UTI Somec Supercorsa build
#26
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Cool! Those blue arc en ciel rims are funky. Maybe I ought to visit one of the many fine "spice merchants" here in town before building my SOMEC, it apparently gets great results
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That really came together beautifully, especially for "just tossing stuff onto it". Remarkable that the various blue bits work so well with one another. Lovely frame and build details, too (cable routing, Somec/S/Tulip details, perfect crankset, etc.). The paint fill on the calipers matches the (Ambrosio?) finishing tape nicely (where can I find that stuff w/o buying bar tape I don't intend to use?).
Now, I know it's impolite to ask, but... What does the svelte climber tip the scales at in current dress?
Now, I know it's impolite to ask, but... What does the svelte climber tip the scales at in current dress?
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Great looking build, lots attention to detail. How comfy is that saddle??
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What a top shelf build.
Love it. I always thought you should build your Somec frameset and look at the result.
As for the Gazelle, it's a road frame. No off-road with that one.
I'll build it when I get bored this winter.
#30
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UTI = Under The Influence. This is my first-ever build inspired by a few puffs of cannabis
Pics up in a little bit. I just grabbed the lightest stuff I could find after the wheelset had been determined. I have a six-speed Zeus alloy freewheel we tried to use, but alas, it needs to be tightened up a little. Wonder if a Pastor Bob Spa Treatment may bring her into line? It's near NOS.
DD
Pics up in a little bit. I just grabbed the lightest stuff I could find after the wheelset had been determined. I have a six-speed Zeus alloy freewheel we tried to use, but alas, it needs to be tightened up a little. Wonder if a Pastor Bob Spa Treatment may bring her into line? It's near NOS.
DD
In the mean time I can loan you my hill climbing freewheel. I'm not a Navy conditioned sailor (even compared to a Navy chaplain (BTW a retired one preaches for me regularly when I go on vacation)), so instead of muscles, I rely on gearing.
I've actually been tweaking the gearing in the "high" end. As pictured it is 16-18-26-30-34-38. Today I plan to swap a few cogs to even out the jumps and make it 17-21-25-30-34-38. You can read about my planned use here.
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Very nice, DD. Love the details on this one.
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The grooved top tube is a super cool detail, on a really lovely bike. Curved shifters are trippy, man. Love it. What's the scale say?
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Wow, she is a beauty DD!
Love that crankset! Which tubulars did you pick for her?
She looks very racy with that steep head tube angle and nearly straight fork. There is no mistaking it's Italian heritage with that geometry. I'm guessing this is going to be one very fast and agile rider.
Love that crankset! Which tubulars did you pick for her?
She looks very racy with that steep head tube angle and nearly straight fork. There is no mistaking it's Italian heritage with that geometry. I'm guessing this is going to be one very fast and agile rider.
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Have fun DD!
Interesting to see what the lightest parts are that you came with, are you going period correct? With frames of this age that fall between the Taj Mahal-era of Campagnolo parts and the MTB-inspired weight weenie craze and the advent of carbon, there's a lot of interesting choices. Carbon Flites and the like.
But you know, the thing with these SOMEC framesets, they're just as good to look at as they are to build! still have mine sitting on my desk, got nearly all the parts, and am almost reluctant to start building.
Looking forward to the pics of the completed build!
Interesting to see what the lightest parts are that you came with, are you going period correct? With frames of this age that fall between the Taj Mahal-era of Campagnolo parts and the MTB-inspired weight weenie craze and the advent of carbon, there's a lot of interesting choices. Carbon Flites and the like.
But you know, the thing with these SOMEC framesets, they're just as good to look at as they are to build! still have mine sitting on my desk, got nearly all the parts, and am almost reluctant to start building.
Looking forward to the pics of the completed build!
And you're right, these Somecs are some pretty frames to look at, tho mine had been rode hard and put away wet. The old decals were just wishful thinking, although it did take me a couple months of flaking the stubborn remains off with my fingernails to clear the frame up for the reproductions.
I hope we see yours with parts on it in the near future, too!
DD
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Thanks again to Alex who so willingly made the wheel trade. I don't know if I'd have ever gotten 'round to this build if that "funky blue wheelset" hadn't provided the catalyst.
DD
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That really came together beautifully, especially for "just tossing stuff onto it". Remarkable that the various blue bits work so well with one another. Lovely frame and build details, too (cable routing, Somec/S/Tulip details, perfect crankset, etc.). The paint fill on the calipers matches the (Ambrosio?) finishing tape nicely (where can I find that stuff w/o buying bar tape I don't intend to use?).
