My recently completed DeRosa Professional -- '87 or '88ish --

built with a modern Thomson cockpit and 46c Salsa Cowbell bars (a fellow riding buddy said I "ruined it" with those --- LOL )

Running gear is mostly NOS Campy 10 speed with new production Veloce shifters, --- the crankset was used, but is a tough to find square taper compact 50/34 model --- wheels are new take offs from some kind of Felt heritage edition bike that was being parted out, with a Campy 12-26 cassette and Grand PRix tires - 25c is about the biggest that will fit the rear triangle-- I'm using parts from a couple different eras, but everything works together beautifully

Its fun to ride a vintage bike with wide gearing equivalent to my late model machine

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...ps5nsnu1yy.jpg

Run what you enjoy, I say. Got any front or rear pics to show how the flare of the Cowbells looks on it?


What threadless stem adapter are you using? It's unobtrusive, I like it.

This is the only other pic I have --- the angle makes it hard to see the sweep of the bars --- but the Cowbell is a little less obtrusive than their Bell Lap bar I think

The stem adapter is a Profile --- originally I was going with a tried and true Cinelli 1A with some old Cinelli 46's I had , -- they are rare in that size, but the super deep drop of the Cinelli bars meant I would probably never use them as intended
----- I have to admit, the stem combined with the 31.8 bars really seemed to stiffen up the front end --- I like it . I'm a heavier guy and I can get a lot of flex out of a traditional 26.0 bar/quill stem arrangement . With this arrangement, it feels like the king of the road (to me that is)

The frameset had some minor paint issues and tire rub marks on the chainstays --- you cant really see them, but it was enough that I don't feel too bad about modernizing it ---- If the frame had been mint condition, - I may have been tempted to go period correct SR

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...psunt7bexg.jpg

just returned from the maiden voyage -

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5485/...b3047486_b.jpg

Mighty fine:thumb: Interesting combo of spoke patterns.

Very nice!

yeah, this one was buy a CL bike and strip it down to put on the zunow. - so I did not choose the wheels, they just what I got in the deal. they roll nice and feel good- brakes are outstanding. its fun how much faster you can go on a bike when you know you can stop!

i also got impatient and had some fun with the cabling using left overs from other builds - blue brakes, red left gear, black right gear - somehow it all sort of works visually with the colors of the bike and I am gonna keep it.

Looks hot, man. That 105 groupset looks right at home! Are those Gatorskins 28c? I ran Conti's in that size on my '89 C'dale and enjoyed 1mm of clearance in several areas. :D

I also happen to be running newer Corsa Lites (like yours) on my '89 and I'm ok with you keeping the decals on there if you wish. I had an older CL set on the bike before switching it to another one--that picture is one to a few pages back (big red 66cm)--and that had white and red Vuelta graphics all over it. Didn't matter as the bike was red and what's a little visual fun?

Ok, now for a proper update on my flagship and most favorite bike. The 9-speed Dura Ace STIs--I should put them on all my bikes. Wonderful feeling, great looking, and great performance--I even can get 4 downshifts in one lever stroke. Don't think that was planned... Anyway, with all these parts, the bike is truly her own, and absolutely begs me to accelerate, ride fast, climb hills...and then rewards any and all effort with immediate motion. There is this verve and anticipation this bike has. 21 lbs ready-to-ride helps as well, but still. Magic! :love:

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And not to be left out, my recently-acquired 1988 Masi Nuova Strada dressed in a Record/Chorus mix with...Dura Ace cranks? Yes, those cranks work pretty well with everything else. A bit of a carbon theme, including the brake calipers (Tektro R750s I believe, but no label...) that stop very well. I bought the bike complete but with a messy mix of nearly everything. Paint was stunning and decals were perfect. SLX-SP. I kept the frameset, headset, stem adapter, and cable stops... She is very smooth--almost going out of the way to say it at every chance. One sits 'in' the bike, and a bit back (less weight on the handlebars). Really nice. Looking forward to riding more...when it's not raining!

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That Peloton is molto bello... wait a tick... that doesn't work with a Japanese bike. How about 非常に美しい :)

If you ever find yourself in a position to change out the bar tape, you might want to look at this Weanas Vex Gel in red/black. I think it would be a great complement to that sweet Prologo saddle.

http://www.bikeforums.net/19128962-post76.html

Thanks jetboy.... I'm getting some parts this weekend and will be discussing with my buddy if he want them, or if I'm going to upgrade my Miyata. Either way, I will toss up some pics when we update either of them.

Holey smokes Riddle o Steele, that has got to be the best looking Schwinn I've ever seen. Your attention to detail is superb!

Very nice setup! Did you have to spread the rear triangle to fit 11sp in there? IIRC the Black Lightening was spec'ed the 7sp.

