rolandofeld

Ok, so the bike's not in my hands yet so the only pictures I have are from the seller. Please see the attached pics and let me know what you think. He mentioned that alot of the components have been upgraded and are not original. I'm planning on using this bike as a commuter to and from work (7 miles one way) a few days a week. Appearance is not so much of a priority as is comfort/quality/durability.

I've never had a road bike before and my knowledge of bikes is cusory at best so any information is appreciated and I will continue to update this post as soon as more pics are available.

Thanks,
D

DBENOTTO9..jpg

Dbenotto8..jpg

DBENOTTO7..jpg

DBENOTTO0..jpg

blaise_f

Believe it's a Modello 800, but could be a higher model number than that. Likely made in Mexico, although it's hard to distinguish from what I gather. The Mexico variety is prone to dropouts and bb shell cracking / breaking after a certain amount of stress. I'd say beware if there is no "Made in" sticker, unless the price is hot. They ride nice, and have great geom, but it seems inevitable that the brazes were overheated in Mexico...?

rolandofeld

I've done about as much looking around the internet (and even the archives here) and have came up with a few clues. The seller did mention that the rear dropouts had adjustment screws. Am I wrong in thinking that's a (somewhat at least) sign of quality?

This first archive post seems to be talking about a nicer model but with a similar color scheme.

This ebay auction seems to have the same color scheme and is called a TRIATHLON, fwiw.

Here's color scheme match from 1987 catalog.

I'm kinda grasping at straws until I get a better look at the bike itself (hopefully later today) and can pull some serial numbers off of it and look for decals. Any specific identifiers I can look for in lieu of concrete evidence like engravings, decals, original hardware?

Blaise_f: If it is a Modello 800 then I believe that I may be safe from the bottom bracket problems (at least according to the information given here. I guess this is one of the few times where I might actually be saved by the model being lower on the totem pole than I hoped.

rolandofeld

Got a chance to ride the bike, no pictures yet, my girlfriend should be providing them for me tomorrow or the day after.

I looked for any sort of markings on the bottom bracket and didn't see anything. The handlebars do say "made in italy" along with some other text that I couldn't understand. There were no decals mentioning model/tube type. The bike seemed fairly lightweight but I didn't put it on a scale or anything.

It seemed to ride fine (no real comparable experiences since this is my first road bike) but the tires obviously need replacing and the brakes need adjusting. The drivetrain was fine, but I didn't write down the specifics. Shimano light action sound like a possibility at all?

Anyway, please hit me with any information / knowledge about the bike.

blaise_f

They ride nice. Perhaps you got lucky and got an Italy bike, as I don't believe the Mexico ones had any Italy parts on them (even bars). The aero tubing is sexy (although self-claimed hi-ten). The Triathlons from the 1987 sales flier seems to state the only model with aero tubing was the Tri. Does yours have aero-tubing or no? I read somewhere a while back that the first two numbers after the letters in the SN are the year of the bike, by the way.

blaise_f

Also,

That's a Modello 3000. They had chrome forks, chrome stays and SL tubing. Essentially their highest model.

rolandofeld

blaise_f: Thanks for the reply. How do I know if it's aero tubing? What do I look for? And like I said, I didn't see any S/N under the BB. Where would it be so I can try to guess at the year?

rolandofeld

Is this the "aero" tubing shape we're talking about?

Note: different bike, different maker, etc. Just happened upon that, and it seemed to show an odd tube shape pretty well.


By the way, iirc the one I have has round tubes... I could be wrong though. Pictures to come later.

blaise_f

You'd know if it was aero tubing if you can differentiate a circle, a square and a rectangle. . But yea, that picture you linked is similar to what was used on the Benottos (it would be all three main tubes - top, down, seat). Let me/us know on that.

rolandofeld

Ok... Still no pics since my girlfriend still has the bike at the beach and (don't ask why) no one in her family brought a camera on vacation. I did manage to get a pseudo-parts list, however. Here we go. I'll do three columns and try to format them into the post in a halfway decent manner. I'll include links for appearances sake, but those are not actual components from the bike, just what I could find from the forum or internet that match (or are Reallly Close).

