Hi C&Vers, I picked up this Benotto last spring and let it sit in my closet until today. I said I'd loan it to a friend and finally got around to the replacements/upgrades it needed before it'd be comfortable to ride frequently. Halfway through the work I realized I should take photos to show you all, and see if you can tell me anything about it...

Eyelets mean it's not high end (one set in the back, two in the front)... All circular tubes, no ovals or teardrops (except the fork). LBS said it has an impeccable Stronglight bottom bracket, not a hint of pitting, notable enough that two of the wrenches there (one of them the owner of the place) mentioned it to me. They seemed to think the bike was from the 70s.



(...got 12 more photos but the uploader always seems not to like about half of my shots no matter the dimensions or file size... what is up with that??)

I looked at a bunch of the other Benotto photos on here, and none had the rear brake cable housing broken up with the brazeons like this one has (2nd photo).

Only frame sticker that survived says Made in Italy. Weinmann brake levers, calipers, and shoes; SR cranks and pedals; Suntour derailleurs and clamp DT shifters; bolt-on rear der hanger; leather Benotto saddle; scary-looking Pivo stem. Missing head tube badge; "BOM" stamped into front of HT's top lug. Mavic G40 and Campy hub on the rear with a five-speed freewheel. Chromed fork crown and blade ends. It had almost-falling-apart Michelin Hi-Lite Prestige clinchers, the rear one glued on. (Front wheel is Mavic Open 4 CD with a Shimano 105 hub...odd one out. I've got a Campy front wheel I'll probably put on eventually.)