Steve Whitlatch 

So I picked up this pretty blue De Bernadi off of Craigslist and I would like a bit of info about it if I can? Not much info in search. I was after the wheel set more or less because they are 5 speed high flange Record with Super Champion Tubular rims that looked new. Perfect for my Paramount. Still I was intrigued by the color. I would like to know who built it and maybe the year if possible ?

The frame is pretty nice to look at, not super high end but does have some very nice details. A mix of parts I am not sure what it should have came with? NR front and rear derailleurs, Gran Sport crankset with Colner panto ring. NR brake calipers , older version. Eddy Merckx panto super record levers, NR two bolt seat post and 3ttt Bars and Stem. The Frame is made of Columbus Thron according to the decal?

I had some Campagnolo wheels and a set of 700 x 28 Clement tires in the bin as well as the saddle. I plan to take it out tomorrow for a bit of a test drive. I think it is pretty so I my just keep it in the fleet if it rides well. I will sell off the chainring and Merckx levers and replace them. I already have the right chain ring as well as some aero levers I can use. Not sure about the wheel set I put on it, I have others. Anyway, pictures, the real reason you looked.

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Steve Whitlatch 

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Fahrenheit531 

Good-looking bike. Well-treated for sure.

Odd chainring though. Shame you're not Steve Critlatch.

Steve Whitlatch 

How about does anyone know what year this tubing was introduced? Seems all I see on eBay are from the 1990`s?

Steve Whitlatch 

Well I have been called so many variants that I could probably get away with that. LOL

Steve Whitlatch 

Perhaps my tubing decals are not original to this frame? Only one set of bottle bosses? 126 rear spacing. Stem is a 3tt Record 84 from mid 80`s to mid 1990`s according to velobase. Oh well? I may never really know?

Spaghetti Legs 

Paging @jamesdak - I believe he posted the De Bernardi catalog recently. I sold a Thron De Bernardi to a BF'er a couple of years ago and I believe he is pleased with it. I think Thron is early 90's.

Steve Whitlatch 

Well if it was 1990`s then not only is the Campagnolo Record decal correct , It also sports a 3ttt Record decal that would match the stem and bars. Then the NR and Gran Sport stuff would then be not correct, bars and stem correct. Not that I will necessarily seek out the 90`s stuff right away, but I just want to know, you know?

jamesdak 

Oops, can't take credit for that. I've posted from a Giordana and old Schwinn PDG catalog but not a De Bernardi, sorry.

CroMo Mike 

Steve, I have the DeBernardi Thron that used to belong to Spaghetti. I've dated it to about 1995 and I have copies of the 1995 DeBernardi catalog that someone posted on BF. Yours appears to be earlier than mine - I have internal brake cable routing, 130 rear spacing, double bottle mounts, Columbus dropouts, oversize top tube, oversize down tube, and oversize oval chain stays. Also, my fork is fully chromed and its crown has rounded shoulders almost like a unicrown. The entire frame is chromed under the paint. It has an incredible ride - very stable, responsive, corners aggressively, lively but not too harsh on the bumps. Don't worry about period correctness. Most of these were sold as bare frames. I built mine with what I had on hand - mostly early 1980's Super Record, Cinelli 1-A stem and bars, new Campy Potenza dual pivot skeleton brakes, and some 50-year-old Campy "con dente" track pedals.

CroMo Mike 

Here a couple of pages... Mine is like the red one.

T-Mar

Thron was introduced for the 1994 model year. It was offered in 3 different gauges, replacing SL,SP and the previously discontinued KL tubesets. As you've noted, the frame characteristics are not consistent with a 1994+ frameset. The dropouts aren't 130mm spacing, there is only one set of bottle cages, no front derailleur hanger and no pump peg. Also, the fork decal appears to be pre-1988 SL/SP decal.

In an attempt to verify the tubeset, I'd be checking the seat post diameter and checking the inside of the bottom of the fork's steerer tube for the the five helical ridges that are indicative of a Columbus steerer.

The rear droputs are unlabelled Columbus dropouts. Other members have reported them on frames as old as 1985.

Given the features, my overall impression is a mid to late 1980s, mid-range frameset.

Steve Whitlatch 

Thank you very much for the information. The seat post is 27.0. I will inspect the steering tube and other tubes when I strip the frame. I am going to go for a test ride soon. I want to see how it rides first. I need to make some brake adjustments. Whoever built it up put a couple brake shoes on backwards.

Old Fireleg

More than likely. This fork crown and the clamp-on FD is not typical of the SLX bikes at all.
However, the Silva 205 rear brake bridge is generally used in the mid-80s. It may be a cheaper model from the mid-'80s. Seat post diameter?

Steve Whitlatch 

Seat post on it is 26.8 but loose, I can wiggle it when inserted and t just drops all the way down if I let it go, 27.2 did not fit, so I would say 27.0. I rode it. It rides great, a bit on the small side of my wheelhouse. I will strip it and part it out. I want the bars and stem.

Had I not just came home with a chrome Oschner with full Super Record, I would have kept it.

Steve Whitlatch 

27.0 would be SL ?

Steve Whitlatch 

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Steve Whitlatch 

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Chombi1 

I might be wrong, but SL is usually 27.2...
My Bottechia is SL and it has a 27.2 Chorus seatpost on it right now, and it fits perfectly.SLX is also 27.2. As in my Montello. Could it maybe be Aelle?

Steve Whitlatch 

I think Sl SP , Tretubi can be 27.0 too?

Chombi1 

Yes, maybe SP seat tube??

T-Mar

SL would typically use a 27.2mm seat post while SP typically used 27.0mm. However, if the tube was distorted and they did not take the time to correctit by reaming /honing, they might have used a 27.0mm post in an SL seat tube. Still, the frame does appear to be in 58-60cm range where most manufacturers started transitioning from SL to SP.

BTW, you do not have to remove the fork to check for a Columbus steerer tube. Just remove the front wheel and look inside the bottom of the steerer tube for helical ridges like this....

Steve Whitlatch 

No helical ridges in the steerer.

T-Mar

Then the leading candidate would be tretubi SP, confirming the previous mid-range assessment.

Steve Whitlatch 

Thank you for all of the help. I finished the bike today. Took what I wanted and still have a very solid bike left over. If it does not sell on CL I really won`t be disappointed. de bernardi 11.jpg (1.11 MB)