About half a year after first seeing it, I got to bring it home. It looks to be a 1970 model, 58 X 58 c-t-c. It's almost all there but for the rims, spokes and Unicantor. The PO didn't want the tubs so he got a local bike shop to lace the front GS hub into a Rigida clincher, and some other generic hub with a matching rear clincher. A Shimano 600 derailleur caps off the mods. Fortunately the guy kept the rear hub and gear. The shop is long gone and so are the low mileage (Fiamme Red?) rims.

I don't think this bike saw many roads. The paint is excellent, the chrome is typically so-so, the decals are very good although it's only got one set of World Champion stripes. TA chainring wear is minimal and the Universal 61's appear to have original pads. Axle adjusters, all the clips and original green housing is there. Nitor seat pin. Big Cinelli cockpit with long old logo stem and wide Giros. The pedals are junky, they look like Sheffields. Now if only it was 54/54!

Not a lot of documentation online for this generation and model so any info or ephemera would be appreciated. Rim choices?

Here's a folder with bunch-o-shots https://goo.gl/photos/LoMrp24Pn1cbRCmL7

Nice, I could live with that.

Me too.

Does this fit you?

Great colour.

Wonderful find.

No great insights to share, but happy to spectate!

Subscribed.

No, I broke the 'only buy bikes that fit' rule just because I have a fondness for these and the price was reasonable. I used to spend a lot of time in Mike Barry's shops and saw a number of B's and SC's and was always impressed. I'll take my time with this one, keep it original and hang it. We'll see what happens down the road.

I need to find a good scale. The bike feels quite light for a large frame.

Congratulations on finally getting your Model B. It does look great in that colour and it sounds like a pretty good and original example too. I can appreciate ignoring your size/buy rule to get this beauty. If you do get a little stressed with the size issue - it is my size and I would be willing to take over ownership - to help you out.

Fiamme red label tubulars would be my rim of choice. I know these were the stock rims in 1973. However, this may have been custom built from a frame, given the crankset.

The Fiamme yellow label would be another possibility, though less likely. The 2nd most popular Italian rim manufacturer during this period was Nisi, with their two most popular rims being the Corsa Stretto and Super Corsa. Ambrosio was the next most popular Italian brand, but i don't have any literature from this era. Of course, since it has a TA crank, a Mavic Sport or Montherly would not be out of the question or possibly a Weinmann 270 or 294.

Thanks T-Mar. According to another list member the TA was a stock crank for the Mod B around this time frame but I'm unable to find another online. I know it's seems odd but remember the Altenburger Cinelli. Maybe they were trying to reach out to other markets.

Thanks and I'll keep you back of mind

One of my favourite bikes in my favourite Cinelli colour. Those Sheffield pedals are original and were considered good pedals in their day. Seatpost and brakes also original. Boy if it's too big for you I'll trade you my custom 1984 Strawberry frame which is 54cm x 54cm which is too small for me....

that's a beaut. I'd own that in my size, and i'm not really interested in more vintage bikes.

Green with envy To find it original in that beautiful frame condition is quite something. Big + on those cables too!

Pretty color, will clean up very nice. Green with envy as they say.

Wow, I'd trade a cinelli for a strawberry any day.

I went back and double checked some literature that I have just to make sure that I had recalled things correctly. 1972 does not mention the crank but shows what appears to be a 3 pin, steel, cottered crankset. 1973 spec is a Magistoni, 3 pin, steel crankset with Simplex chainrings. Curiously the 1973 SC specs Fiamme red label while the 1973 B specs Nisi. No rims specs mentioned for 1972. Sorry, I have nothing for 1970 or 1971.

I have seen Nisi rims on Model B's that appear original, no eyelets.

If you plan on really riding the bike enough miles, seriously consider other rim choices other than Fiamme Ergals, even though the seem to be very appropriate......
Unless you like to spend half your time with the bike truing the wheels every few miles.
Ergals perfectly define what "noodle" rims are.......
I suspect Fiamme might have used aluminum alloy
very similar to just what was used on those old poolside folding lounge chairs..... and oh how their spoke holes do scarily pucker up quite a bit with any significant tension on them.......

Appreciate the advice. Due to it's size, I can't really ride it, maybe perch is the right term, testing it out, experiencing it's 'Power and Glory'. As the B model faded toward it's final days in '73, it seems that there was a mish-mash of possible componentry. [MENTION=20650]T-Mar[/MENTION] has suggested a number of suitable rims so I'll cross the yellow Ergals off the list. 1970's tubulars are not my expertise, if they were I would never have ditched my blue Paris-Roubaix's back in the 80's

wrt the chainset -

in about 1973 had the opportunity to see a 1969 model B in silver, all original. factory built as complete machine. was kitted same as cycle under discussion with the specta trois attachees chainset. (of course it was not wearing a yoshi stern mech!)

Excellent. So I'm just a wheelset and saddle away from original. I'm sure the bike feels humiliated every time it has to change gears in public.

We will fix that.

since it wears a valentino front mech it may have been kitted with a valentino or velox rear one.

it has been nearly forty-five years but i think the silver '69 i saw had something like record front and rear mechs...alas the memories dimmeth!

also assembled a machine for a customer with a model B frameset. he got it bare and it had been resprayed. it was absent chrome and transfers so not of much assistance here...

if your example a 1970 one would think it late enough to have a 70mm shell rather than ye olde 74.

iirc the changeover year was ~1967...but of course the cino experts will know better.

Really...I have the original Gran Sport rear mech and I assumed that the front was GS as well. Yech

hello again clubman,

did not mean to startle you...

there are three very similar looking campag front mechs.

your photo gallery will not display for me so i have only the one picture to go by.

you can make a determination on your own since you are in possession of the actual bits...

the campag gs front mech nr. 1052/2 has the pinch bolt to hold the position of the cage on the top.



VeloBase.com - Component: Campagnolo 1005/2, Gran Sport

the chrome plated parts are also polished.

the campag valentino front mech nr. 2050 has the pinch bolt on the front as yours does. the plated parts have a duller satin finish as compared to those of the gs.



VeloBase.com - Component: Campagnolo 2050, Valentino

and just to make matters more complex there is the seldom seen turismo model:




VeloBase.com - Component: Campagnolo Turismo

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slightly puzzled by presence gs rear mech. if machine a 1970 i would have thought the gs discontinued by this time. afaik the close for the gs rear mech was the 1967-68 year. the record model launched in 1963 and the nuovo record model launched ~1969 (some experts state late 1968). do not think the gs would have still been going with those two in production... of course it is always possible factory had some old stock to work through.

if mine, would probably go for a record/record build to get the better shifting and still be within time correct. front record mech should be second generation to be period correct.

hope this assists you a bit...

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one very nice fitting i noticed you got was the cinelli headset. many experts assert these to have been magistroni contract built. have no hard information on that one way or the other.

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nice to see your rampinelli (reg) frame pump. appears it is mounted with the companion rampinelli umbrella clip, nr. 376/S.

Valentino it is. Hmmm. Thanks for all the info.

devinfan - I see you're from Jet Fuel coffee.. I'll have to swing by with my Mod B one day since I am not yet able to post pics of mine to the thread here