Classic & Vintage - 1988 or 89 Bottecchia Cromor with Campy Gran Sport components rear hub q

edit: it's got the Carnielli 80 years sticker on it, so it's a 1989 or 1990.

I've got a rear hub that's basically worn out. It is a Gipiemme hub, 126 mm locknut-locknut width with a spin-on freewheel 6 speed cogset that is Campy GS. What I'm trying to do is determine if all GS freewheels were English thread, Italian Thread, mix of one or the other, etc. I could take it back to the bike shop and have them take it apart to tell me, but if I can find some knowledge here without doing that I'd prefer it. I don't own the special tool needed to disengage the splines so I can remove the cogset, so I'd have to have them do it. . .

Campy didn't make a GS freewheel, so it's likely that the freewheel is a Regina (since the bike is Italian), Atom, Maillard, Suntour, or Shimano. My bet is on Regina, which came in both Italian and BSC threading, and I'd give even money on either threading being on your bike.

Pete

6-speed freewheels were going out of style on high end bikes in about 1985, so the freewheel at least is probably earlier than 1989. Are you sure it is actually a campy freewheel? Campy freewheels are very rare, such an italian bike likely would have had a regina FW.
The specifications for English and Itialian FW thread is so similar that they will interchange without problem. If you replace the hub, you should be able to thread your FW onto eithor a Italian or English thread hub.

Well my bike mechanic told me he'd pull it apart for free -- only take him a minute to do. Downside is I have to drive across the valley tomorrow to his shop. So tomorrow I'll know for sure what kind of freewheel it is and what kind of threads it has. I only said it was GS because that's what the rest of the gruppo is. If you guys think it's something else I wouldn't know the difference lol. In any case it's only important to know which threading it has. My bike mechanic's not real keen on the cross threading idea, though I've read from other sources (besides here) that it's not a terrible idea.

Campagnolo did not typically include freewheels in it grouppos. The only campy FW I have ever encounted were uber expensive race only FW with aluminum cogs that wear out in very short time. Italian, british and ISO standards all share the same 24TPI thread pitch so you wouldnt be cross threading anything, only difference is several thousands inch difference in the diameter of the threads, not a big deal to interchange. http://sheldonbrown.com/freewheels.html
Note that ISO FW thread diameter is inbetween British and Italian so would be the better than british if you are trying to source a new hub for an Itialian FW.
If you are bothering to replace the hub, you might also want to upgrade to a 7-speed FW which works fine with 126mm spacing. Also, rather than replacing the hub, you likely could just replace the bearings, cones, races, axel as needed; unless of course the spoke flange is broken. The cones and races can likely be scavanged from another hub if needed, they probably are identical deminsions with campy hubs.

Well the verdict on this particular bike is a Regina cogset and English threads. I ordered up a hub set NIB that is Gipiemme. 100mm front width, 126 rear, English threads. I'll have my mechanic build me a new wheelset and I'll keep the old one for authenticity. That will buy me about a year of riding before I buy a new bike and put this one on the collector shelf.

btw this is what it looks like.

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz212/mgheffner/DSCN1048.jpg

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz212/mgheffner/DSCN1049.jpg

FYI, that's a mutt groupset. Record (unless it's a Miche or offbrand) front hub, Campagnolo Victory shifter levers, Campagnolo Triomphe front derailer, brake calipers that are either Triomphe or Victory - pictures don't show me enough to tell, first-gen C-Record aero brake levers, can't tell who made the seatpost (not Campy), RD is Campagnolo 990 - graphite finish, and the crankset is a Triomphe - also in that rather unusual graphite finish (which isn't Century, but it isn't standard either).

Could you post a closeup of the crankset? I don't think that crankset has been entered on Velobase yet.

-Kurt

I wish I could find a mutt set of campy parts like that!
FYI, that's a mutt groupset. Record (unless it's a Miche or offbrand) front hub, Campagnolo Victory shifter levers, Campagnolo Triomphe front derailer, brake calipers that are either Triomphe or Victory - pictures don't show me enough to tell, first-gen C-Record aero brake levers, can't tell who made the seatpost (not Campy), RD is Campagnolo 990 - graphite finish, and the crankset is a Triomphe - also in that rather unusual graphite finish (which isn't Century, but it isn't standard either).

Could you post a closeup of the crankset? I don't think that crankset has been entered on Velobase yet.

-Kurt

I wish I could find a mutt set of campy parts like that!

The only thing that particularly sticks out here is the graphite-finish Triomphe crankset. Been trying to find a photo of one for a while; this is the first one I've come across so far.

-Kurt

The seat post is Gipiemme, as are the hubs. The rims are Campy Gamma Strada. edit: and the brake calipers say "Campagnolo GS" on them.

You're right about it not being a top flight gruppo. At the time, the bike was a birthday gift from my parents, and the only reason I got a Cromor frame (instead of the entry bike) was b/c the bike shop was having a sale to get rid of old stock. The bike is an 89, and it cost us $643.00 new, about $200 off their regular asking price.

pic of crank: not the best focus, but the best I could do with my point and shoot.

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz212/mgheffner/DSCN1050.jpg

And close enough to see the engraving:

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz212/mgheffner/DSCN1055.jpg