Branimir

A friend of mine got a hold of this bicycle, stripped all the parts and gave the frame and fork to me for free.

The bicycle had full Chorus group 2x8, 1st gen Ergopower. Seatpost was Chorus too, and the BB is also. Wheels were Mavic Sup laced to Chorus hubs.

This is what I got, and there not much to find about this brand on the internet.
Seatpost was 27.2 so my guess this has a top notch tubing. The decal was added later, so it does not mean it is SLX.
Frame is from the early '90s, and if anyone can point out - how can I find out if it is SL, SLX, TSX or EL, it would be great!
Thumbnails are clickable to full size:





I am not sure about the fork, if it's original or not. Downtube appears to be 32 - 32.4mm diameter, but not 100% round (eliptical?). Dropouts are vertical, and without a scale, with BB and cranks on it, it feel featherweight!
Top tube has internal cable routing, and on the downside of the BB shell, there is a plastic guide for derailer cables. (forum limits posts to 10 photos per post, so I'll post more pics later if anybody cares..)

If anybody can give some input regarding this frame, or which tubing this is, it would be great!
ps: notice the lug that's used to connect seat tube and top tube!!!

RacerNo.7

What does that signature on the top tube say?

JohnDThompson 

Check for rifling at the base of the steer tube, and inside the tubes at the bottom bracket. That could help distinguish between SL/SP/SLX/SPX and lower level tube sets. Is it Italian thread? The fork does look suspiciously like an aftermarket replacement; is there anything stamped on the steer tube?

Branimir

I will take it to the LBS these days, to dismantle the cranks and BB, since they are not mine and not staying on the bicycle. BB is 70mm width so it's probably ITA threaded. I cannot read the signature but:



Rampon is still building and selling bicycles:
https://www.ciclirampon.it/ciclirampon/

I will check out the rifling inside the tubes at the BB when I get it (BB) off the bike.

shoota 

Man, the name of that maker just doesn't sound good in English does it? Beautiful bike though, you are very lucky!

Branimir

It could have been in "vibrant italian 90s colors" too, so the name is the worst thing it could happen to this bike

I'm front derailer and seatpost away from completing it. I'm thinking of transferring all the stuff from my main bike on this one...
Any recommendations for a 27.2 seatpost? New stuff is cool also, it's not easy to find cheap old aero or good 27.2 seatposts around here...

shoota 

I think your best bet is to have someone send you one from this forum. A fluted Campy SR seatpost seems like the logical choice. But what are the other components you are putting on it?

Branimir

Heh...

Veloce 8 ergopower that shifts Shimano 600 derailers with a help of jtek shiftmate for the rear one, and ultegra wheels with 8 speed cassete. Front drive is also shimano 600.
This is what I'm riding now:


Unknown italian frame, probably Gara or Aelle, with busted top and downtube, was straightened at the local LBS but I never really recovered emotionally from the fact that it was damaged in a fall...

I'm a sucker for Ergopower shifters, but I really like the practically and interchangeability of Shimano components. Also, chains and cassettes from 8 speed are reasonably priced, and 600/Ultegra stuff is quite durable.

shoota 

Quite the mish mash. I'm sure you've thought of this but I have to make sure. The seat post on your white bike isn't 27.2 is it?

Branimir

Nope 26.4, and I manage to live with the mish mash, Campy stuff is hideously expensive here on the used market, and I really respect the higher end Shimano groups so no probs there
Also, I think 8 speed thing is really enough for me, and thicker chain and chainrings mean it will be a bit stiffer, or at least not as a short lived as newer 10spd stuff...
52Tx42T in the front, no slacking on the climbs with this!!!

shoota 

Believe me I'm fine with mish mash too. I would think you could find someone here with a FD and seatpost for relatively cheap since you don't require campy. Heck, I have a 27.2 Laprade that isn't pretty but would work. Ideally you get all the items you need from one person to save on shipping.

Branimir

I'll try locally for now, I'm in no rush to transfer the stuff, so I could wait a bit till something comes up...

