I shouldn't be so upset about my good luck. But it seems anytime that I run out of time, money or space for a new project, some amazing frame falls in my lap. And when I ride a frame size on one end of the bell curve, I can't possibly say no, can I?

Ran in to Bike Farm today for a freehub body, nothing more, nothing less. Came out with a Strawberry.









I'm guessing the serial number indicates it's from 1984? 25" CTC seat tube. Gipiemme dropouts. Probably Columbus SP tubing. Galli roller bearing headset (not the Stronglight copy I don't think). Paint is rough.

Any clues on who might have built this? I sent an email to Andy. I would like to put some 90s Campy Record on it, but for now I have some Shimano 6400 that will work well.

Quite racy for what I like, but I couldn't pass on a Portland relic like this, and the headset is probably worth half what I paid.

Now which one of you donated this? Van?

Not me, no way in heck I would have let this get away, wish mine was this big but its close so...... you a lucky boy, great find and score, assume you got a good deal.

Not sure about the S/N, if its 84 as it seems then hard to say who built it, Mark was long gone so Andy must have started the #'s over and he had a lot of other great torches working for him, some of them stayed for a long time, some not so much.

Nice score on the 'Berry. Worthy of a proper respray if you ask me.

Correct about the headset, not a Stronglight clone, it has beefier rollers. Galli later sold a rebranded Stronglight, but this one isn't one of those.

We used to put this style on custom tandems in the early '80s. Dunno if they're actually more durable than most headsets, but we assumed so, just looking at them. Probably a lifetime headset. Careful, I have this vague memory that there's something hinky about the crown race seat/adaptor thingie, like thin/weak, easy to damage on removal? There was some headset back then that required a special tool to hammer on the crown race, maybe it was this Galli? Been 40 years since I worked on one, all I remember for sure is "be careful".

Oh yeah here's a pic of the innards fron the web, I see where the regular slide-hammer for installing would hit on the retainer that holds the rollers. So the tool they provided had a smaller diameter surface where it hit on the part that gets hammered onto the crown. (I think the roller assembly with retainer doesn't come off.)


Aha, here's the install tool, called out as "129":



And yes I think that lower flange, that you might want to hammer on to remove the crown race, is both thin and weak Al alloy. So removing it is likely to screw that part up. Luckily the headset will probably work fine without it, but then it would have a larger opening for dirt/water to get in. Use with fender only, from then on? Maybe someone here knows how to get one off without damage.

Very good to know Mark, as I was maybe going to sell the headset to recoup some (or possibly all!) of the cost. Maybe I better just leave it on?

Andy says he didn't braze it, and Mark was at Specialized by the , so who knows. Seatstay treatment doesn't look very distinct to my untrained eye.

How common were Gipiemme dropouts? I think this is a first for me.

Sadly no Strawberry BB shell cutout, not sure what era that was for them.

I'm not much for modern drivetrains, but I think some 7700 or Campy Titanium would look fantastic.

Only dreaming now, I have so many other projects to work on, and most of them aren't bikes.

Early ones had Campy DO's, later ones had Gipiemme and others, mine have no name or stamping, seem to be generic but they have a threaded mounting screw hole in the DO, maybe Andy had them made as he did many other things, crowns, bridges, etc.

The Strawberry cutout is rare IMO, I've only seen a couple but there are probably plenty more.

Nice! That's the condition I like; keeps the price low and provides for no-guilt customization.

Regarding powder coating vs. wet paint, the powdercoater I'm working with explained we can't fill dents with Bondo. It tends to flake off during the heating process and can interfere with the electric charge. If there's no dents, then no issue.

Great find! Same color and vintage as mine which is kinda interesting. Mine is also Columbus tubing with Gipiemme dropouts. Groupset is a mix of Gipiemme and Modolo. There weren’t any Campy components on it. I’ll check s/n to see if they are close.

I searched BF and couldn't find any pictures of your Strawberry, so you can fix that problem as well 😉.

You can't use Bondo with powdercoating, but you can use other options, like "Lab Metal". Search for "high temperature powdercoat filler" and you'll see options. I'm surprised your powdercoater didn't mention that.

Since you asked….









The white paint on the brake bridge and chain stays is just to cover bare metal from a gugie repair. (Weak brazing when built.) I kinda cobbled things together to make it rideable. I’m not sure if the brake levers are staying. Campy rims with D-A hubs. Tires were a nightmare to mount. Retrofriction shifters are magic! I have burgundy cloth to wrap the bars that I think would complement the seat.

It rides beautifully and I’ll finish it up in the next few months.

I checked s/n and it looks like “1 198”

I was off on the year, 1983

Wow, so similar! Wish mine had downtube shifters posts instead of cable stops.

Also close in age! Do you know who built yours?

I pulled the fork on mine, and no dove on the steerer tube. Haven't checked for Columbus rifling yet. Did Columbus make some steerer tubes without the Dove stamp?

Beautiful frame, incredible score. I've removed delicate crown races by using box-cutter blades as wedges, tapping them in underneath the race from either side with a small hammer. Then tapping two in from either side... Then inserting a thin flathead screwdriver with an unmarred head under the race, and tapping a blade in on top of it... One possible route.

My powder coat guys sez use JB Weld, it’ll hold up to powder coat heat. I’ve used it on mayne a coupl a dozen frame dent repairs with no issues.

I think we have the same PC guy.

The paint looks really rough in this, but I don't see any big dents. I'll have to look more thoroughly. Or is everyone seeing something I can't?

I'm guessing it's SP anyway. That obviously doesn't make it impervious to dents, but my other two SP frames don't have any dents I can find either. I wish it were SL or something thinner walles, but that resiliency is a perk.
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Valuable hint!

Yep, Jason at CC Coatings. He turned me on to that trick.

James, am I correct in noticing your Strawberry has a recessed rear brake but nutted front? I started finally building mine today and noticed my frame was the same. We're recessed front brakes a newer innovation than rear? Confused why I would have both styles on one frame.

I’ll need to check the front when I get home. The rear is definitely recessed. One of the frame builders here might have an explanation.

For reference

With brake in situ….



Sorry about the poor lighting but you get the drift.

Strange. I don't love drilling a frame for recessed brakes, but in this case I may do it.

Someone may have done it to use a caliper that had the reach they needed at the time.

Okay, it gets stranger:





Standard recessed but is too small. The Big end is actually a perfect fit. Anyone know anything about these Gipiemme brake bridges?

Yes they took a particular type of nut with no flange on it, just a plain cylinder with an allen key socket on one end and M6 thread on the other.



Maybe it's a standard industrial style nut (try McMaster?) but I've never seen them anywhere else but Gipiemme brake bridges.

I have a couple, not for sale exactly but you can probably pry one from my hoard, PM or email me.

Ah here ya go, for sale at Rennaissance for €8. That's less than I would charge. Lemme know if that avenue doesn't work for you.