Classic & Vintage - Mystery Bike Full Dura-Ace and Campagnolo possibly Italian Please help with a ID

I really hope this is my last mystery bike post for a long time.
Serial number is on the BB and is a simple 052
campagnoloDropouts
Interesting rear cable guide
pat 73 campagnoloRD
Dura Ace Crank and FD
campagnoloPedals
campagnoloBrakes
Avocet Hubs on Weinman wheels
Campolongo Seat post
Cinelli Bars

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/cusco-awd/mysteylst013.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/cusco-awd/mysteylst014.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/cusco-awd/mysteylst005.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/cusco-awd/mysteylst010.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/cusco-awd/mysteylst007.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/cusco-awd/mysteylst009.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/cusco-awd/mysteylst004.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/cusco-awd/mysteylst002.jpg

Doesn't look Italian to me (wrapped stays are a big hint, IMO). What's the width of the BB shell?

Campolongo?

Campolongo?

Summer camp for unidentified bikes.

Sorry for the misspelling, I just woke up.

My Guess is it is a UCSD. It is old enough to have been a bike boom bike so it may well have been their "house brand" bike and they loaded up with what the buyer wanted.

They are still around but my guess is you will not find out much calling them due to the age of the bike. http://bikeshop.ucsd.edu/main.html

If you search UCSD Bike you will find a lot of links for racing and Co Op types of events.

Lugwork is nicely done - definitely not a low-quality frame.

Thanks, I shot them a email on the off chance they might know. I should have taken a better picture of the cable guides.


My Guess is it is a UCSD. It is old enough to have been a bike boom bike so it may well have been their "house brand" bike and they loaded up with what the buyer wanted.

They are still around but my guess is you will not find out much calling them due to the age of the bike. http://bikeshop.ucsd.edu/main.html

If you search UCSD Bike you will find a lot of links for racing and Co Op types of events.

Interesting seat stay caps, I don't think I've seen that exact style before

I agree that it doesn't look Italian. Without some better clues I'd be tempted to say French just because the stay caps remind me of a Motobecane Le Champion, but that's premature. Need to know the BB shell width and threading, the fork/HS threading, OD of the main tubes, seat post size.
What brand is that HS and that stem? Looks like the old Cinelli bars would be 26.4 center.
Trying to remember who liked to use that "reverse" rear brake mounting....

I dont' think the reverse brakes means anything because it looks like there is a nut back there. Could be an American builder, too nice to be French

I was just passing through the Craig's List/eBay find thread and came across this Lotus (most of the way down on page 164). Someone else my be able to verify, but it sure looks like your bike. The brakes are mounted differently but...???



http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?561211-eBay-CraigsList-finds-quot-Are-you-looking-for-one-of-these!-quot-Part-II/page164

Headset is EDCO.

well, none of this is shabby components (Edco is Swiss, expensive, and probably never was OEM on a major mass-produced bicycle brand). Along with the mix of DA, Campy, Cinelli, 3TTT (I'm guessing that's the stem), etc., it's all top-line stuff thrown together by the owner. Maybe he built up a bare frame or upgraded as he went along, according to whim.

Dang, did that bike fall into a cement mixer? Can't believe the encrustation on that headset alone! Save it quick!, before it's too late!

Chombi

I had never even heard of EDCO before this though I have not been around very long. A quick google and Ebay search did come up rather empty though.


well, none of this is shabby components (Edco is Swiss, expensive, and probably never was OEM on a major mass-produced bicycle brand). Along with the mix of DA, Campy, Cinelli, 3TTT (I'm guessing that's the stem), etc., it's all top-line stuff thrown together by the owner. Maybe he built up a bare frame or upgraded as he went along, according to whim.

Is that a Mavic sticker on the seat tube? EDCO is very nice stuff; I've got an EDCO Competition adjustable aluminum bottom bracket on my 77 Trek TX-300 and it's mighty sweet.

Yep. Its a Mavic sticker. I just noticed that even the seatpost is Campagnolo. It is strange that it has that sticker in that place when it does not even run those wheels.

Yep. Its a Mavic sticker. I just noticed that even the seatpost is Campagnolo. It is strange that it has that sticker in that place when it does not even run those wheels.

yes, this bike is strange...but we are still waiting for all those crucial measurements...there's no way to sleuth this without some clues!

Why does this seem vaguely familiar?

Mystery bikes are fun, eh?

-Collin-

It is obviously one of those ubiquitous Mavic MA40 frames.

I will get the BB shell width and seatpost tonight.

Seat post is 27.2. What is the proper way to measure the BB?

Seat post is 27.2. What is the proper way to measure the BB?

measure the width of the BB shell. it will be either 68 or 70mm. if you get anything else, measure again. Then look at the cups for any markings/numbers: you'll want something like 1.37" x 24 or
36 x 24
Take out the stem and see if it has any markings on the quill (like 22.2 or 22.0).
But with the 27.2 it's looking like it's probably not FR.

The restoration begins soon, But I have a couple more questions-

The flipped back brake- Reasoning for this?

The brakes are setup with the front brake on the right lever like a motorcycle

That UCSD sticker isn't on there for looks.

The flipped back brake is because somebody cut the cables/housings too short and/or they didn't know what they were doing. Or maybe that was a cool thing to do back in the day.

I've built bikes with the front brake on the right. No reason not to and a good reason for it; I can signal and brake at the same time.

That's typical in the UK and elsewhere in the RH-drive (as in cars) world.

Interesting seat stay caps, I don't think I've seen that exact style before
Mondia's seat stay caps were mostly exactly like that, semi-wrap with the caps being a bit convex. Of course, the serial is typically on R cap, though there were some with serials elsewhere. What about their sister brand, Juvela is it?

AFAIK Juvelas look very much like Mondias, except for the name (but this is just hearsay since I haven't seen any Juvelas in person)...aside from the semi-wrap stay caps, there isn't much of anything here that looks "Mondia" to me...it could possibly be some other Swiss make, but (again) without more pertinent clues there's no way to make educated guesses (hint!).

The BB shell is 68. What else do I need to be looking for?

the threading of the BB unit (if you have any marks on the cups to indicate either 1/37 x 24 or 35 x 1, which are the only possibilities given that width: British French or Swiss). The threading or ID dimensions of the fork or stem: a French stem might be stamped with 22.0 and that could also be used by a Swiss make, a British or ISO stem might have 22.2 on it. If your BB has no numbers it still might have markings on the cups and lock ring that will indicate the threading: pics of the cups/lockring will help if that's the case. All else fails, you have to determine threadings by trial and error using known cups and a known HS lock nut. If you remove the BB the fixed cup (RH side) of a French unit will be regular RH threading, if it's British or Swiss it will have Left Hand (reverse) threads.

The BB is a Shimano and is marked 37x24T. The cranks are Dura Ace 172.5s

It's a British threaded BB, so here's your choices: British, American, late French(but with non-metric tubing), Belgian, Japanese...
of all those American or British seem the most plausible to me.
What make exactly? don't know, could be dozens...probably custom or a very small-output shop, it's certainly very good quality.
One last thing: since we never got whether there were any ridges in the base of the steerer (are there?), measure the fork blades in both long and short dimensions (blade diameter) up under the fork crown. This might help determine if they are 531 or Columbus blades.