The view still looks the same. It's 20 degrees Fahrenheit here today. Fortunately, the roads have improved to the point where I should be able to make my own foray into mixte buying this Saturday.

East Hill

As mswantak revealed: the non-straight top tubes. True Believers And Keepers Of The Mixte Flame only accept canonical straight-tube mixtes as worthy; all other kinds are the vile product of heresy and schism.
















No, straight up. It's true.

I just noticed this statement - what makes you think it's 32 years old? I'm thinking mid-80's.

BTW, I'll be seeing it tomorrow, and unless something screams STOP I'm predisposed to buy it. The fellow mentioned "a bunch of old parts" I could have if I bought it, and when I called and spoke with him he said he had a bunch of "French stuff"..... I'm hoping BB's, headsets, crank/chainrings, and maybe a retrofriction shifter or two......

Hard to tell since it's a bare frame but I would date the similar NOS one I saw on e-bay as mid 70s to early 80s at the latest based on the steel cottered crankset edit(Campy timeline says 980 DR introduced september 1980)edit I would be all over your deal if it was in my area. There are still primo bikes out there in basements & garages. Few years ago I was on a jury with an old fellow(in his 80s) with a 70s Masi track bike & one of their tandems hanging in his garage. Been there for years & not for sale but who knows, maybe someday. Looking forward to more posts on this one. Don

I guess I am a heretic, because I think the curved tubes look much better than the straight ones on a mixte.

You're entitled to your opinion! I don't care for the way they look, but curved tubes do make it easier to step through the frame.

Well, OK - the frame set is mine.

I went to see the fellow this afternoon. An older gent, probably in his 70's. His condo looked like a museum - I saw a Holdsworth 531 mixte, a Masi Gran Criterium, a Bob Jackson, a CIOCC, a Davidson, and a few other Italians I wasn't familiar with and can't remember. And all were my size. He was more than friendly, and showed me around his place while I tried not to drool too much.

So, anyway... He lays the NOS Legnano frame set out, and says straight up that it probably wasn't worth what he was asking.

But before we talk turkey he pulls out a couple of new looking chains (Regina and HKK), a Nervar crank set, a NIB Tange headset (that fits the Legnano fork), a couple of nice side pull calipers, a seat post, inner and outer Sugino Maxy Competition chain-rings, a Shimano 600 FD & RD, a 5 speed freewheel, and a pair of brake levers.

We do some measurements, and the BB is indeed 70mm - Italian. Also, a 26.4mm seat post doesn't quite fit, so it is probably 26mm - hi-tensile steel. The stem hole is very small in diameter - maybe French? I'll have to measure the ID of the steering tube to see what's what - then I'll come begging here .....

So after some pleasant conversation, he says he just wants all of it gone, and asks for an offer. I offer $60, he says $65, I pay him the money and scoot. Before I leave, though, he tells me the Masi is probably up for grabs and the CIOCC is definitely on the block. He's asking $1150 for the Masi, and not sure about the CIOCC. He promised to get back to me on the price for the CIOCC. I'm going to have to flip a lot of bikes if I want to get my hands on that Masi.....

P.S.: The free Miyata I picked up for bossman up in Berkeley was worth every penny. Late '70s gaspipe, cottered steel crank, everything rusty except the handlebar grips. I didn't have the heart to make bossman drive over to pick it up.

Oh well; nice day for a drive...

I just saw a very tired 70's 'ish Motobecane with the same frame style on the way home tonight. Only had one support between the two (sans-mixte) top tubes. Nothing decent on the bike to make it worth picking up for the price on it though but it sure looked interesting after seeing the Legnano in person the other day.