Heart.

Not diamond.

Benotto made some nicer frames (2500 and 3000).

This is not one of them. It is a cheapo model.

If the bb is original that would be 800 or 900 level. The seatpost is another indicator, 27.2 is 1500 models and up. Some of the Mexico versions were know to crack at the bb.

I had a 2000 number of years ago.

For our education, how can you tell?

Poor thing looks like it was painted with house paint.

Looks like another frame headed to your stripper friend?

This is that guy deep rural Oregon w all the frames.

it has the heart which I thought meant DeRosa workshop

when I see a frame that has decent paint underneath, it has been painted with house paint I think one of two things

And the first and most prevalent thought in my head is that it was stolen and they want to ride it without people, knowing what it is

The second thought is the owner of themselves has something special and wants to ride it without fear of it being stolen

But without the diamond shaped chain stays, if it’s nothing special, I will leave it there to rust away even at $20 a frame

Are you going to cost out your time slogging around that pile ?

The owner of the farm/pile is an old BMX guy. We hit it off and he showed me some stuff he pulled aside in the shed.

It was worth my time.

Euclid!!

I guess a question is implied but I can't discern what it is.

The frame does not look badly made.

its a Benotto, a Mexican company that provided some frames to a top team.

Their upper end frames were made in the DeRosa factory in Italy and featured the heart in the BB.

My knowledge told me this would also have the diamond shaped chain stays but it doesn't, making me confused.

So, other than being a Benotto, I know nothing.

Hey,
If someone wanted a nice regular rider, they could economically resurrect this. Start with an oxalic acid bath, then have it bead blasted & powder coated. Of course the frame would have to be essentially free. A container of oxalic powder is about $10. You can soak in a container lined with plastic sheeting. There are shops in the Portland area that will do the prep & PC for about $100. Skip the decals and build it with bin parts and you would have a unique bike.
Cheers,
Van

BTW, it have a fork?

Benotto is an Italian brand, from Torino. After WWII they expanded into Latin America. First to Venezuala, later to Mexico. High end bikes were made in Italy, and were quite successful in the pro peloton. Ten world titles, I believe.



The "heart"in the BB shell is actually a stylized "B":



While there have been reports of Mexican examples with quality issues, many lower-end Benottos are still around and doing well. I have seen quite a few 800's over the years at various C&V events.

Mrs non-fixie's Benotto 500 "Lady" after a very wet L'Eroica edition:

Benotto was also famous for handlebar tape in the early 1980s. A lot of us roadies swore by cloth tape until Benotto tape came around. It was slippery, but we didn't mind. It looked so cool, and it was available in some bright colors.

I have a 3000, and they make excellent vintage riders.

It bloomin' well should. Moser rode one to win the World's in '77.

The gen on the net says that the columbus Mexican bikes had overheated bottom brackets, cracks appear at various places.
The 800/850 were plain hugh-carbon steel, so not affected, nor were the Italian-made ones - some clues can be Modello/Modelo, a made-in-Italy decal, and sometimes bb markings.
The gen also says the very top-end bikes (3000) were only made in Italy.
So buy low or buy high.
(Even the 800/850s are nice riders.)

I think that's good advice. Mine arrived in pretty trashed condition, with a fused stem that I had to melt off with acid, and my build is a bit ghetto, but it is just a great, comfortable classic.

And here’s what he rode in ‘78. At least that’s what I heard Moser say to the guy giving him a tour of a vintage bike display a few years ago.

And it wasn't fast enough.

Neither the Benotto nor the Raleigh was a standard production machine, anyway. Ugo De Rosa vs Jan Le Grand: