Originally Posted by
cehowardGS
Just want to report that I picked up my Competition(like the one above) to day. A 130 mile round trip. It was worth it!!
The bike looks good. Just like yours. A little dirty, messy and dirty tape too. The stem is black, and some marks on it. Other that, it look and felt good. I didn't have my camera with me. I took it right to my LBS, and they were impressed. Really impressed with the brakes. The rear wheel might need a little trueing, but other than cleaning up and tune, it will be ready in a week. Will post pictures when finished. Oh, and the seat ain't too cool either.. They asked me at the LBS how much I paid on ebay, I told them $150. They said I got a deal.. Cool..
Mine was dirtier, messier, and more neglected than yours when I got it - yours will turn out very nice.
Black stem is stock, and the only part I'd consider a near-mandatory replacement - the stock stems are ugly, and don't fit the bike one bit (and they're often too short once you're fitting riders past the 58cm mark). While you have the bar tape off and are running new brake cables (recommended - use some nice, teflon-lined white housing), take an opportunity to swap the stem (perhaps the entire stem + bar) to something nice. I went with a Cinelli XA mated to Cinelli Campione Del Mondo handlebars on mine. My stem is a bit overboard in length, but I've put a no-setback seatpost on it. A 1980's-style fit.
-Kurt