Been away for a while, but what an absolute pleasure to scroll through tens of pages with new builds. This could be the best thread over the web... =)

[MENTION=401497]RiddleOfSteel[/MENTION]: The red one is great, nice theme and very well conducted!
[MENTION=103617]jetboy[/MENTION]: great! Is that 11 speed Athena? To bad al the Shimano-stuff became tacky after 6500/7700...
[MENTION=331792]DMC707[/MENTION]: another beautiful red build, like it!
[MENTION=384048]greg3rd48[/MENTION]: awesome! Is that brazed steel of early carbon? Like those retro-modern frames a lot!

Been busy myself as well. This TVM-teamreplica came with 600 tricolore, but I converted it completely with 7700. Originaly these bikes were with 7400 but I already had this group (and loved it), so that was the way to go.

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[MENTION=390460]Dizono[/MENTION] Your Gazelle is stunning! The colors are so vibrant. My Black Lightning is actually aluminum and I replaced the steel fork with a carbon one.
[MENTION=323735]romperrr[/MENTION] Good memory, the '87 BL was originally a 7 speed. The rear spacing was right around 129 so I just switched wheelsets and used the 11 speed group with no issues.

Thanks ROS! Yes they are 28mm Gators and they have proven pretty bombproof on these urban streets. I did have one flat with a nail so far though. I did really notice any clearance issues, I will have to take a look. I did replace the steel fork with a carbon one. BTW I am in complete agreement that your Schwinn is one of the best looking that I have seen. You must get a lot of attention when riding it.

Wow! That Gazelle is fabulous :thumb: If we had a BF hall of fame section (good luck getting agreement here!), this one would have to be near the top.

Love the Partridge Family Bus scheme. I'd like to do something similar with a vintage LOOK.

Yes --- perfection - and to a lesser extent, the 10 speed 7800's --- great looks and performance, and not so narrow in the back that it takes a mad scientist to keep adjusted and in tune :thumb:

I didn't see that anyone had answered this -- I found it surprisingly easy to peel the decals off my 2012 Cannondale. I just used a fingernail and worked at it till an edge came up. I was surprised that the adhered tightly but came off cleanly, in one piece, without residue. I was ready with some Goofoff but didn't need it. A little wiping with a damp cloth and a bit of soap and they looked like the decals had never been there.

Man, there is some sweet bike porn on this thread.

Beautiful bike. I love the primary colors and the straight blade fork is a nice touch. Nice photos as well.

My heart is full at your appreciation of my Peloton! Thank you, all! :thumb:

Thank you! Oooh, that bar tape is an excellent suggestion--perfect! I will keep that slotted away for the future. "Very beautiful" is apt for my Pana-Schwinn.

Highest praise! Thank you and I intend to keep her essentially unchanged component-wise.

Thank you! And your Gazelle is a most lovely and excellently-composed machine herself. How do you like the bars (Cinelli Touch I presume? Great pick with them being black!) and STIs in that setup? I tried that exact setup before switching to the Williams short-n-shallow bars as I didn't find the Cinelli setup as comfortable as I was hoping.

Nails will kill anything, no fault of the Gators. I've had a lot of success with them myself, albeit in 23mm size. I thought your fork looked not-stock for a pre-'89, but it fits well and looks like it grants you some extra clearance. When I had the 28s, I had 1mm between the front tire and brake caliper, 1mm between the rear tire and FD mount bracket, and 2mm or so between the rear tire and brake caliper. My '87 Black Lightning rubbed brake calipers/bridges--so there's probably some small construction variances (and my 28mm Conti's were perhaps a little big). Thank you for the Schwinn love. :)

My experience with the 7800s has been good on the adjustment, works over a Shimano or Campy 10s cassette no problem, with delightfully light lever inputs--too light for my tastes as I like a little more feedback. The 'knob' is rather large. Nicely done aesthetically, but on a bike that I wish to keep a more svelte appearance (read: most of them), I shy away from it and similarly-generation'ed STIs. The 9s era of STIs have a nice lower profile. Dura Ace and Ultegra (the 6510 revamp) are both great performers in both shifting, feel, and (enthusiastic) braking.

@Dizono

wow. superb gazelle! yes, the Zunow is 11 speed athena, and so far I like it, but not in love with athena. I think I prefer 7700 or 7800 dura-ace for both looks and feel. but i wanted to try out 11 speed and .. as you say, nothing interesting from shimano for the past 10 years!

athena has some fun touches, but the feel of the hoods/levers themselves just don't feel as elegant as dura-ace. They are chunkier and shorter. they feel, frankly, more like 105. which I guess makes since as athena is the 105 of campy! but I may grow to like it more, anytime you switch systems it takes a while to feel at home.

Wow Dizono.... I love colorful bikes. So many are like my Miyata, black on black on black, blah blah blah..... Bikes were meant to be fun! The brighter the better! Thanks for posting!

Took it to completion, finally:

https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5643/3...2ca5da02_b.jpg

https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5608/3...85e1447f_b.jpg

So nice!

Thanks for all your advice and encouragement!