Steve Whitlatch 

A friend picked this bike up at a thrift / resale shop and he wants me to clean it up for sale. The paint is a bit scratched but looks like polished chrome underneath the paint. Columbus Max tubing and some interesting features. It has Campagnolo something, maybe Athena? 3ttt bars and stem, Mavic headset.

The front wheel is tubular with Campagnolo hub. Most likely original. The rear wheel that came with the bike is a clincher with what might be a Mavic hub? It had a Sachs 8 speed on it. This wheel is not original and actually the RD was adjusted to not use the smallest cogs. When I adjusted the RD the chain would get caught on the frame in the smallest cog. I had a rear wheel with Campagnolo 8 speed Cassette that I put on, that works well with the Ergo levers. It too is a clincher rim. I believe it is a Campagnolo hub as well. This is the rear wheel on the bike shown in the pictures. I do not have a matching set of wheels for this bike.

I would like to know more about the bike and the frame in general? Not sure if it is worth putting back together or just parting out?

Steve Whitlatch 

Steve Whitlatch 

thinktubes 

I would part it out, unless I had a wheelset I could throw on. Probably would be tough to move as a whole on CL.

Nice frame and nice bits. Casati's from that era were well regarded. Wouldn't mind finding an 57cm ELOS...

Steve Whitlatch 

Any idea on the value of the frame and bits?

gomango

MAX tubeset alert.

Cool frameset. imho

Not sure what the frameset would go for, but I sure wouldn't mind finding one.

Too bad it's a little beat, but still a solid find.

Let me think on the value.

Steve Whitlatch 

Thanks. The bike must have been beautiful when new. It should clean up well but for the paint chips, or is it varnish? Not sure i can even touch it up? The bits look to be in nice shape and should look great clean.

jet sanchEz

$400 for the frameset, it is a little rough but the rarity of a Max frame means a buyer will overlook the cosmetic issues.

gomango

Sounds like a good value for the frameset.

Thank goodness I'm not buying anything right now...........

Steve Whitlatch 

I have been looking at Velobase and Ebay. The Ergo`s are Veloce. I will need to strip the bike to be sure of the rest by checking model numbers. Could be Veloce or Athena going by looks. I did a bit of research but have not seen any other frame sets like this one. I will run it by my friend and let him decide. I figure $200 to $250 for the mini group? At $350 to $400 for the frame set he would be better off parting it out for sure. Put together, with mismatched wheels, it would drive the price way down and Athena or Veloce are not really adding much value to the frame. Thanks for the help.

crank_addict

Interesting find. Curious what that frame weighs. I thought the MAX was primarily for MTB but also the heavy duty roadie. Cool details on that one, but those lugs might be where the weight is. I see a 56 stamped in that bb.... hmmmmm.

gomango

Feast your eyes on this blog.

Page after page of MAX, MXL and MiniMAX goodness.

https://columbusmaxbikes.blogspot.com/

crank_addict

^Terrific site! What a variety of creations, from filet brazed to gorgeous lug or combination of both. Fascinating era. I need to look more into that MAX tubing, especially the sexy tapered chainstay, etc. Also seems many builders used it in only parts of a frame but yet the decal was prominent.

(Steve: If indeed making the meet and ride this coming weekend, maybe bring the frame for some show and tell??)

Belg-Ital Steel 

Nice. Several years ago, I picked up an early 90s Casati Ellisse Duo frame in ELOS. Rebuilt it in 10 Spd Chorus. It is a very nice riding bike with similar build details as yours, like the seat stays and TT italian flag. You should enjoy the ride if you elect to put it back on the road.

exxongraftek

Your brake calipers are Chorus, looks like you have quite the mix of Campagnolo groups there!

Steve Whitlatch 

I finished putting the bike back together and listed it on CL. I found a nice front wheel that is good quality and a decent match to the rear. Mavic Reflex laced to a Campagnolo hub. Came out nice. I listed it for $700 so I will see what happens?

Steve Whitlatch 

rrotello

Agreed $700 was my first guess.