I spotted an ad on craigslist last night for an unspecified road bike, and decided to contact the seller today. I could see from the bad photo that it had MTB bars and controls, and a reversed seat post, but the shifter bosses gave me hope that it might be worth a look (priced under $100.)



The seller called me today, and when I asked him if it had a name on it, he said "it just has some letters on it, it's an M-A-S-I." I managed to keep my composure and got to the seller's place in about 20 minutes, but I realized it was a fake after I took a close look. It was a frankenbike of the highest order, but the frame looked pretty nice and it fits me, so I bought it anyway.

It has some interesting details, but nothing that I can see that clearly identifies the manufacturer. Bottom bracket shell measures 70mm, which suggests Italian. The seat post clamp is an odd size - 26mm (the post that was in it was a 25.8, but I managed to spread out the slot to its correct size.) No engraving on the brake bridge, seat stay caps, or fork crown, and no internal rifling. Fork is nicely chromed, but may be a replacement. I couldn't see any signs of impact trauma, but I'm pretty sure it's been repainted.

If anyone has any ideas about who made this frame, I'd love to hear them. It does ride beautifully, but I know it's not an M-A-S-I. I suspect the decal on the chainstay protector is actually much closer to the truth than the other decals, it very well may be a Raul Mesa...