Now, I know it's impolite to ask, but... What does the svelte climber tip the scales at in current dress?
Now, I know it's impolite to ask, but... What does the svelte climber tip the scales at in current dress?
IIRC, the calipers came on a near-completely-pantographed Casati I got some years ago at one of the Seattle Bike Swaps. They're the later short versions which fit this later frame perfectly. The Italian tricolor finishing tape I believe did in fact come from an old pack of Ambrosion Bike Ribbon. I've seen people here on the Forum duplicate it by using three colors of electrical tape
I'm curious, too, when it comes to weight. It's pretty light. I might get this over to hang on Alex's fish scale before too long and get a ballpark figure. It seems to be at 20lbs if not a little heavier.
DD
Last edited by Drillium Dude; 09-13-14 at 01:11 AM.
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DD, I'd be honored to assist in this build. I must be honest, however, I've never worked on a Zeus. Send a picture via email (my user name + gmail dot com) of the overhead view so I can see the retaining ring/outer bearing race. I'm assuming the races need tightening, not the cogs. To do so will depend on the internal spacers and how many were used.
In the mean time I can loan you my hill climbing freewheel. I'm not a Navy conditioned sailor (even compared to a Navy chaplain (BTW a retired one preaches for me regularly when I go on vacation)), so instead of muscles, I rely on gearing.
I've actually been tweaking the gearing in the "high" end. As pictured it is 16-18-26-30-34-38. Today I plan to swap a few cogs to even out the jumps and make it 17-21-25-30-34-38. You can read about my planned use here.
In the mean time I can loan you my hill climbing freewheel. I'm not a Navy conditioned sailor (even compared to a Navy chaplain (BTW a retired one preaches for me regularly when I go on vacation)), so instead of muscles, I rely on gearing.
I've actually been tweaking the gearing in the "high" end. As pictured it is 16-18-26-30-34-38. Today I plan to swap a few cogs to even out the jumps and make it 17-21-25-30-34-38. You can read about my planned use here.
Here's a quick pic of the Zeus unit. And yes, it just seems as though the body is loose - it was grating and moving 'round on the hub when we installed it and wound up the drivetrain. Kinda sad - it's a lovely unit, and almost unused. It deserves to be put in order and used.
1100 feet in 3 miles? Okay, that's going to be steep - I can see why you're going with your gearing. Looks like you could pull out a stump with that setup Hope we hear about it after all is said and done (I'm subscribed, btw).
I can send more pics if you need them.
DD
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What a beauty.
A throw-together-build? OK - we will accept your hyperbole given the source for inspiration.
Panto crankset with drilled chain rings, complementary cables saved for years, panto shifters, drilled brakes (paint filled), etc.
A throw-together-build? OK - we will accept your hyperbole given the source for inspiration.
Panto crankset with drilled chain rings, complementary cables saved for years, panto shifters, drilled brakes (paint filled), etc.
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#39
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You might be surprised to learn that the saddle is probably the most comfy I own. It may not have any padding, but it flexes like you wouldn't believe. Impressive; I ran around almost the entire summer with it on the Davidson before I removed it for this build and I absolutely love it. I know they go for crazy money on Ebay, but this is a user all the way - it's that good.
DD
Last edited by Drillium Dude; 09-01-14 at 10:26 AM.
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Thanks - I hope it didn't end up too over-the-top with the blue accents (tho I tried to tone it down by leaving out the infill paint detailing).
DD
DD
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I think I played it a little more conventionally on this one!
DD
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DD
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I swear, I was beginning to think the Somec frame was going to go up for sale along with the Casati and Masi Special until I self-medicated (and of course got the wheels from Alex). It's funny the things that finally push one to get going
DD
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Thank you - and maybe in the future I'll sit down (over the winter, perhaps?) and finish up the little paint infill details. Still have panto'd brake levers and stem for this build, but they still need work to be presentable. Gives me something to do in the off-season
DD
DD
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Wish I could remember where I got the gear levers - I think Ebay, but now I'm not so sure. They feel very solid and direct. The internal gear cable runs are interesting: for the front, it threads through a modified BB shell cable tunnel brazed inside the shell at the top. For the rear, it runs into a supplied length of - wait for it - brake cable housing that begins a couple inches up from the BB shell into the downtube and continues all the way back to butt up against the dropout end. Had to play around a little to get them both threaded through, but the shifting is very precise now.
