pureskillz

Saw this atala bike at a thrift shop. Need some help identifying it. Looking at others threads, I'm guessing its around 1960-70s. But it seems like the previous owner switched out some parts. The serial number near the seat post was covered by a bracket and sticker so couldn’t make out any of it. Suntour xc sport 7000 rear derailleur. Attached some pictures. Let me know what you guys think and how much it would be worth spending on it if at all

juvela

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wheels, mechs, pedals, shift levers, brake levers, saddle & seat binder not original

the make of the bottom bracket cable guide may tell you the name of the original gear ensemble

began life as a one or two down from the top sort of model

lug pattern is Prugnat 62/d

when you get things out of the way to read the serial the first two numerals are the year produced.

underside of bottom bracket shell may be marked with a number, such as 23, in two places

this is the nominal frame size in inches, as measured centre to top

stem and bar set is 3TTT Touriste

headset is Way-Assauto

guessing somewhere near to '74 for a date

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pureskillz

oo that's helpful. That's what I was thinking. Yeah, I saw two 23s under the bottom bracket.
One life down from top model meaning the competizione, not the record professional right?

Looking at this catalog, I think it's the competizione? The crankset has "stronglight" on it and the brakes are weinmann 999s

3alarmer 

...the best Atala bikes from the 70's and 80's are pretty good frames. Even though that one is a little rough cosmetically, if I was looking for a project in my size, I'd be willing to spend a hunnert bucks on that one, a little more if those wheels are in decent shape. There's nothing wrong with that crank, except you need the Stronglight puller, and the chainwheels are a kind of obscure BCD.

The original derailleurs as listed in your catalog scan were nothing to write home about. So even if the replacements look a little out of place, they work better.

Even though the chrome looks rough, it might polish up OK with some elbow grease and rubbing compound. It's Columbus tubing, and probably the same frame as the Professional.

T-Mar

+1, the subject bicycle appears to be an early 1970s Atala Competezione. Atala of this era typically have an open format serial number stamped on the upper seat tube. The first two characters indicate the year of manufacture (i.e. 72A12345 would indicate 1972 manufacture).

randyjawa 

Two of those old Atala road bikes have come my way, over the years. They are seriously underappreciated, in my opinion. Well made and reeking of vintage appeal. What more could one ask for...
My first Atala ? ...



My most recent Atala Professional...

wrk101

At the right price, this one is a GRAB NOW, STUDY LATER. What I do when I see a mashup of parts, I just compare the asking price to the value of the parts. I really don't worry about the brand of the bike or the model. Stronglight crankset plus Suntour bar end shifters probably alone cover asking price. Campy dropouts too.

Years ago, I watched a guy carefully check everything on a Cannondale road bike at a garage sale. Price was $40. He's texting a friend, he's spinning the wheels to see if they are true, on and on he goes. Then he wanders off, I immediately grab the bike, pay for it and off I go. Guy thought a $40 Cannondale had to be perfect? Cleaned it up and sold it a couple of weeks later for $350 (better market then).

SJX426 

The pro pictured above look good. I don't care for the terminations of the chain stays at the seat cluster. The chrome is great!

pureskillz

I pulled the trigger and bought the bike. The thrift store was selling it for $175, I asked for $75 and they agreed to it. The frame isn't in the greatest condition so I wish I could have gotten it a bit cheaper. But the wheel set is still in pretty good condition, spoke tension is good and doesn't need much truing. I was able to find the serial number and found out its from 1972. Brakes look pretty new. We'll see how this project goes...

SoccerBallXan

Neat bike and great deal.

I like the barend shifters and handlebar setup. What did the handlebars turn out to be?

You should post a photo of the frame striped and cleaned.

bikemig 

You got a very good deal at $75. I'd love to find one of these in my size.

randyjawa 

[QUOTE]Years ago, I watched a guy carefully check everything on a Cannondale road bike at a garage sale. Price was $40. He's texting a friend, he's spinning the wheels to see if they are true, on and on he goes. Then he wanders off, I immediately grab the bike, pay for it and off I go. Guy thought a $40 Cannondale had to be perfect? Cleaned it up and sold it a couple of weeks later for $350 (better market then).

Yup, been there and done that, but only once in all the yard sale purchases made. Same senario - guy hemming and hawing over this Cannondale. Me, watching out of the corner of my eye until mister cheapo lays the Dale back down on the ground. I immediately snatched it up and made the buy. Darn near got into a fist fight over this one, though...

pureskillz

Forgot to take a picture when it was fully stripped. But here’s one that’s semi. and the handlebars actually has no writing on it at all so not sure what brand it is

juvela

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great to see you are moving right along with Sig. Rizzato!

spanner twistin' tip -

the clamp assembly on the bicycle's 3TTT Touriste handlebar stem has a size of 26.0mm. an unmarked bar may have a centre dimension other than 26.0mm. when working with alloy stems it is important that stem's clamp dimension exactly matches that of bar's centre diameter. a safety issue.

