Bikerider007

UPDATED-ADDED PIC DUE TO OTHERS LOST I didn't want to start another, another Olmo thread... but it is. Arizona sun baked Olmo Special with some rust that I plan to use as a wall piece. I figured why not another project and I'll take my time (that never happens). The guy was going to restore/paint, I am just going to clean up and will get some input from you guys as I go along.

Peter B and I have been corresponding; I contacted him as I was going over it and did not know why there would be a Rondine decal when this had the Brianza Sportiva lugs, and not the Swallow lugs (Rondine means Swallow in Italian). The concensus was quality control, possibly a contract builder.

pics...

juvela

Thanks for posting and for sharing the photos Bikerider007.

Interesting to see that your example came through with Universal 61 centrepull brakes. Some of the Specials came through with Balilla sidepulls. This specification must have varied with time. Here is a photo of a blue example kitted with the latter.



Note that its Ambrosio stem is steel. Cannot tell for sure from your photos but if your stem alloy that would presumably make your example slightly later.

Your bicycle's Campagnolo Gran Sport rear derailleur can be an aid to dating as there were small changes in them through their relatively long production life. Some of the variations are on display at Velobase.com.

daf1009

Great wall art...I have about three of those...a Schwinn Traveler, a Fiorelli and a Miyata Pro...makes for some nice decorations within the MD Cycles shop!

Bikerider007

Feel free to post them up or maybe a thread on wall art :-). I wouldn't mind seeing. I am also considering and another project down the road. Maybe using a nice vintage bike and putting in a plexiglass? case. F/F and some primary parts to be mounted in my home office.

Juvela; I will post up a full parts list and some more photos after a while. Gonna work on a way to get the rust off the spokes this weekend.

tarwheel 

You must not be married! I would love to hang a bike frame in our house but my wife would never approve it.

juvela

Here are some photos of an example which looks to have been a deep blue...prior to the arrival of Mr. Ferrous Oxide -



She is for sale just a bit west of you in Escondido, California.

John E

Wow -- I did not know one could put that big a cogset on a Gran Sport. (Of course, that 3-tooth drop (51-48?) in front is essential to making this work.)

Bikerider007

Haha, the kids are almost out, she is actually back to spending more time enjoying some hobbies with me and I think it fills her time. So as I long as I keep it in my designated spaces and don't venture too far, we are good.

Per Peter's Olmo website, all parts appear original except maybe the freewheel although it looks like it has been there forever. Shimano UG if anyone knows.

Have started cleaning up and will post up some this weekend. First issue was a stuck stem, took some penetrant, loosened headset and slid up, applied a little heat on the fork and smacked with a rubber hammer (multiple times;-)). Here are the stats and some close ups;

-Bottom bracket-stamped "C"
-Brake levers; Weinmann with rotted Weinmann hoods (leaving these on)
-Brakes: Italian Universal 61's
-Campy parts; Gran Sport front (push spring type) and rear derailleurs, shifters, DT cable guide.
-Freewheel-Shimano UG
-Hubs; stamped Olmo. Wheels are aluminum, too dirty to see if marked.
-Magistroni parts stamped Olmo; cranks, headset, seatpost clamp.
-Pedals; Sheffield
-Seat; missing (replacing with a brooks no in use)
-Seatpost: unmarked
-Stem and bars, ambrosio (became 3TTT mid sixties)

gaucho777 

That's a neat bike. Thanks for sharing. Personally, I'd ride it (a few more miles won't depreciate its value), but I'm sure it will look nice mounted, too.

The stamping on the back of the rear derailleur: I always thought that was the cog range--i.e. 14-26, in this case. The unmounted wheelset the OP posted, as well as the for sale comp posted by juvela, clearly have freewheels with a low gear greater than 26t. Can it even get into the lowest gear?

The spring-loaded bottle cage on the Olmo posted by juvela is cool, too.

juvela

here are a few pictures of one in the same livery, & hailing from the same epoch, but a couple models up the range:



[not my machine, belongs to uno ciclismo amico.]

some readers may be a bit surprised to see her kitted with a CH set of arrestors. i believe these to be o.e.m. and there because she predates the launch of the Pietra 61. estimate d.o.b to be ~1958. the presence of the Record chainset paired with the GS front mech suggests she predates the launch of the Record front mech ca. 1959-60.

note that her lugset is the Agrati "AM" as opposed the Agrati "BRIANZA" employed on the Special model.

"Tipo Rondine" is not a model name but more like a series name such as "San Remo" on Falcon cycles.

Bikerider007 wrote:

"-Stem and bars, ambrosio (became 3TTT mid sixties)"

this statement is a bit misleading. Ambrosio soldiered on well into the 1980's at least. do not know if they are still a going concern. some people left the firm to launch Tecno Tubo Torino somewhere about 1965.

Bikerider007 wrote:

"Have started cleaning up and will post up some this weekend. First issue was a stuck stem, took some penetrant, loosened headset and slid up, applied a little heat on the fork and smacked with a rubber hammer (multiple times;-))."

this is a bit of overkill. all that was necessary is to remove the front brake caliper. loosen and then knock down stem expander plug. apply the penetrating oil & let sit for a bit. clamp upper portion of fork in beefy bench vise cushioned with soft wood blocks and latigo or cloth. then use handlebar as the lever to break the stem loose from the steerer. not necessary to touch the headset. no heat or pounding needed.

devinfan

All I can say is good for you for saving that bike from a repaint. Love the patina and decals, it's beautiful. I would ride it as well.

