Great job!

Great read!

Well done!

Hey, I remember this! And I recall thinking that the naturally-faded paint looked cool. I still do, but more so now that it's all built up

What a fantastic completed project!

I like the "Commasini" part of the story. When I saw my first Tommi in 1981, I thought the stylized T was a C as well. I wonder if it might pay in the future to have a search parameter on Ebay set to Commasini; might end up with a deal

Enjoy that beauty.

DD

[MENTION=28766]jet sanchEz[/MENTION], thank you. As soon as I get back to the Shreve I’ll get a photo of the other goodies. And maybe get of shot of me in my Tommasini jersey for good measure. I should write the factory, but I’ve seen at least one case where they gave a year range that was clearly much too early. My impression is that 30-40 years ago they just didn’t keep detailed records, just as they didn’t use serial numbers. All of which to me adds to the romance of the brand. Plus I’m pretty confident in T-Mar’s dating cues. On the other hand, what's the harm in asking?

Bill, thank you for the great, concise tutorial. One question, how do you handle flats? Oh, another question - what were the photos the Tommasini family member requested?

Thanks, Brent. I’m not sure what would have happened to this bike if I hadn’t gotten it, so that definitely adds to my satisfaction. It may well have been knocked around in a humid, sweltering storage building for a few years and then eventually been trashed. And thanks, OTS, too.

DD, your recent Colnago build resonated with me in part because of the process I went through in researching and bringing this bike back. I had a drawing teacher who spoke of his drawings (his preferred art form) not as works of art, or as creations, but as “the record of a process.” He went through a different process for each one, not quite sure where it would end until he got there. That’s kind of how I think of this bike, as a record of not only it’s creation, by Irio Tommasini’s shop, and the Campy engineers and the creators of the other parts of the bike, but also as a record of the building up by the original owner, and a record of the life it’s lived. And now my little adjustments are part of that record.

I still think about repainting it back to a beautiful metallic red, but I agree, now that it’s cleaned up and shined up and functional again, it looks pretty damned cool. I'm pretty settled on just getting the replacement Columbus decals and reapplying those. And I've used that misspelling trick on some collectables before -- you can get some great deals if you're lucky.

[MENTION=337442]Kevindale[/MENTION], I take a folded tubular tire with me, either in a jersey pocket, or strapped beneath the saddle with a toe clip strap. I carry either a frame pump, or a CO2 cartridge inflator that is in a jersey pocket also.

Barbara asked for more details showing the bottom bracket shell, the lugs, wheel drops, and better overall shots.

Bill

Thanks, Bill!

You guys set a tough example for doing the research. I keep thinking I should write to Tommasini and Grandis but I never have the time or the patience to take pictures, let alone write.

Re flats with sew-ups, I carry a spare strapped under the saddle. (I had one fall out once, never realized I'd lost it till I spotted it the next morning on my commute.) Strap them in securely! For a long day ride I sometimes carry two spares, one under the saddle and one in my handlebar bag with lunch. I believe in full-size frame pumps.

Amen Jim, well said sir, thankfully I haven't lost a spare as of yet, (note the YET part please,) probably why I used two straps to hold the tub in place, truth be told. That comes from seeing a picture here that showed the rider having two straps spaced apart to hold their spare under the saddle rails. I have gotten home and found that the spare was barely hanging in its strap carrier, I am afraid I have run the odds against me way too high now. Jersey pockets will be getting the task until I find a better way.

There was a member here that made some nice bags just for strapping things underneath the saddle rails, they were between jobs IIRC and were picking up some spare change until their next employment came along. I missed out on them, and I truly wish I could remember who it was making them so they got proper credit.

I have seen dedicated products just for the purpose of carrying a spare sew-up (what I learned to call them as a wet behind the ears 15 Y.O. with their first real "10-speed" bicycle, a Bottecchia.) If anyone here knows who made the bags, and the spare carrier's manufacturer, please post up.

Bill

A tubular tire bag is better than just strapping it. Especially if you preglue the tire because you don't have a chance of road crud flying up into it. I have a cheap XLAB but there's some nice ones out there.

Someone here was making these.

Ooh, nice bags. I should find a red one for the Masi. And a dark blue one for the Motobecane, and a gray-fade-to-pearl for the Gazelle.

Bill, I believe the guy you are thinking of is Henry III. At least one C&V rider from this area, BF name Ed. with the dot, uses an old sock. (He also puts jingle bells on his bike sometimes. And can absolutely fly.)

I'm pretty sure the reason I dropped my tire was because I didn't cinch it down tightly. As I recall, some weeks earlier I had transferred the spare from a different bike to that one for some odd reason, maybe checking the glue or pumping it up or checking its tread, then putting it anywhere was convenient. I hadn't been planning to ride that day, but when the opportunity for a quickie ride came up I grabbed the Motobecane in a hurry, observed the spare, pumped up the tires, and rode away. My bad.

Those bags look perfect, off to find one now!

Jim yep, HenryIII, that's him, thanks for the brain wake up alarm. His self-made ones were pretty neat, I wanted to give him my business since he was a member, and needed the assistance at the time. I have read about the sock thing, just never think about it when I am working on my bikes, or getting ready for riding. Doh!!!!

Bill