DMC707

Restoration complete ! -- Mostly !

At first this one wont look bad ---- but rest assured it is scrungy --- dents, dings and nasty Italian paint

This is the first bike I have taken this far, --- because this bike and I have history --- so much so that I should write a short story about our experiences
--- I wont do that here, but needless to say, I wanted to treat it right


Pic from the attic --- mid 90's DeBernardi that was basically ridden into the ground and put away wet --- with typical crap Italian paint




A pic chocked up in the work stand while I salvage good bits and pieces and ultimately decide MY bike's fate -- I bought it new in 1995 so I did not take this evaluation lightly ---- left crankarm was a Shimano Deore -- I had wallowed out the Campy one long ago



I ultimately got the dents in the frameset smoothed out -- they were not tragic and did not need tube replacement, but my frame guy had to flow some bras filler in and grind it smooth -- followed by a re-paint -- again, not a fan of re-paint in general - UNLESS - the project is personal (as this one was)



I set upon a short odyssey to compile parts to build it as I would have in 1995 if I had an unlimited budget --- as it stood, it was originally built with a budget grade mix of Avanti, Mirage and Veloce bits n pieces ---- The Avanti shifters were bad enough I abandoned them quickly to go back to DT shifters

So here we go -- bike is done after the application of a lot of nice parts --- if you compare pics to the first pic in my attic, you will note that I kept the bars and seatpost intact --- it gives the bike its flavor I think






My bike shop resides in the campus corner district of Norman Oklahoma --- home of OU (Oklahoma University) ---- My shakedown cruise was approximately 7 miles through the campus and out and about around it -- I am an OSU Cowboy myself, but I have to admit -- a trip to Heisman corner and seeing the 5 statues (of Billy Vessels, Billy Sims, Steve OWens, JAson White and Sam Bradford) is darn cool --- At OSU, we have one too - BArry Sanders - , but not FIVE!! -- such a powerhouse football school is OU



All in all , what a great little shakedown cruise

Specs right now are --- Campy Record HS, shifters, rear derailleur, Delta brakeset (which works like ****) , bottom bracket, and Campy Chorus crankset and the Zonda wheels are Chorus level hubs I believe --- post is Athena, bars and stem are Cinelli and seat is a Turbo repro

The darn thing is pretty porky with those heavy deep section wheels and Conti Gatorskin tires, as well as the rest of the heavy Campy ergo/Delta group, --- but man, what a time machine -- I feel the soul in this one because it has been with me for so long !

thanks for looking



It doesn't make good financial sense to spend as much as I did on this resto, but heck with it --- even my short ride around the campus today was worth it -- I cannot wait for a little nicer spring day when I can get about 3 hours behind the bars of this one!

Hardrock23

Wow, its gorgeous!

Lazyass

Very nice. I had an 80's era aqua blue DeBernardi in the 90's. Learned my lesson with white cork tape, though. It won't be white very long.

sloar 

Beautiful, looks great. Nice selection of parts. Well done.

Pawlus

Really nice bike. I remember seeing photos of the frame after repaint and wondering how this build will turn out. Great work.


PS. Was there ever an Ergo/delta groupset? I thought deltas disappeared at the same time ergos came in? I'm super curious about that.

dunrobin

You took a nice bike and made it exceptional. Hope you have a nice place to display it when you're not riding. Btw I have those zondas and they ride pretty nice. .you might consider changing tires if you want a more supple ride, otherwise those gatorskins are bulletproof.

Spaghetti Legs 

Well done mate, that is a good looking bike!

What tubing is that one?

ham

Yeah, 1992 and 1993 - though the Croce D'Aune deltas which are on OP's bike never did.

qcpmsame 

Turned out really nice, somewhat unusual build component choices from what I am used to, but its yours, not mine. Is there much problem in setting up and fine tuning those Delta brakes? I am not familiar with their design, other that recognizing them in pics. Enjoy it, it looks like you have some beautiful places to ride around your area.

Bill

3speedslow

Bravo! Even with the change, it is still yours...

DMC707

There was a little overlap --- pics of Indurain and LEmond and others in the early 90's will attest, as they likely weren't using mutt groups, - but when Ergo came along, a lot of club riders would upgrade the minimum amount of parts to get the new shifting and 8 speed, and leave the rest of the C-Record bits intact



Check -- I wiped the tires off and parked it in a small living room I have in a loft over my garage



Interestingly (or maybe not so interesting) - I purchased a set of Shamals from an ebay seller and was planning on using those with some Vittoria Corsa CX tires . That was before Thanksgiving and the wheels still haven't shown up, so I opened up a dispute in ebay --- but otherwise, I had these wheels slated for another bike with a new cassette and the Conti's were still sticky, so I just used 'em


