Hello all!
For the last several weeks I've been plaguing you with questions. Forgive me. At long last I have something to show for it: a Campagnolo Super Record equipped, Columbus tubed, racing bike from ~1985. There are some chips on the paint, and a worn saddle, but mechanically it is in perfect condition.
As some of you might know, I am currently living in Buenos Aires. I have been looking for a nice vintage road bike to accompany me. Since the city has a profound Italian influence, if you look hard enough there are Italian bicycles to be found.
I am from Canada, a country that received a similar influx of Italians at the beginning of the twentieth century. There are manufacturers in Montreal and Canada, such as Marinoni and Miele, who imported Italian manufacturing techniques to make bikes in Canada. I was hoping to find something comparable in Argentina. I like the migration of manufacturing sensibilities from one culture to another, especially with bicycles.
Last week I spotted some grainy pictures of a road bike in my size (60cm) on the South American equivalent of ebay (Mercado Libre). I also recognized the Super Record rear derailer. After a bit of haggling on the price I went out to meet the bicycle owner in a suburb on the outskirts of the city. In a city of 15,000,000 people, the outskirts were a long way out.
The bicycle is a Privitetra racing bike, manufactured by F. Privitera in Argentina. From what little I've been able to find, Privitera seems to be the Marinoni of South America.
While the Columbus stickers were worn, and bore no indication of the tubing, I have determined it to be double butted (maybe Columbus SP) but not helically reinforced. The lug work is really fine, especially the bottom bracket (cinelli) cluster and the seat cluster. The seat cluster has a campagnolo bolt through the seat stays.
The tubular tires still work great (on Nisi HR22 rims, with Campy record hubs), and it shifts like magic. All of the routing is internal. I also like the 'escargot' mounting of the shifters.
My final surprise was the presence of the Record Aero Seatpost. The former rider was apparently much shorter than me, and tried to clamp the post higher up at the Aero portion. To get some traction, he had surrounded the seatpost with tape. Today I adjusted it appropriately. While there is a bit of scratching, I'm certain it's nothing that a bit of meticulous polishing can't fix.
Without further ado, pics:
https://plus.google.com/photos/10691...21303255357841
Any other views or questions, I would be happy to oblige! And if anyone else has info on Privitera bikes, I would be happy to hear about them!
Thanks!