Bikerider007

Thanks and good catch. The one posted by Juvela appears to have 34 teeth and they all look new on that ring, so it's safe to say that one will not get there. I counted mine and it's 14/28 so it might work, but that means this most likely is not the original freewheel. I need to look up the Shimano UG and will see if it will shift once complete. On another note this had some mounts for a water bottle (see red lines on frame) but only the clamps were there. I do have a 60's one that came on another bike I may throw on.

Thanks for the input Juvela. I didn't mean to mislead, Ambrosio parts may have been continued to be produced, I was merely pointing out the company became 3t.
TTT main

The stuck stem must have come across off as well, I see how it could be seen as overkill but here is my take... I have worked on many things, but this is the first 50+ year old bike and the stem and sight of rust gave me pause about putting too much pressure with a vise and possibly twisting off or braking the steer tube as I did not know the extent of the rust. I merely added penetrant (overnight), lubricated, did pound down with a rubber hammer as not to create damage and it would not loosen. Pulling the headset up to the stem allowed for access to the steer tube. I used a small hand torch, heated the outside of the tube, not excessively so as not to burn the paint or cause damage. I then hit the stem with the rubber hammer and once it moved, I did so back and forth until I could remove.

Appreciate it devinfan, I do intend to bring to fully functional rider condition but I am debating on whether to put the old (rotted) tires back on for looks. If I don't do that I will hop on here or there or maybe just swap a second set of wheels on. As mentioned the guy was going to restore and decided it was too much for him, and I think the stem deterred him. So, I forgot to mention he gave me the tires he purchased in addition to the wrong size cotter pins.

I started cleaning the frame rust and although it was a pain, it was mostly superficial. I think will turn out nice but now wonder if I may have removed some of the patina I was looking for! Sometimes I just get on a roll and tend to be a bit OCD....

Next steps are.... I need to get rust off the spokes and cassette so I am doing a little project to see if I can save myself some trouble. I'll post it up, only if it works. . I also ordered a crank cotter pin today and bar tape. I almost went with the 50's-60's Olmo bar tape that is on Ebay but it looked like the Cello Benotto tape and would have been too shiny and new. So, I ordered some brown cloth bar tape to keep the old theme going.

juvela

What markings did you find in the center section of the spindle upon disassembling the bottom bracket?

Is spindle hollow at ends?

Bikerider007

juvela

the C marking is the lowest of the Magistroni spindles. expect it stands for corsa to indicate that it is made for two plateau gearing.

Bikerider007

More pics while I wait on parts and try to finish cleaning up the spokes .

Frame broken down and rust all but gone with some fork and lug chrome dulling but really not bad. Weighed it just because, on a bathroom scale so not sure how exact. I left headset races in and a bb cup in. Frame=5.4lbs , fork=1.4.

Polished up the aluminum while I waited on smaller rusted parts to soak. They came out nice. Brake pads look like the old school Universal original. Probably not a good idea to ride on those, they look like pressed paper coming apart or cotton candy

juvela

Very fine progress; busy you have been!

Look forward to reassembly.

markk900

Chrome turned out beautifully....excellent progress and will look great once you are finished.

juvela

Bikerider007,

Did you discover any markings on the saddle clip when you cleaned it? Possible that original may have been marked ITALIA. if so it would give you the identity of the original saddle.

Very nice work!

devinfan

This is shaping up to be one of my favourite restores of all time. Both the frame and the components look beautiful. Probably not what you're going for but if you're planning on riding it the koolstop salmon pads work very well with those brakes. I love the candy red ghosts that are left on the frame. Fantastic.

Bikerider007

I will double check Juvela, I did not locate anything initially.

I just looked up and they look great and similar. I will end up getting a set for the occasional ride. Also, good observation on the "ghosts" as you called them. I was looking and thought they were pretty cool too, it kind of looks like a custom job (well not quite so up close). I put a couple pieces on and kinda offset a little like shadow/ghost. We'll see how that goes.

I have the spring loaded metal water bottle and although I'm not really into frame pumps, I may put these (below) parts on also. A quick note, the top tube has the cable guides on the bottom side, so I assume the pump wouldn't work there. Does anyone know if these two parts work together for the old silca pump? Would I use peg and AFA1 umbrella or just the peg and pump sits on the bb? I think they will look good but want the right set up and not sure if the AFA1 is period correct. I assume the peg is, but am open to those with more knowledgeable info in this subject.

juvela

Bottle cage is a Rampinelli (REG) model nr. 164.

The Campag pump peg nr. 648 will work fine with a Silca Impero pump.

The AFA pump cup will not accommodate an Impero as its cup is too small in diameter.

---------

Have had two or three of these Olmo Special models come through close in time to yours. One arrived as a complete machine and is the blue example whose photo is posted above. Another was found as a bare frame without fork. It went to a local cycling friend who gave it a respray and built it up into a complete cycle. Here are some photos he sent:

markk900

If this one will help I would be happy to send it to you....I am certain it works with the Silca Imperio as that was why I originally purchased it (and used it) 40 years ago.





Mark

Bikerider007

Wow Juvela you have great knowledge on these. Thanks.


Thanks Mark! I appreciate it and will pm you. If you don't need I would be glad to put on this bike and don't mind paying for it or shipping. That fits better as the other part says France on it as well.

juvela

Mark's Rampinelli pump cup will fit right right in with the Rampinelli bottle cage you already have.


Things seem to be coming together...