Originally Posted by
big chainring
That's Dave's bike.
Dave who? Oh, now I remember.
The brazed on bottle bosses and rear brake cable guides establish the newness of the bike. Masi California was a little late to this party. On the other hand, the long Campagnolo rear dropouts and slotted Fischer fork crown establish its oldness--definitely pre-1980. The lovely curve of the fork blades assert that it was not built by Lippy or Eisentraut.
Hovey wrote that the highest number he came across under the Carlsbad numbering scheme is 0906. He's kind of vague about what happened between 1976 and '78, but it appears that the Rancho Santa Fe period comes before and overlaps the San Marcos period. 57701 looks like a variant on the Rancho Santa Fe numbering scheme, like they may have had the blind staggers in the months before Jim Allen came up with the "standard" Santa Fe scheme in 1978.
I've got one too, a 1980. It has short dropouts, the semi-sloping fork crown, and the "Gran Criterium" and flag decals on the down tube. I love these bikes, the subdued paint schemes, the lack of excessive pantographing and chrome, and their classic profiles. They ride pretty nice, too.