Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Tell me about this OLMO frame??

Hey everyone, new here and trying to get an idea about this frame for sale.

I really have no idea about Olmo's other than they made some great bikes, and some lower end ones. I want to go look at this one as I have a full Super record group waiting to find a frame that fits me, and it looks like this one might be just right. Before I go and look at it though, I want to be prepared. Any ideas on the year or model this might have been? How would I be able to tell what tubing and quality level it is? Lastly, he's asking $300 for it (this is in Vancouver BC, where high bike prices thrive). Worth it a bit? Not at all?

Any little bit of info is much appreciated!
Thanks in advance

273678

273679

Vancouver? Decent price and just about any Olmo frame is worth $300, and more, in my opinion.

The few I have seen hands on all seem like nice bikes but they just don't have the flash and name recognition of the bigger names.

Looks nice and clean. What size is it? Will the seller put some wheels under it to check the standover height?

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=273679&d=1348031540

Looks like a repaint. If that is the case, check to see how the decals are applied---if they are on top of the clear coat you will run into problems later.

It has an RD hanger so it's at least a decent frame. But without knowing tubing or model it's rather unknown and could be anything. I would not pay anywhere near $300 without more info.

+1 watch out for signs of a repaint.

The seller says that the top tube center to center is 55cm, and the seat tube c to c is 57. Seems like the right size for me. My masi is 55 and 55 on both those measurements and is slightly small. I emailed him and haven't heard back yet but am going to try to see it soon. How can I tell if it's a repaint? Should it have had a model on it somewhere?

I guess my real question is do you think this is Italian built? Or did olmo build Japanese frames too?

Vancouver? Decent price and just about any Olmo frame is worth $300, and more, in my opinion.
I guess I need to post the low end Olmo frameset I have kicking around the workshop, in the FS section. Stay tuned.

Wrk101. Does this one look like your low end frame?

Wrk101. Does this one look like your low end frame?
No, nothing in common with my frame except brand name. I guess my point is that Olmo made a wide variety of frames, not all were top end.

Still, myself, I am not paying $300 for a repaint.

Does it have Campagnolo dropouts? Either a 27.2 or 27.0 seat post size? If so, it's a decent model. I'd pay $300 for original paint, but not a repaint....

+1, I'd be cautious too. The embossing should place it 1980s but by that era dropout eyelets were very rare on even mid-range models. This could be a lower end Columbus tubeset like Aelle or Zeta or even something lower. I don't know if Olmo contracted frames to Japan or elswhere but given the era, I wouldn't rule it out. As suggested check the dropouts and post size. Also, check inside the bottom of the fork's steerer tube for the spiral ridges that were found on Columbus' SL and better tubesets. In Vancouver, I wouldn't pay $300, unless it is at least SL.

Apparently it is zeta tubing, and a 27 seatpost. I don't think I'm going to bother looking at it, sounds like I could find a cooler frame if I'm patient. Thanks for the info!!

I think that might be the right decision on the Olmo. It seems like an OK bike, likely repaint, seller has been trying to get rid of it a LONG time. Overpriced, I think.

If you drive, or fancy a train ride and a weekend away, it might be worth looking at what pops up in Seattle, where framesets come up more often and often MUCH better priced (if you look at it as a weekend away, it costs nothing extra to pick up a frame; customs limits just went up, tax/duty shouldn't be a problem).

And looking elsewhere, shipped to you (~$50 shipping on a frameset from USA, plus you'll get dinged ~15% on taxes). It's nice to find a local deal, but cost/benefit in searching is definitely an issue if you're looking for f/f only...

Speaking as someone who found one frame/fork for which I overpaid handsomely and one that I think was priced fairly in about a year of devoted looking, been disappointed by wrong sizes, sketchy sellers, etc., I wouldn't extend too much hope in Vancouver classifieds yielding something 'just right' for your Super Record group. That said, it might be worth posting a 'Want to Buy' on craigslist: that's how I found my Proctor, the only reasonable deal on a frameset in my size I pulled in locally over ~365 days. Had a few other interesting bites.

In that size range, it might also be worth stopping in at Jett Grrll cycles near the Georgia St Viaduct...Tracy has some nice used Italians, sometimes (though I expect she doesn't sell them cheap).