as50x20 

Renovating this bike has been a long road for me, but a rewarding one. However, I have a few questions you good people may be able to help me with:
1. Is there any way to tell if this is a higher end offering from Atala?
2. Is the internal routing for the rear brake cable original?

I have provided some photos for you. Thanks

KonAaron Snake 

At a glance I'd say lower end, but photos of the drop outs and lugs would help. Odd that it has the internal routing and someone used TT clamps.

AlexCyclistRoch

Oh, I've seen stranger modifications. Probably the guy had no idea what he had.

Kevindale

Nice resto! Looks great. I suggest using Flickr or Imgur or a similar site to host some higher res photos, and then link them here.

I don't know anything about Atalas, but I would have guessed that a bike with internal cable routing would be at least on the higher end of the spectrum. I'll be interested to read what the experts offer when you post some better more detailed photos (and I look forward to a better showing of your hard work bringing this bike back).

KonAaron Snake 

Internal routing is something that's regarded as fancy pants now, but I've seen it on a fair number of gas pipe italians from that era as well. It's not necessarily an indicator of quality. I think the crank, and plain fork crown, speaks more loudly than the routing.

dweenk

Measuring the seat post diameter would be a good place to start.

bikemig 

I'd like to see more pics of the restored bike. You did a quality job on this, nice.

juvela

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hello as50x20,

thanks very much for sharing your bike & restoration.

frame -

constructed with Agrati "BRIANZA" lugset Nr. 000.8030/U and Agrati fork crown Nr. 000.8528. the presence of a true three-piece head combined with the chrome on the crown, blades and stays suggest a model at least one up from the bottom. base models at this time were constructed with bulge-formed (one-piece) heads and usually with little or no chrome.

original gear ensemble appears it may have been Campag Sportman.

original chainset looks to have been a Magistroni product, regardless of how marked.

original pedalset shows as Lyotard model 15S.

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as50x20 

A few more photos, and I greatly appreciate the info.

T-Mar

Stamped dropouts requiring a claw derailleur hanger is typically a good indicator of lower level, even during this era. Also, the construction process is geared towards mass production. However, the definitive answer will be provided by determining the seat post diameter.

randyjawa 

What makes you think the bicycle is of 1963 vintage. My guess would be late sixties or early seventies, at best. That said, and I could well be wrong, the bicycle frame set looks to be remarkable similar to my late sixties or early seventies Torpado...



The Torpado is not high end, by any stretch of one's imagination but it is a really cool old bicycle and certainly worth restoring/refurbishing. The ride quality will be just fine, but not spectacular. There were other mass produced bikes, using the same lug work, Chiorda being one that comes immediately to mind.

If your bike were of 1963 vintage, I would expect the seat stay tops to look like this...



...as opposed to the later style which your bike has...



Needless to say, I could well be wrong. Again, how do you know the bike was built in 1963?

bargainguy

I had this 1960 Atala last year, purchased from the original owner.

The Stronglight crank is much later than the rest of the bike. It probably would have had a Magistroni cottered crank originally to match the Magistroni headset. Not the original wheelset, I knew that.

Sorry I didn't get a closer pic of the seat cluster, but I'm fairly certain of the dating of the bike.

as50x20 

The first two numbers of the serial #, which became visible when I got the three coats of paint off, begin with "63". I will check the seat post diameter this evening and report back.

randyjawa 

Ah! Based on your close-ups of the component and additional frame detail, I take back my comments, regarding that the bike could be of a lower quality. What I now see, again thanks to the detail shots, is a bike that I would like to have.


The one the OP shows is a fairly high end offering(if not top of the line) and the vintage suggests that your estimate of the vintage is pretty close to the mark. However...

In 1961, Universal introduced the center pull Model 61 caliper. One(meaning me) cannot help but wonder why a top dog, in the Atala kennel, would not go for a Model 61 as opposed to the older Universal side pulls? Perhaps this is the number two dog offered in the Atala line-up, differentiated only buy the component choices.

At any rate, I would jump at a chance to find a bike like that one. A more than worthy steed and project.

as50x20 

In response to an earlier question, the seat post diameter is 26.2. Also more photos;

T-Mar

Based on the seat post diameter it is not a high end frame (i.e not Columbus tubing). The most likely tubesets are Falck and Tullio, both of which were considered mid-range. While Falck was definitely available circa 1963 I'm not sure about Tullio. However it was used on boom era Rizatto product, such as the Atala Grand Prix, so I wouldn't dismiss it.

Many mid-range Italian models of this period used forged Campagnolo dropouts on their mid-range, Falck models. Consequently, based on the presence on stamped dropouts, I would consider this to be a lower mid-range model of the era.

Wildwood 

@as50x20 Welcome to BF. We love new members.
Nice restoration. Looking at the 'before & after' pics, i would venture this may not be your 1st restoration. Care to share any others?