I recently acquired and restored a vintage Benotto bicycle. It came equipped with a mix of Campagnolo parts that I don't think were original; a Campy pista crankset, 1990s-era Chorus rear derailleur, Nuovo Record shifters, etc. I rebuilt it with Campagnolo Nuovo Record throughout, except for the brakes, seatpost and pedals. I've been searching online (Classic Rendezvous, Machiine.com, etc) but unable to nail down which model it is. Online catalogs don't have a match, either. It has a Columbus tubing sticker but no specific tubeset listed on it. The dropouts are Campagnolo. Can anyone tell me the model type, and if possible, a link to a catalog that lists the year and original equipment?

Here are some photos. I'm posting the ones I think have the best chance of ID'ing the bike. Many more located here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzQeKd

I don't know nothin about nothin, but that is a very pretty bike! AND, it's my size, sooooooo, if you ever don't want it anymore, I could ride it for you!

good news, it is for sale. I haven't set up a post on the For Sale forum yet because I wanted to ID it first. However, I'll send you a PM.

Dimpled chainstay, so not a 3000 (though the dropouts are Campag) ; top-of-the-chainstay cablestop = 1977 or 1978; what diameter is the seatpost - 27.2 = 2500, 27.0 = 2000, 26.8 or 26.9 = 1600/1500/1000/850(?), 26.4 = 800.

Where is the serial number, does the BB shell have an I stamped in it, is there a bb cutout and if so what does it look like. Mexico built mid-range Benottos have a deserved reputation for cracking in the bb shell area.

It has a Columbus repaint decal, so those brake cable tunnels and bottle bosses are suspect, especially given that the shift levers are clamp style. For me, the most significant feature are the long, non-Portacatena dropouts. Typically, on a high grade road bicycles, this means pre-1978. It has higher grade workmanship than I typically see on their lower mid-range Falck models and, based on those dropouts, it's likely too early for Aelle. Consequently, I suspect this is one of the 2xxx models and either tretubi SL or full SL. Generally, frames this small aren't SP but we can confirm via the seat post size. The presence or absence of helical ridges inside the bottom of the fork's steerer tube will tell us if it's tretubi or not.

OK! here's some additional details:

• The seatpost is 27.0
• The bottom bracket has two oval-shaped cutouts, similar to this Olmo BB
• There is a three-digit serial number stamped on the BB, located behind the downtube juncture and in front of the first oval cut-out. Unfortunately the paint is so thick the serial number is unreadable. However, none of the digits resemble the letter "I"
• The inside of the bottom of the fork's steerer does not have any helical ridges (it's smooth).

Maybe this helps?

https://machiine.com/2015/benotto-classic/


At the end of that article there are some links to other essays (as they put it). Might be worth your while.

Thanks, but as noted in my original post, I've already checked Machiine.com's articles pretty thoroughly. Based on the rear derailleur cable guide position and 27.0 seatpost, it seems like this is a Model 2000 made from Columbus SP tubing. But what trips me up are two things: the seatstay cap treatment and the fork. I haven't been able to find photos of any Benotto with the style of seatstay caps found on this bike; most use a cap that has the Benotto logo cast into it. The forks on 2000 models also seem to have the Benotto logo and/or are chromed. This one is neither. Also, the logo on the head tube doesn't match most of these examples I've seen, as it has the Benotto crest instead of their logo.

The lack of embossing is explained by the age of your bicycle. As previously stated, it is likely pre-1978 based on the dropouts. Based on extant catalogues, we know that Benotto still wasn't embossing their frames and stay caps at least as late as 1977. As for the head tube logo, remember that is almost certainly a re-decal. as it has the Columbus repaint decal and the paint is far too gold for the traditional Benotto nickel-beige.

I find it strange that a bicycle this small uses a SP gauge seat tube. I wonder if the post is slightly under size and/or if the seat tube was slightly distorted? Regardless, since it does not have the Columbus steerer tube and appears to have a Columbus main triangle, a Benotto 2000 would be the correct model for the tubing configuration and era. Of course, there's always the possibility that it is not a Benotto, as the frames did not have any proprietary markings, fittings or unique serial number format during this era. The most suspcious feature are the fluted stay caps. I can't say that I've seen that on any Benotto. They are typically flat, when not embossed.

I'm attaching the catalogue image of the 1977 model 2000. The catalogue has been mis-identified on many sites but is almost certainly 1977, as it references Moser's 1976 World Championship in the Pursuit but not his 1977 World Championship in the Pro Road Race. Both were won on a Benotto and took place late in the summer. Most manufacturers introduced the new models just after the World Championships, to exploit any victories. Notice that the stay caps are not embossed. The fork crown is hard to see but it's likely not embossed, given the stay caps. It also has the long dropouts like your bicycle.

T-Mar thank you for the detailed reply and expert sleuthing! i agree on the repaint for the reasons you mentioned, plus overall, it's very clean - too clean for a bike from 1977! Also, the fact that the paint obscures the serial number would also indicate that it's not original. I think your opinion is the best I'm going to get, so I'm happy to hear it's a higher-echelon model. I will pull the seatpost and measure the wall thickness - perhaps it will actually fit a 27.2mm post.