Handlebars: Modolo Brevettato ----> (2093?) https://cgi.ebay.com/Modolo-Brevettat...-/300432715500
Stem: Syncros ----> https://www.firstflightbikes.com/Lstem108.JPG
Wheels: Mavic MA40 ----> 622x13-6106 France
Hubs: ??? ----> Have the word "performance" on them.
Cranks: Ofmega Mistral ----> similar to https://velobase.com/CompImages/Crank...7C6D74F45.jpeg
Pedals: ??? ----> They've got spring steel toe clips with straps that say (barely readable) "Cycle Pro"
Rear derailleur: Shimano Light Action ----> https://velobase.com/CompImages/RDera...4C6CC7DA7.jpeg
Front derailleur: Shimano 52 ?
Downtube shifters: Shimano Light Action
Brake Levers: Shimano RX100 ----> I think anyway.
Brake Assemblies: Shimano 105 ----> https://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...s/DSC01339.jpg
Saddle: Leather Wright's Model ? ----> In good working condition.

From my reading, it seems like some(most?) of these parts are decent/good quality components. Any comments here would be appreciated and if any of this helps pin down what model this baby is the more's the better.

If I need to take a tube thickness measurement or anything I can. I've got calipers around here somewhere and should be able to make something work once I get her home.

bicycle_junkie

Hey I just bought that Tri bike you mentioned on ebay. Haven't recieved it yet. I guess once I get it I'll look it over and see if I can be of any help. Maybe we can both find out more about our bikes.

rolandofeld

Glad to hear it. I really appreciate the help. I have the bike in hand back at home now, so I'll take some more detailed pics soon. Any certain areas I need to focus on for you guys to help me identify her?

rolandofeld

Additional information/correction:

Pedals: Lyotard Model 82 https://velobase.com/ViewSingleCompon...a-478fc18a5b56
Toe Clips: ALE

EDIT 1ut some new tires (Michelin Dynamic 700x23) and tubes on her today and adjusted everything to my satisfaction. The ride afterwards was very enjoyable. I like the downstem shifters. The location doesn't seem too unwieldy and the non-indexed front derailleur is right up my alley. The brake levers are a bit loosey/hard to reach and I may look into adjusting those but I've never done it before and don't even know if that's possible. Regardless, I think I got my moneys worth and really would like to find out what frame/model I ended up with since alot of the parts seem to be late 70's Italian make. Who knows... certainly not me. Reqest pics all you want and I'll send them out pronto.

EDIT 2: I'm leaning really hard towards the Tri model. This craigslist post is just TOO close to mine (excluding components) https://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/bik/1801106730.html . It also looks like my pedals match the one you're getting bicycle_junkie...

rolandofeld

Noticed this ebay listing has the same BB cutout as mine does. The strap over the BB is the same on mine. It's mentioned as a 1985 Modello 850. My paint scheme is different, however.

Another similar one here.

bicycle_junkie

Got the bike in yesterday and put it all together. The handlebar says "made it italy". The peddles say "made in france". Most of the parts on it are underwhelming (deraillers and brakes are just Shimano 110's) but I'll be changing them out to campy stuff anyway. It does have a decal that says "made in mexico". Not positive what the year is but the listing said it's an '86. Love the pressure shifters, new for me. I've only ever used hand shifters. I'll send some more detailed pics of the bike soon. I'll get the serial number too.

bicycle_junkie

Here's some pics rolandofeld. Hope they help. It was tough to really get a pic of the aero bars since it looks round no matter which angle you take the picture.

https://benottotri.shutterfly.com/pictures#n_5

rolandofeld

In light of this forum being shuffled around a bit I'll propose the following questions regarding this ride.

Is a complete frame treatment necessary to prevent rust on the interior crannies of the frame? I don't see any signs of problems but also don't know what to look for regarding that sort of thing. Just the minor surface stuff that I'm going to take care of shortly.

Should I rebuild/grease/clean/etc the bottom bracket? I'm not a experienced bike mechanic but I'm also not exactly un-handy so I think I could handle things if they aren't too aggravating/picky. I took her on a 30 mile ride to the beach and it was a great ride with no real complaints besides some adjustments I need to make to various components. The action on the pedals/crank seems smooth, but I'm still not sure what I'll find in there if I opened things up.

Anyone want to venture a price so I can know what kind of bang I got for my buck? I'm really not worried about it as I had a good buying experience from a semi-local person and was lucky enough to avoid shipping but I can't help but be curious what a decent riding bike, in moderate cosmetic appearance, with the parts breakdown I noted above might go for from y'alls experience.

Thanks again!

Bicycle_junkie: Yea, mines definitely alot different than your tri. How'd that work out for you?

rolandofeld

I ask about the bottom bracket because it might be handy to pickup something from another forum member if I need to/know what I'll need.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...parts-for-sale

That post mentions some stuff that might fight my BB. Comments/advice always appreciated. Bottom brackets sound like a bit of a odd beast depending on the bike/make.