BTW what should I look for when check out the tubes at the BB?

shoota 

Spiraling. Funny this came up. I just saw my Columbus spiraled tubing this afternoon. It's very faint (at least it was to me) so maybe someone who knows it better can give you a better description.

JohnDThompson 

Helical rifling. This is a Columbus SL steer tube, but SLX/SPX down tubes, seat tubes, and chain stays have similar rifling where they insert into the bottom bracket shell:

Branimir

So, the story continues...

I was not able to track down the type of tubing used, though I used a kitchen digital scale to determine weight.
Frame+fork+headset+shimano BBUN55=2913g, which is quite low, taking into account that BB is 314g itself (weighted, not claimed), and headset is 140g at least (says internets for Ritchey Logic that's mounted) , that brings it to somewhere around 2500g roughly for frame and fork, with indicates it is a sub 2000g frame, SL, SLX or EL? I don't really care

Now to the build...
I am not a weight weenie, but with such a lightweight frame, it does tickles me to try to bring the weight down as much is reasonably possible.



I put all the stuff from my previous bike on this one.

Specs:
Steerer: Bontrager SSR VR-C 26.0mm clamp compatible compact bend
Brakes: Shimano BR-6208
Crankset: Shimano FC-6207
Front derailer: Shimano FD-6400
Rear derailer: Shimano RD-6207 + Jtek Shiftmate for Shimano/Campagnolo pull compatibility
Pedals: Shimano Dura Ace 7810
Seatpost: Shimano Dura Ace SP-7400-B
Stem: 90mm 3TTT
Seat: Madison Prime
Shifters: 1st generation 8 speed Campagnolo Veloce Ergopower
Wheels: Remerx Taurus 36H rims laced to Ultegra 6500 hubs with an 8 speed ultegra cassette 12-26 (or 25T, I forgot).

Thumbnails:



Frame has got internal rear brake routing and vertical dropouts. BB shell is italian threaded.

I have not weighted the whole bicycle, but with bottle cages it it's somewhere around 10,3kg.
The wheels are itself very heavy, 620g rims, with Vittorio Rubino 700x25 wired tyres. My plan is to buy a set of Mavic Open Pro's 32H and lace them 3x to these type of hubs, with some regular tyres (Continetal GP4000 or Vittoria Rubino Pro 700x23) and a SRAM PG850 cassette, the weight of the bicycle will drop down to 8800g with wheels. It's not a over the top investment, so I'll do it after new year, Mavics aren't expensive, and a pair of those lightweight hubs is around 150$, thinking of DT Swiss Revolution spokes for the build too...

Anyways, there are some things I need to address first. The spindle is 118mm which is a bit too long for this type of crankset, and I already purchased a new BB-UN55 115mm spindle bottom bracket (italian threads). Also, the cage of the rear derailer is bent and it does not perform 100% crisp and it does touch the spokes when on the biggest rear sprocket. Searching for RD-6401 derailer locally, but I think any of the older 600 series will work great...

The ride is totally different than my previous frame+fork with identical parts. It's a lighter frame, feels a bit more responsive when accelerating, but the thing that strikes me the most is the way it feels. It's nowhere near rough as my previous (Gara or Aelle) frame. The small holes/rough tarmac feels like it's a dead flat surface. There is not much vibration coming to my hands or to my seat. In the bottom bracket area it seems stiffer, there's not much frame flex at all, compared to my last ride. It's a very very comfortable bicycle to ride with very aggressive position. Notice lack of space for wheels? I will shift back to 700x23 for this bicycle.

The color is not something I really like, but it's a fantastic bicycle despite italian sense of early 90s coloring.. It could have been much worse hehe.

unworthy1

Looks like a keeper. I'd guess you'll find it's something like EL based on the shaped downtube and the "long-oval" chainstay cross-section. I'm not sure what may have come after EL but both regular and EL-OS (oversized) sets came with forkblades for unicrown forks, so that might be the original fork. The dropouts seem to be Shimano, do the forkends match? Odd that the builder chose to braze the chanstays below the seatlug where the tubing is thinner than on the lug, but such is fashion. Does give it a more-classic "Brompton-Victor fastback" look, but has to have been trickier.