Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,520
Likes: 12
From: Colorado Springs, CO
Bikes: 1959 Bottecchia Milano-Sanremo (frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame), 1974 Peugeot UO-8
Hmmm...it does appear to have been a nice bike. There's a good chance it's Italian. Except for the crank and the rear derailleur the components seem consistant with a high end 70's Italian bike and cutout lugs too. Beyond that I can't say. The Nervar Star crank seems a bit out of place but not too much I guess. They were common on second tier bikes but I've never seen one on a bike that was otherwise all NR. The wheels might be replacements - the tires appear to be tubular which is consistant with the period but the hubs are low flange, I don't see the oil port band I would expect if they were NR hubs and the quick release that shows in the picture is curved like the post CPSC '78 and later levers. I almost hate to mention it because it recently nearly started a flame war but I'd agree with retyred, that front end looks a little tweeked. I would inspect it closely for any damage on the top tube or down tube just behind the lugs in case it's been in a head on collision. Maybe it's just my imagination.
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1959 Bottecchia Milano-Sanremo(frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame),
1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame),
1974 Peugeot UO-8, 1988 Panasonic PT-3500, 2002 Bianchi Veloce, 2004 Bianchi Pista