Pony303

Hello dear Forums,

I'm new here and i have a question. I found a bike which i really like by the way it looks, but i cant find any information on it on the internet. The Brand is "Aquila", the seller said its a very small factory near tuscany, and that it was built early 70s.
I'll attach a few pictures, maybe some of you can help me finding out which tubes these are and what a reasonable price would look like?

Thanks a lot already,
Eni


Bildschirmfoto 2017-01-14 um 14.57.20.jpg Bildschirmfoto 2017-01-14 um 14.57.28.jpg

Bildschirmfoto 2017-01-14 um 14.57.35.jpg Bildschirmfoto 2017-01-14 um 14.57.41.jpg

T-Mar

Welcom to the forums. There have been several Aquila brands over the years. The pictures are so small and of such poor resolution that it's impossible to make any definitive statements. However, the use of shift lever clamps and top tube cable clips support 1970s and something better than entry level and the workmanshio is decidely above entry level. Conversely, it would be be strange to see steel, cottered cranksets on a top end frame from this era. Still, it could have been built up from a frame, using economical parts. The Universal 68 brakeset and Ofmega crankset do suggest an Italian origin.

The best indicator as to tubing grade is the seat post diameter. Also check whether there are any spiral ridges inside the fork's steerer tube. Does the rear dropout have an integral hanger and what is the make? For this to be a high end, Italian, 1970s frame, in a small size, I would expect a 27.2mm seat post, five spiral ridges inside the bottom of the fiork's steerer tube and Camapgnolo forged dropouts with an integral hanger. All that would add up to a Columbus SL tubeset, which was the most common, high end, Italian configuration in the 1970s.

Pony303

hello t-mar,
thank you very much for your reply. i'm sorry about the bad quality of the pictures, i noticed it too but i dont have any other ones. i don't have the bike with me, so unfortunately i can't check any of those things but i will ask the seller if he can do that for me. so in your opinion, is this a bike of quality and one can buy it without any disadvantages? i really like the color and the lugs (but then also i'm a complete noob ).
thank you!
eni

zukahn1 

I would agree with T-Mar that the bike looks to be a very nice mid level early 70's Italian bike. Fairly nice frame sets with chrome lugs and somewhat lesser components where pretty typical for late 60's early 70's smaller Italian builders.

T-Mar

Even the entry level Italian bicycles of the 1970s were real eye candy, with lots of chrome and fancy paint and decals. While it doesn't appear to be entry level, there's just not enough information. I wouldn't take a chance without better pictures, unless it's really inexpensive. Get the seller to send you pics of the rear dropouts and derailleur, inside of the fork blades at the crown and the joints of the bridges to the stays. Even if they are as poor as the current pictures, we should be able to tell enough from them to get a better appreciation of the level. If he can provide the seat post diameter and information on the steerer tube, even better.

Pony303

thank you for your answers. i tried uploading the other pictures i have somewhere else so the quality might be better.

https://666kb.com/i/dfu4nl5e6oin5al79.png

https://666kb.com/i/dfu4qo8iibmvehwwl.jpg

https://666kb.com/i/dfu4s7609ohmf8d05.png

Pony303

He Said the Seat Post diameter is 26,2

juvela

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Chainset is Gnutti.

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T-Mar

26.2mm is down into the range of a lightweight, high tensile steel. So, probably a club racer around the crossover between upper entry level and lower mid-range.

Pony303

Ok thank you. That doesn't Sound too Bad. The seller is Asking € 350.- , is that too much?

Edit: i think this Could be a similar
https://www.google.at/amp/s/troppebici.wordpress.com/2016/10/13/bici-corsa-aquila-touring-1970/amp/?client=safari

cb400bill

Thread moved to C&V Appraisals forum with three day forwarding.

Pony303

Sorry for posting in the wrong category

AlexCyclistRoch

Well, you gave us 2 shots of the same ancient derailleur. I see a low-end cottored steel crankset, so I would assume that the tubeset is 'gaspipe', albeit with fancy chrome lugs. The proof would be in the weight; I would assume that this bike weighs no less than 25 lbs/11.5 kg? If so, yeah, it's worth no more than maybe $300, if EVERYTHING is working correctly. I'd offer $200, maybe go as high as $250 if it was REALLY nice, but no more than that.

BTW, why do you want this bike? As a collectible, it's just OK. As a daily rider? No way! It's about 50 years old, and whatever value it has is because it still has the ancient components on it. Start riding it, and something will break on which parts are no longer available. Replace them, and you only have a heavyweight $100 'beater' bike.

Pony303

hello alex, thanks for your input. i am looking for a winter project, i just thought it looks really nice, but as its in another country i cant go and check it out. i'm pretty new in the vintage bike thing and appreciate all of your information and opinions a lot.

T-Mar

Thxs, it reminded me of the older Ofmega trademark.

\
The extra pictures showing the Camapgnolo dropouts would definitely bump it up into mid-range, though it is still a fairly heavy tubeset based on the 26.2mm seat post. The Huret Svelto rear derailleurs are nothing special. Given the Italian heritage, I'm surprised it isn't Campagnolo Valentino Extra.

The Aquila Touring does appear to be almost identical. It gives us some pictures of the workmanship, which is good but not up to the level of a high end frame. I don't know your market conditions but I'd be hard pressed to pay that kind of money for this bicycle in my region. Even though it wouldn't be as pretty, I could find something newer for that price, that would ride and function better and be lighter.

exxongraftek

The seat and post alone (EARLY Cinelli Unicanitor, both of them) are worth close to half the asking price. If it was near me I would own it already.

juvela

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Headset is OFMEGA.

Lugset is Agrati "CORSA" (nr. 202.8529 seat, nr. 021.8194 upper head, nr. 021.8193 lower head).

Huret rear mech shows the only occasionally encountered adaptor plate nr. 2165 for fitment to Campag pattern hangers.

Regarding Nitor pillar/saddle - earliest were the flat rail models, ~1960. Nitor products not marked Cinelli at launch.

Regarding Gnutti/OFMEGA emblems - one easy way to differentiate them is that the Gnutti bird faces right whilst the OFMEGA one faces left. Ran across this entry discussing possible connection betwixt Gnutti/Giostra/OFMEGA. Unfortunately, mostly a reiteration of earlier speculation with little hard information.

Ofmega | Ciclo Italiano

Perhaps as thread goes forward we can get some pedal, stem and bar images to go with the others.

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LucasHartong

See: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...ry-aquila.html Hope that helps a bit! I love the Aquila...

Jpreichardt

Guys, reading this I noticed you know a lot about this bike. Could you please check this album and tell me if is this an Aquila? Almos no more decals have survived... Columbus is SL? Thank you!
Haha, the forum does not allow pictures or URL, sorry

T-Mar

Welcome to the forums. The decals do appear to say Aquila and while I can't corroborate the identity, I have no reason to doubt it. The subject Columbus decal was only used for SL and SP (and the track counterparts) but the components look entry level. It could be tretubi SL (i.e. SL only in the thre main tubes) but I can't say for sure. The most reliable indicator of tubeset grade is the seat post diameter. The presence of the bottle bosses, top tube cable tunnels and lever bosses suggest it's newer than the Aquila that is the original subject of this thread.

Here's a link to your photos; https://www.bikeforums.net/g/album/15361294