find any kind of serial number anywhere on the frame.

Is that dropout separating itself from the chainstay, or is that just rust? Be careful.

No, that's just grime I have had a chance to clean off yet. The frame appears to be in very good condition, just incredibly dirty. I plan on completely stripping it this weekend.

BTW - just found out that Magistroni is still around and making bikes and bike parts in Mexico City. Haven't found anything in English though.

wait is mexican magistroni different than the old italian magistroni ?

wait is mexican magistroni different than the old italian magistroni ?

I'm going to say yes/maybe. Looking at their current catalog the bikes appear to be aimed at a fairly low-end market.

Also, on my Dolomiti the chainring is not bolted to the crank-arm and does not have the circus tent logo as on the Italian Magistroni gear.

While the steel hubs and steel, cottered crankset are indicative of an entry level model, I have reservations about it being a 1970s. boom era model. Normally, entry level models from this era would have a stamped dropout without hanger and would be lugged construction.

More likley this is an early 1980s model. This was a time when several manufacturers were introducing lugless frames and forged dropouts with integral hangers were filtering down to the entry level models, yet steel components were still fairly common. If we accept that the RS derailleur is an original component, it would seem to corroborate this point of view, as the date code indicates August 1983, suggesting a 1984 model bicycle.

The most reliable indicator to verify the general level of the frame is the seat post diameter, which correlates directly to the grade of tubing employed.

BYW, what makes you think your Mistral is a 1972 model? It looks slightly more modern to me.

Bought the Mistral from the original owner. He said he got it in '72. Not much info on CCMs of that era out there, so I've gone on his word. Might be able to date it by Huret derailleur, but haven't tried.

I'll check the seat post on the Dolomiti and see what I come up with.

Thanks.

Found a serial number under all the grime: 90798 1283. This would fit with the August '83 date stamp on the derailleur. Also, seat tube appears to be unbutted with an I.D. of 1".

I have no illusions of this thing being some kind of buried treasure and have no interest in establishing a value. I'm just curious because it's a brand I've never heard of. Apparently no one else has either.

A bicycle produced that late in 1983 would be a 1984 model. A 1" seat post indicates plain carbon steel. Definitely entry level, as suspected.

As for the Mistral, a Huret derailleur, if original, may indeed indicate 1972. The 1971 CCM Lightweights used Huret Allvit, though the Mistral was not in the line-up. In 1973 the Mistral used Simplex derailleurs. However, the 1973 Mistral did not use pump pegs or that crank according to my literature. The 1974 model shows pegs and that crank. While I don't have the critical 1972 literature, I would think that the lack of pegs indicate 1972 is unlikely, since they were not present on the 1972 model.

Huret derailleurs generally do not have date codes. However, there should be a four digit date code on the back of the cranks. And I can date the frame by it's serial number. So, we should be able confirm the model year.

You're right about the derailluers on the CCM. They are Simplex, not Huret (faulty memory on my part. I stripped them to do the fixed conversion and never looked closely at what they where). Rear one says "Prestige" on the back. Crank arms are stamped "Forged 171 47-11". Also found "HB" stamped on the BB shell, but no serial numbers. Frame has the remains of a Reynolds sticker. 531 main tubes I think, but am not sure.

Frankly the quality of the frame construction on the CCM is much lower than that of the Dolomiti. Bad fit to the lugs, ugly welds, crudely capped straight seatstays as opposed to tapered stays on the Dolomiti and stamped dropouts and pump pegs.

The CCM was a $20 Craig's list find that I converted for a friend who later decided that fixed is not for them, and is of a known, or at least knowable, pedigree. To me it is not nearly as interesting as the Dolomiti which no one has heard of.

BTW - Thanks for your time and input.

The crankset was manufactured in Nov. 1972, so it's at least a 1973 model. The serial number should be at the bottom of the seat tube, on the non-drive side, I'm guessing it starts with a D or E.

What you're seeing on the CCM versus Dolomiti is heavily era influenced. The refined design features of the Dolomiti are indicative of a decade of development and filtering down. Erratic workmanship was a big problem during the 1970s boom. Skyrocketing demands forced manufacturers to hire many new, inexperienced employees and the older ones were working at accelerated pace. Very few brands were immune to periodic laspes in quality, though the Japanese tended to handle it better than the Europeans and North Americans. I recalll some atrocious Peugeot, Raleigh, Gitane, Chiorda and even the odd Fuji. It was a tome when a savy customer would walk down a row of identical bicycles, examine every one and pick out he best.

I myself have a Mistral from this era. The workmanship is good, but not great, There are certainly no poorly fitting lugs or bad welds. BTW, according their literature, CCM's Reynolds 531 frames during this era were silver soldered. I guess you got a bad one.

Mystery always fosters interest. Given the more modern design and better workmanship, I'm not surprised at your preference for the Dolomiti. I'd be the same. At you have an advantage over many mystery bicycle owners in that you know the brand, year and level.

Found the serial number on the CCM. Looks like E974292.

Making progress on the Dolomiti. Teardown and cleaning completed. All the plating is immaculate Starting to put things back together. Got the bottom bracket and headset back together and adjusted with new loose bearings. Probabbly start on the hubs tomorrow. Trying to dicide if I need/want to replace the spokes.

The serial number indicates a 1974 Mistral.

Good luck with the Dolomiti. It certainly will be a conversation piece.

Hopefully not conversation POS. :D

Thanks for the info on the CCM.

i found one in mexico a few days ago the bike is rusted but in good shape! cost me around 30 usd! i cant your p yourics they are deleted. idl ike to see them to compare the bikes.. thanks cheese!