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minor point regarding the machine's model 93 chainset. 1972 was the transitional year for the 93 between the G1/Mk.I type and the G2/Mk.II type. some 1972 model cycles received Mk.I and some Mk.II. your machine exhibits Mk.I. the difference is in the amount of material around the pedal hole. Mk.I's could experience radial cracks emanating from the pedal hole so additional material was added in the revision of 1972.

this illustration from VB shows a mixed set. the right arm is G1 and the left arm G2.





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danno51

I know this is an old post but I just happened to come across it while doing a web search. I am the original owner of an Atala just like yours...and I still have it! I bought mine in 1974 after doing some research in various paperbacks that were dedicated to educating the “Sturmey-Archer “ crowd on the finer points of the ten speed phenomena. It was given great reviews. It is a Competizione (sp) model. It was sold as a touring bike but it came with a strange mix of parts as you well know. It had a Campagnolo Gran Turismo wide range derailleur and down tube shifters. Stronglite 93 crankset (which was a really good crankset at the time). Campy wide flange hubs with Mavic rims and D'Alessandro glue-on tubular tires (strange for a touring bike). Weinmann center pull brakes. It also had a very uncomfortable Brooks leather seat. About a year or two after I bought it I replaced the the rear derailleur and brakes with Campy Record parts. The hubs with Campy Record small flange hubs. I also went with Michelin clincher tires with Mavic rims. One thing that always confused me is they were supposed to be made with Columbus double butted tubing (makes sense) but mine came with a “Reynolds 531” sticker on the frame...go figure. I paid $270 for it at Ski-Cycle in Madison, WI and took a lot of kidding from my co-workers since I paid more for it than I did for my car at the time (a '61 VW). I kept all the original parts and could dig them out if you have any questions or need any pictures.

rsmarion

Hi, Bike Forum, Does anyone know their way around their Atala bikes?

I have one that dates from '71 and has a 22" frame. (An earlier post taught me how to find out that much!) Is Turista 5 a model? And does anyone know anything about its history or quality of the Turista 5, and what it might be worth? It needs some cosmetic work but otherwise it looks in good shape.

Looks like I am too new to the forum to post pictures.

It is part of an estate for which I am trustee. I need to sell it so really need your help!
Thanks a million!

juvela

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Hello and welcome to the forum!

It would have been better to commence your inquiry as a new thread rather than appending the question to an existing one.

AFAIK the Turista 5 is a model which was not regularly imported to the U.S.

what is the bicycle's wheel size; if 700c it is a european model likely brought in by a traveler; if 27" then it is likely a model constructed for export to anglophone lands

here is a 1971 Atala catalogue for the U.S. market -

​​​​​​https://velo-pages.com/main.php?g2_itemId=27649

one U.S. agent who may have brought in such a model as the Turista 5 is Salvatore Corso (Stuyvesant Bicycle) of New York City

does the subject machine carry a transfer from the shop which sold it?


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rsmarion

Juvela, Thank you for all parts of this info.
While there is no transfer indicating where he purchased it, the tire on it is a 27 x 1 1/4/ 32 x 630. And, like me, the owner lived just north of the city. Thanks to this lead, I've just read a wonderful thread here on Stuyvesant Bikes. It makes good sense that he would have purchased it from Salvatore Corso.

Thoughts about whether the bicycle is desirable and what I should look for/know to help value it. I've got a bunch of photos but no way to upload! There is a set of mudguards, but I forgot to look at whether they are made by Atala (they aren't currently on the bike).

You've guessed that while I love to ride them, I don't know much about bikes.
Thank you for your help!

juvela

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rsmarion

you can create an album of photos on your member page

there is a link for this on the right margin of your member page here at the forum

no minimum number of posts is required to do this

readers can visit the page and see the images

they can also place them here into the discussion thread


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rsmarion

Tried to add an album and not sure what I am doing wrong. Photos I tried to upload to my original post appear (three times!) as an album, but that album does not show up in my profile. I am sure that answer is not difficult, but am stymied!

juvela

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you can ask for moderator assistance

would also suggest you could ask them to move your inquiry to a new thread within this forum


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11111energy

The first step in identifying a vintage bike is to look for any branding or logos on the frame, wheels, or components. Often, the manufacturer's name will be printed or engraved on the bike's head tube or down tube. From there, you can research the manufacturer and model to learn more about the bike's age, style, and features.