ryansu 

Bellissimo!

Drillium Dude 

Wow. I don't have anything approaching the coolness factor of either of those, hands down. I can't pick a favorite, even tho the Marastoni should do it for me because of the lugged construction. But the build quality - not to mention custom stem/bar combo - is primo on the Passoni. Two very strong scores.

I don't recall ever having seen either of these bikes here before. Thanks for taking the time to photo-doc and rectify the omission. I hope you drop pics of them from time to time to remind us of the beauties lurking in our respective garages, man/women-caves, living rooms and kitchens

EDIT: It's official - I like the Marastoni better. Why? It's a '72 and has some lovely detail touches, for sure, but the best bit is the brake fixing. I was looking for nutted brakes, but it appears that somehow the brake threads right into the bridge - can't tell how the connection is accomplished at the front. Care to show/tell details of this arrangement?

DD

KonAaron Snake 

It's actually pretty insane...the Brazeons are for THESE calipers...it's highly integrated. The springs mount to the fork...

qcpmsame 

Very nice pair Aaron, excellently executed and absolutely perfect, IMHO.

USAZorro

Amazingly beautiful bicycles.

They do appear a bit larger than what I seem to recall seeing in your fleet. Have you taken them for a ride yet? Looking forward to a report.

KonAaron Snake 

Neither...but they're both in the 56 area...should be just right

aeshultz

Wow- just wow.
The Ti work just sends me- that stem/ bar combo....
Wow.

Otis

Yes, those are Campy Record shifters that were smoothed and polished. Neat for me to see as I had not seen any "from the day" done quite like that. I did a similar pair a while back thinking I was being original.....

repechage

Both are very interesting without question.
Not sure I buy the Passoni tube creation method, reminds me of Pino Morrioni telling me his lugged ti track bike had the tubes created by boring out ti rods... Think about that. How the tubes were brazed is still cloak and dagger enough for me. I wish I had a camera, that bike was amazing.
Nevertheless ti does require extra effort to fabricate, the dressed welds are testimate to that.

I was aware of ti as a possible frame material when I got to see the fabrication of the ti-22 CanAm race car, a ti tub, roll bar and suspension, wild.

KonAaron Snake 

The process was apparently developed by an engineer named Riva...who built a few bikes under the name Trecia. I'm not an engineer...but apparently it involved plates, which were used to make the tubing. There were a few articles about it linked by the member I purchased from. Riva apparently began in the early 70s, though the operation was a lot smaller than a teledyne. I think the one piece stem/bar is a fairly good testament to the skill involved.

That's about how I felt the first time I saw it...hoping to take it out tomorrow after work.

bikemig 

These are both very cool bikes. I like the green and chrome marastoni a lot.

noglider 

Nicer than a chrome Paramount.

qcpmsame 

Stop trolling Tom, its beneath your usual demeanor

Bill

The Golden Boy 

amazing.

just simply amazing. Wow- great score!

Sir_Name 

Wow, really interesting touches on each. Enjoy!

ptempel

Hot damn. Really nice rides you've acquired there. Also interested in a ride report. I have a few questions on the Passoni. What components are on it? Is the rear derailleur a debaged Campagnolo? Also see that there's a plastic sleeve between seatpost and frame which is a nice touch. I agree with the others on the welds on the bar and stem combo and the rear dropouts. They look flawless almost like liquid metal. I perused their website and saw some nice old school shoes with 3 bolt look compatibility: Passoni - I Live To Ride, I Ride Passoni - Shop Onlineeee I can see myself riding on this bike with these shoes, look cleats and pedals. But that Turbo saddle would have to go. I used to ride those and Selle San Marco Concor and little jimmy used to get numb with them...

KonAaron Snake 

The rear derailleur is a Ofmega Mistral...definite weight weenie gear.

VeloBase.com - Component: Ofmega Mistral (2nd generation)

The sleeve is intended to be a barrier between the ti frame and ti seatpost that prevent corrosion/seizure. I have two other ti frames with ti posts and I just grease them and occasionally move the post. No issues, but I guess better safe than sorry. I'd imagine that a stuck ti seatpost would be a serious challenge.

I'd like to toss on a yellow regal, but apparently they're rather unusual. I might have had a shot at one once, but had no interest in it on that bike.

TenGrainBread

Re: tubing fabrication for the Passoni. Rolling their own sheeting to make seamed tubing isn't that far-fetched, especially by '92. If they rolled the tubes from sheet you would probably be able to see a seam extending the length of the tube, where the ends were TIG welded together. They usually sanded the weld on the outside, so more likely to see the seam on the inside. This won't tell you for sure that Passoni did it themselves, as seamed tubing is and was available commercially from tubing suppliers.

It takes pretty expensive tooling to roll your own tubes. A roller and custom dies for your desired diameter. A TIG welder on a track to weld the seam perfectly.

KonAaron Snake 

As I understand it, Riva...who built Trecias for himself as a hobbyist...would have had, at the minimum, access to the equipment in his roll as an engineer in the aero/industrial area. Passoni tried getting Riva to build frames commercially, but he wasn't interested. Later, the son, Luca, learned the technique as an apprentice and they began building the frames...very few of them. Luca passed while young and Passoni is effectively a brand that sources now.

I don't want to break the rules of discretion, but the person I bought the bike from dealt directly with Passoni...I feel pretty confident in the information.

KonAaron Snake 

It just needs some Suntour to be perfect

SJX426 

Love them both but lean toward the TI. I can see any bike with decent chrome going up in value over time, if only for the scarcity that is likely to occurr.

Two things I really like, chrome lugs and TI frames. I have half of that.

KonAaron Snake 

There really is something about chrome lugs. I think full chrome is a bit much...and likely a pain to maintain...but chrome accents are wonderful aesthetically. A chrome fork crown here, a seatlug there. I particularly love chrome dropouts, despite the need for a good skewer.

Wildwood

Thank you for sharing.
As nice as they come.
Ti is totally unique in every way. 17lbs is light enough.

edit: Has anyone asked: 'Were they acquired at the same place?'

Wrong size for me but that's 100% OK, as I'm 100% unworthy.

bikemig 

Nah if you did that, some of us just might actually be jealous of your bikes,

KonAaron Snake 

Yes...both were owned by the same person. He has other bikes that are as, and, to some, more amazing.