Here's where a lot of people would call me nuts -- its an Aelle tubed bike -- Normally, i'd say with an Aelle tubed machine from a lesser known manufacturer, -- just keep it clean and in running shape and don't spend too much money on it - but this one will never be sold while I am still above ground

I bought this one after reading the 1994 Bicycle Guide test where they took 7 or 8 identical Mondonico's and stated that the Aelle in a smaller size rides just like a Max tubed bike, but with about a quarter pound weight penalty. I couldn't afford a MAx tubed Eddy Merckx, so my shop ordered this one for me from Zar International




I honestly don't know the difference, -- these calipers have been in the bottom drawer of my tool box for well over a decade and I have been wanting to use them on something --- but I did use some super early Ergo shifters (no finger grooves on the lever body ) to try to keep it close to a similar era




Thanks --- I didn't do the wrench work on this one, as the re-painted frame needed all the threaded bits n pieces chased and faced -- but I took it to the same shop who provided the tubular wheel set for the original build many years ago. The gentleman who now owns the shop was a 22 or 3 year old shop rat back then ---

-- Was fun to keep it in the family

DMC707

MAny thanks

This tape is a Lizard Skins version I believe , -- its a sticky almost rubberized tape , -- but I used it on another bike recently, and it wipes down pretty well with some Simple Green or 409

I do like the feel of cork and synthetic cork tape better, but I don't use it much anymore unless it is black



Thanks -- I was taken aback at what nice complete groups and build kits of C-Record and early 8 speed stuff (both Record and Chorus) was going for on ebay - so ultimately I just said -- Doesnt have to be a numbers matching machine -- "era appropriate" is what I was going for --- A lot of parts were contributed through the sales boards right here on the forum !

As I mentioned, I kept the original Campione Del Mondo bars, -- they are 46c which was a rare size for those --- It has been a long time since I have used a bar like that though - the drops feel deeeeep - compared to modern stuff


Thanks Bill --
I was really influenced by a doctor I used to ride with -- He had a Pinarello with a Delta group, then "upgraded" to a custom steel bike with Shamal deep section wheels and an early Delta group ---- i'd sit on his wheel at times and just stare at that bike thinking it was about the coolest thing on the road

I deferred the wrench turning on this one to my shop , so they set up the brakes for me -- they were a high end shop then too, so the owner has experience with them --- ( I will take on any Shimano project myself , but the Campagnolo stuff is still finicky to me as far as getting the index stuff dialed in)

Even so, the brakes do not work as well as a comparable Campy single pivot (monoplaner I think is what they were called?) and definitely don't work like a dual pivot brake

Admittedly Its put together for show as much as go though, -- If I had outright day to day performance in mind, I think I would've picked a different brake, and likely would have used a lighter set of wheels , but this one was built for fun, --- I have a handful of machines that are more practical

The riding around here is a mixed bag, - it is very windy , but was fun to visit the HEisman corner on the campus --- was neat just riding around the college as the kids are gone for winter break now

Oldairhead 

De Bernardi's are a great bike, they were among the last of the high quality steel bikes that were made in Italy at the end of the millennium. I have a 1998 DB, a full Campy Record bike that is a joy to ride. I also just came across another one that is a work in progress, featured here.

https://utahrandonneur.wordpress.com...-the-makeover/

RobbieTunes

Thanks for looking? Holy cow, thanks for showing. That is to the bone.

Hardrock23

Is it the same exact color as before? It looks like it except for in the 3rd pic (could be the lighting). Either way, its a beautiful color and I was glad to see that you kept that so close to the original, if not the same.




White cork tape is pretty easy to keep clean though (I see you're actually using a Lizard Skins type) but wanted to show what baby wipes can do for cork anyway. Ive stayed away from the more rubbery types thinking they were harder to clean - good to know they aren't.
Good as new (aside from the small strip of tape residue)

DMC707

Great tip on keeping the cork clean!

I tried to get the color as close as possible - I think its a Lincoln automobile white pearl paint shade though. Regardless, it was close enough for me

I changed the decals to Orange in homage to my Alma Mater, Oklahoma State, but its so subtle, i doubt many would see the connection unless i brought it up.

DMC707

Great tip on keeping the cork clean!

I tried to get the color as close as possible - I think its a Lincoln automobile white pearl paint shade though. Regardless, it was close enough for me

I changed the decals to Orange in homage to my Alma Mater, Oklahoma State, but its so subtle, i doubt many would see the connection unless i brought it up.

markwesti

Love the shot of the frame / fork sitting on the LBS counter . Velo Cals ?

Hardrock23

Well it does look the same except for in the LBS pic, so I had to ask lol. Its one of my favourite colors on bikes, aside from pink. I was surprised to see you changed the decal color but then just assumed you couldn't get them like the old ones. I like that you made it your own!