Chombi

I feel similarly about the Stronglight Delta crankset aesthitically. but it is not a slam dunk for the Carbonio, as Stronglight did not coross over to Italian bikes as naturally as Mavic did with their mix of sources that included Modolo and even Dia Compe. I was also hoping to save the Stronglight Delta crank for a future French build that will include mostly Stronglight Delta parts as they are starting to be hard to find (I think I'm only missing the seatpost now.
Anyway, I suspect the crankset will be the final item I will decide on and leave it as the last thing to be installed on the bike. I guess I'll get there when I get there.
Thanks for the nice comments on the build!

Chombi

Chombi

Well, the Alan decals are on, the BB and headset are lubricated and installed, the derailleurs are cabled and just need final adjustment after the cables are stretched. Just wating for braided casing brake cables from VO and then just wrapping the bar in white Cinelli cork tape and she's done!
Really happy with the quality of the Alan decals I bought from a UK seller at eBay. It's a bit expensive, but you certainly get what you pay for with these decals. Took a long time and a lot of effort to get them on exactly right. I looked at a lot of pics in the internet to make sure I don't copy inaccurate decal work done by some restorers. Period 80's pics helped out a lot. Maybe by next week the bike's will be 100% done and ready for some c=shake-down miles!

Chombi

randyjawa 

Stunning, to say the least! The image in almost perfect to this old fella's eye. Good job and wait until you take it out for spin one:-) I am sure the ride quality will exceed my old alloy ALAN and that means you are in for a treat.

BluesDaddy

BEEE-yootiful!

thirdgenbird

go to see those wheels went to a good home!! this has got to be one of my favorite bikes on the site.

darinm

Wow, just wow. You did a great job with the components on this, the black/silver scheme works too well on that frame

shnibop 

wow, just perfect! the frame looks super nice with the new decals as well. keep updating!

zazenzach

is that an aluminum fork

Otto Rax

Good looking stuff! I did a build of one of those about 6 years ago but was afraid to ride it (I'm a tall glass of water). I will always have a place in my heart for those. I regret selling mine, but it paid for another semester of school! Here's mine, I can't wait for final glamour shots of yours! You kept yours a little more period correct

Barchettaman

Oh my Lord, what an amazing build.

I hope the Weinmann Deltas stop better than their awful reputation suggests.

Bravo, bravo, bravo.

Chombi

Got the brakes cabled up and the bar tapes on so it's done!




Here's comparative pics with my Vitus Carbone 7:


Hope to get some road testing and final adjustments done in this holiday weekend.
Final build weight = 18.4 pounds. The Vitus is at 17.4 pounds. One pound separates the two builds. The additional pound must be coming from the heavier cartridge BB, bigger frame size (56cm to the Vitus' 53ishcm) and the Carbonio's heavier stem. bars and crankset.

Chombi

jyl

Your bikes are so beautiful and each has a clear vision. This one might be the prettiest yet. I'm not sure I could bring myself to ride it, at least not outdoors.

rat fink

Love it. I like those ALAN framesets a lot. I'm always on the lookout for those or an early carbon LOOK. You did both of those frames justice. I would love hear a ride comparison of the two bikes.

WNG

Bellissima!

Bianchigirll 

Beautiful!

Chombi

Thanks everyone!
I'll take it for a test spin around the neighborhood for a bit tomorrow, as the tub glue is still drying on the rims this afternoon. I suspect that the bike would feel very much like my Vitus Carbone on the road, with a pleasant quiet damped ride over rough surfaces. I'm not sure if it will be as stiff as the Vitus though (which is surprisingly stiff, much stiffer than my steel PSV) as it is a slightly bigger frame. I guess I'll find out.

Chombi

gaucho777 

Chombi, I missed this thread when it first appeared. The ALAN looks fantastic. Bravo! Great mix of parts, which all complement the frame perfectly. The headset especially seems meant for this frame. Now that you've had a bit more time with the bike, any additional comments on the ride in comparison to your other vintage carbons?

Chombi

Yup, the Miche Primato headset just kinda fell into place, the same way all the other components did on the bike. I could have done the typical Campy C-Record/ Delta build for this Carbonio that I have seen before, but I thought the bike give me a great opportunity to try something different/unique with the components I already have.
I was planning on riding the bike this last father's day weekend, but that did not happen because I got a bad cold, but I have done a few quick test rides around my neighborhood the weekend before. First impression is that the ride is very very similar to my Carbone 7's Very plush, damped ride, especially over rough surfaces, but surprisingly stiff laterally. Try as I might, I can't get the rear triangle and BB area to flex laterally when I stand on the pedals. I can flex my steel PSV easy, standing on the pedals on level ground with its FD making noises with the chain, but the Alan and the Carbone are both quiet, plus they seem to accelerate quicker than my steel bike, so it really feels like power is being transfered more efficiantly from the pedals to the ground with the CF bikes. One thing different with the Alan is it turns in much quicker than the Carbone and can feel a bit nervous at first, till you get used to it after a while. It's all down to different frame geometries. The Alan is shorter and steeper than the Vitus Carbone. I think I'd prefer the Vitus on longer rides because of this. I'm still trying to find out whether there's a difference the way the front ends feel with the Vitus having an all aluminum head/lug assembly, while Alan went with the fussier separate CF head tube design, which I think was driven more by the maker's ideas on proper design aesthetics. So far, they feel quite the same to me.
I'll try to take them both out again this coming weekend if my cold clears up and tell you guys how it goes.
So far It's pretty much as I had suspected it would be .....

Chombi

shnibop 

Man, I'm so glad I sold you this frame. You did an amazing job building it up and I even like that you replaced the decals. Such a fine looking bike!

Chombi

Thanks very much Schnibop!
Sometimes I still can't beleive I have an Alan Carbonio as my first ever Italian bike, thanks to you! I almost have to pinch myself everytime I look at the bike!
If my Carbone was alive, it will surely be very jealous by now from all the attention I put on to the Alan lately. I felt so guilty last week that I switched her white brake cable casings to nicer clear ones from Pork Chop!
DD, I just knew I had to buy those wheels for a build....and as far as I know there might not be a stich of French in them! And it turned out perfect for the Alan that popped up just a couple of weeks after I got the wheelset from you.

Chombi

Italuminium

If my alan was alive it would qualify as pretty, but beat up and mounted often! So I refrain from attributing human aspects to my rides

Can't get enough of this build. I hope to get one myself oneday.

KvltBryce

Same here, deserving of a spot in the screensaver slideshow - as is!

Definitelywill be subscribing to this thread to see the end-product.

Very tasteful, Chombi.

Chombi

My latest change on the Carbonio, I changed out the saddle and seatpost on the bike with a Gipiemme Chronosprint aero seatpost and transferred over my white perforated Turbo from my PSV:



I changed them out because I think the white Turbo saddle balances out the white cork bar tape on the bike better and the Gipiemme seatpost just has such a more dynamic look than the Shimano 600 aero seatpost that originally came with the bike that was also a bit lost being the only Japanese component on the now all Euro bike.

Chombi

puchfinnland

it looks great- good color combinations- I would not change a thing
now all you need is matching clothes!

ftwelder

Amazing, I guess I missed the build-up.. This bike is hot!