Gotta get this on a scale! Guessing around 20lbs or a little over. It sure finished up prettty light.
DD
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Wow, she is a beauty DD!
Love that crankset! Which tubulars did you pick for her?
She looks very racy with that steep head tube angle and nearly straight fork. There is no mistaking it's Italian heritage with that geometry. I'm guessing this is going to be one very fast and agile rider.
Love that crankset! Which tubulars did you pick for her?
She looks very racy with that steep head tube angle and nearly straight fork. There is no mistaking it's Italian heritage with that geometry. I'm guessing this is going to be one very fast and agile rider.
Yeah, I love the fork curvature, too. The Italians surely did get that aesthetic spot-on, didn't they? And it is a steep frame. I want to ride this thing so badly it hurts
The current (unglued) tubulars are Gommitalia Champions. Nothing special, and I don't know if they'll get glued up or not. Perhaps somebody here can suggest a nice tub to glue up? One that is well-made with good performance but won't break the bank? Remember, this is basically going to be a mountain-climbing time trial machine.
The crankset: have had it for over 4 years. Got it on Ebay - there were a couple/three kicking around at that time and it was a good price at the time. One day, when I get the infill paint done, it should pop just that little bit more. I just hope it holds up the the rigors of climbing, what with the milled spider and all.
DD
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Well, thrown together in the sense that, other than a few items which had always been designated for whenever I got around to it, I just began grabbing derailleurs, pedals, bar/stem...you know. And I lazy'd out when it came to breaking out my enamels and paintbrushes, too. Oh, and I - for the first time since I can remember - cannibalized one of my bikes for this build, too (taking the Flite Carbon saddle from the Davidson). So, in a sense it really did come together with very little pre-prior-planning.
Sometimes you just gotta say "WTF", right?
DD
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Thanks, man - from a man of your taste, getting the seal of approval is important
I swear, I was beginning to think the Somec frame was going to go up for sale along with the Casati and Masi Special until I self-medicated (and of course got the wheels from Alex). It's funny the things that finally push one to get going
DD
I swear, I was beginning to think the Somec frame was going to go up for sale along with the Casati and Masi Special until I self-medicated (and of course got the wheels from Alex). It's funny the things that finally push one to get going
DD
...and breaking my no new road bikes rule.
You deserve the time though. Time to consider next steps and big plans.
You've got a lot of years till your social security kicks in.
Me?
Not so many.
#49
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Gorgeous build. As a crappy-surface and bad-weather rider, I can only sigh.
I really love the unusual fork paint treatment besides the usual Drillium Dude attention to detail.
Did Columbus make many of these recessed-brake-housing-relieved top tubes? I think that only the Italians would dream this up. Am I wrong?
ps that Zeus fw just needs some attention with a good pin vise and change out of shims, imho. Not too challenging.
I really love the unusual fork paint treatment besides the usual Drillium Dude attention to detail.
Did Columbus make many of these recessed-brake-housing-relieved top tubes? I think that only the Italians would dream this up. Am I wrong?
ps that Zeus fw just needs some attention with a good pin vise and change out of shims, imho. Not too challenging.
#50
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I think you know what I'd say about a 20T cog being the "bailout" on a climber
But dang, that dinged-up Somec is even prettier in it's own way than the Colnago you brought over to ride the Hurricane with me. Lots of nice detail for a quickly slapped together build. I've never seen a crank quite like that before.
But dang, that dinged-up Somec is even prettier in it's own way than the Colnago you brought over to ride the Hurricane with me. Lots of nice detail for a quickly slapped together build. I've never seen a crank quite like that before.
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● 1971 Grandis SL ● 1972 Lambert Grand Prix frankenbike ● 1972 Raleigh Super Course fixie ● 1973 Nishiki Semi-Pro ● 1979 Motobecane Grand Jubile ●1980 Apollo "Legnano" ● 1984 Peugeot Vagabond ● 1985 Shogun Prairie Breaker ● 1986 Merckx Super Corsa ● 1987 Schwinn Tempo ● 1988 Schwinn Voyageur ● 1989 Bottechia Team ADR replica ● 1990 Cannondale ST600 ● 1993 Technium RT600 ● 1996 Kona Lava Dome ●