ddashoff699

I just acquired this snazzy Medici El Dorado.

Does anybody have any knowledge of this bike? I didn't see a serial number.

I'd really like to know more about her. As much as I can, really.

Does anybody have any opinions on her value? Would YOU keep her?

Campagnolo wheelset, crank, seatpost, brakes, headset, shifters, derailleur, pedals... all original.

Only the frame, stem, and drop bars and Medici.

Only the tires and seat have been replaced.

ddashoff699

It also seems to go by the name "Camino Real". So a Madici Camino Real.

irvri

The components are campagnolo victory if you didn't know already, except the shifters which look to be super record. Personally I do not like the victory group myself because they are not as valuable as the others. I like the frame but honestly do not have any knowledge of it, good luck!

DirtyHarry714

I saw this on CL, good find.

DirtyHarry714

The wheels are campy or just the hubs?

I have 2 sets of Campagnolo rims (with shimano 600 hubs on both, wish they were campy)

Would take a pretty hefty offer to get them out of my hands since i really enjoy them.

More pics of the rims,labels,hubs would be nice.

-Harry

ddashoff699

Thank you - talked him down to $300. I think I made a decent deal.

ddashoff699

The hubs are definitely campy - I'll have to check when I get home to see if the rims are.

FastJake

Good deal IMO at $300. But in case you care - freewheel is not original. Pedals are missing clips and straps. Otherwise it looks very good.

Would I keep it? Absolutely. But only if it fits you. If you're riding it with the saddle positioned as shown in the pictures, this bike is definitely too large for you.

ddashoff699

That's the other thing. I haven't adjusted the seat since I bought it (which was a few hours ago).

The bike, according to him (and I'll check this myself) is either a 55 or 56 cm frame. I am 5' 10". Should this work for me or is it too small a frame? I'm also thinking about replacing the suicide shifters with stem shifters.

FastJake

To me the frame looks more like a 58-59cm. But measure and find out for yourself. At 5' 10" I'd expect it to fit you well. It is definitely not too small for you.

Never heard DT shifters called suicide shifters before. IMHO, stem shifters would be a hideous travesty on this bike but it's yours to do as you please. Personally I would get bar-end shifters instead. More convenient in my experience and not associated with the bottom barrel bikes.

Bianchigirll 

I actually like the looks of the Victory group but I also enjoy riding and looking at my bikes and not just wondering what the retail value of them is, I just wish they had made longer cranks.

I agree $300 sounds like a deal, I would not mind trying one of these especially at that price. But I also agree it looks bigger than a 56ish and could possibly be a 59. At 5'10" unless you have a 32+ inseam that may be bit tall.

ddashoff699

Do you think so? I've only ever ridden my 1953 Raleigh Sports, which has a three speed shifter, so having to reaching all the way down there to shift scares me to death. You think it would be a sin to alter the down tube shifters to stem shifters?

ddashoff699

Can somebody recommend a quality pair of bar end shifters? Preferably made in the 80's or 90's?

Chombi

I believe that Simplex made a retrofriction version of their bar-end shifters back in the 80's. Kinda hard to find and very expensive if you do find them. Simplex retrofrictions are still considered to be the best friction/non-indexed shifters you can put on a bike.

Chombi

Giacomo 1 

Before you go to all the trouble and expense of changing the shifters, just size the bike up for you and ride it for awhile. I bet you'll get used to the DT shifters really quickly.

repechage

You got a fair deal for $300. a bike with another name would be a good deal.
These were a low cost leader model for Medici. Built by the same crew who built the other models but less finish effort in paint and graphics. Buyout fork.
The pedals are probably a write off, or ebay them for parts. Toe clips for this model are not cheap, and missing one dust cap that will be expensive to replace.

The why of this model would be interesting to know, I would ask Mike Howard who used to be a part of the old CR list, I would joined the google version or look up his name in the (CR) Classicrendezvous archives and find an email address for him, or find Brian Baylis and ask.

My conjecture is they were not busy, and to keep the doors open they came up with this budget frame, different name so not to cut into the mainline models, a bit less in some areas but of decent build.

ddashoff699

Thanks, repechage. It seems you are totally right about the El Dorado's relative worth. Here is a statement by Howard, himself:

"Hey guys, Mike Howard here. The El Dorado model was a lower line frame that
we built for a short time trying to expand our sales base. I was never very
gun-ho on them but had to do what the boss wanted. Thats not to say they
weren't nice bikes just not the same quality as the Pro-Stradas and
generally had cheaper components. They actually were a great bargin but no
customizing, all standard geometry and components, no chrome. The first few
hundred were made of Reynolds 531 that we had laying around and then later
went to the Tange Cr-Mo tubing which was a higher quality tubing then most
wanted to admit."

FastJake

Suntour Barcons

Or you could get some Shimano bar-end shifters, almost all except the newest have a friction setting. Not too expensive.

ddashoff699

Will vintage bikes like this accept an index shifter?

FastJake

Yes, but not with your current rear derailer. You'll need an appropriate index-compatible rear derailer and cassette/freewheel to match the number of speeds of the shifter. This is the bare minimum, there can be other complications.

ddashoff699

So if a 7 speed index shifter is set to friction, it will be compatible with a 6 speed cog and derailed of my variety?

repechage

In friction mode, no problems in general.
An old "5 speed" chain may not be happy as an example.

Basically, the index lever needs to match the geometry of the rear mechanism and the spacing of the cogs between themselves for indexing to work. There have been over time slight refinements to cog spacing to get more cogs in the same space and other more subtle changes between group levels.

In short, same brand, same generation, same component tier will work. Other mixing will work too but often its test to confirm. If you are the experimenting type, you can have fun or get frustrated.