Need Vintage Italian Bike info
 

picked this up for $15.00 bucks. Says record professional on the main tube and a badge that says Atala on the front, looks to be all campagnolo components except for the brakes.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...iee/Atala1.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...iee/Atala2.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...iee/Atala3.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...iee/Atala4.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...iee/Atala5.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ee/atala10.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...iee/atala6.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...iee/atala7.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...iee/atala8.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...iee/atala9.jpg

WOW!!!! $15. You scored BIG TIME. That is their top model. It also seems that it's completely original down to the brakes. Just one thing though, was it repainted???? since it should have "Atala" on the down and seat tube. Either way, you scored big time!!! Here is a link: http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Ita...ala_advert.htm

Looks like the top of the line Atala Professional. That's $15 very well spent. Columbus double-butted tubing and full NR gruppo with the usual Universal Type 61 brakes of course. Those brake levers with the turkey wings do not look original. The original levers would have been Universal brand as well like the brake calipers. Looks like late 60's to early 70's. Is there a PAT date code on the rear derailleur? I believe that started in 1970 so if there isn't then it's older than that.

this is the week for outstanding C&V bargains: first the $10 Bob Jackson, then the $20 Weros, now a $15 Atala Pro...when do I get one of these?:thumb:

Gosh, I thought I scored when I found my '85 Panasonic Team for $200. Now you guys are finding keepers for 15 bucks?!

My Atala SLX frame and fork set me back $90 and this guy gets a whole bike for $15? Sheesh

I am clearly not good at this game... ;)

Atala bike
 

rear derrailleur says Patent 72, Brake levers are dia compe

Well, for that price I would buy 20 of them. Atala and Lygie way back in the early 70's were almost identical, I suspected they were made in the same place. While not of stellar craftsmanship, they were great values for the money, if I had parents willing to drive around more, I could well have ended up with one of them as my first bike. In 1971-72, a full Campagnolo example was like $227. ! In 1972, guys would buy a Lygie, strip it down buy a new bottom bracket and then buy a frame set like a Bob Jackson and be well ahead.. and have a frame to sell cheap to someone and really be ahead.

If one problem with them, especially in the small sizes such as this bike, the head tube angle is very slack, that with a very generous fork rake, makes for a very slow turning bike.

I have a white 61 cm frame with blue panels, otherwise exactly like this. I bought it from the original owner who said the block letter "ATALA" water transfer decals on down tube and seat tube were so fragile he scraped them of with his finger nail.

Your bike is likely a 1973 model. Looks pretty darned original, including Universal brakes. Mine came with side pulls. Campy Record brakes were not standard, according to my research, because of poor performance.

My frame and fork, interestingly, is double-butted Reynolds 531.

Congratulations on the find! Be sure to clean & re-lube those wheel hubs before riding it much.

Merda! Are you sure?? Wow! In 1972-73 a similar Bottecchia Professional was $360 and a Giro d'Italia around $250. I can't imagine they were much different in workmanship. I paid $175 for my lowly Bottecchia Special but that was in 1974 so maybe prices went up a bit by then. Man that would be cheap.

I can't speak for 1971-1972 but in 1973 the Atala Record Professional had a suggested list price of $385 US.

Nice find!!! Clean her up and enjoy

Why don't I ever see any deals like this 'round here?

Wow is right! You could sell the front der. and get 3x your money back! Poor thing needs a good clean and lube, but again, WOW! Where did you get it so cheap??

Atala bike
 

got it from a local resale store, as I was leaving I saw a truck dump a road bike, so I went back and asked if I could check it out, asked how much, guy went to get a person to price it and took it home for $14.99 :)

Nice score.
I've seen that cinelli seat post binder sell for 5 - 10 times what you paid for the bike!

Marty

I recall the prices ballooning between 1969 and 1973, perhaps 60 % increase, across the imported bike market. I was looking at a Super Course in 1969 for arouind $110, then it seemed to jump to 140, which was previously the price of a PX-10!

I suspect someone picked off the Atala down and seat tube stickers. I recall them being adhesive stickers, not decals or painted on. i thinkthe frame paint is original, seems patinated.

The shifters are definitely a retrofit, and I'm pretty sure the bars with safety brakes are as well. Probably someone was convinced by a shop "expert" that safety levers are safer, and the cheapest way to get them was to swap out a classic now-collectible Italian control stack for the one that's on there, with "safety" levers.

That sounds more like it.

The shifters? They look like the appropriate Record shifters to me. What makes them look like retrofits? Just curious...I'm probably missing something obvious.

Atala
 

Keep finding bikes, today I bought a panasonic DX-5000 with shimano 600 components for $70 bucks on craigs, looks to be all original, just has some surface rust on the frame and probably too big for me it's I believe a 58cm frame. I'll post some pics later today.

Damn... I never see those!

Panasonic
 

Actually is the same as your 88 Panasonic, but not nice like yours :)

keep us posted on that panasonic, I'd love to see some pictures especially since it's not your size ;)

I......need.........oxygen. Feeling light headed. $15? I hope I can hit send before I pass out....

OK, so this thread has been quite for 1+ year but I am a new bikeforums member so want to show off my similar Atala Record Professional.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eK_y8
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink


http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/L-k5O
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/L-k5O




I have owned it for about 18 years, bought it back while I was in college and was a fairly serious road racer with a stable of then "modern" road bikes. I wanted to give cyclocross a try and found this Atala for sale for around $200 and though it would make a decent cross bike with its relaxed geometry and ample wheel clearance. It still had mostof the original campy record components when I aquired it, most noticeably was missing the original wheelset and the BB had been replaced with a sealed phil wood BB. I had no real idea of the age of the bike at the time and it was definitly not particulary pretty, lots of rust present on the exposed chrome. I made a few additional component changes to make it more suitable for cyclocross and actually placed 2nd on it at TX state cyclocross championships back around 1992. After cross racing I used it as a campus/commuter bike and even once used it to deliver pizzas (school job) one day when my car was broken down. I also once "convered" it into a track bike for a day of velodrome racing. With no braze-ons it really didnt look very out of place on the track except for the derailler hanger. I really like the chrome lugs it has a very relaxed, forgiving ride compared to my road race bikes and had proven to be a very durable frame.

I actually once traded it away to a friend that used it for several years then gave it back to me when he moved out of the country. I probably went for close to a 10 year strech without riding it but never could see to get rid of it. I decided to again try a few cyclocross races last year so started cleaning and fixing it up again. The old campy record rear derailler really didnt work very well for cyclocross, tree-roots and bumps tended to jam up the chain in the jockey wheels and I was afraid I might damage the campy derailler so replaced it with a vintage shimano 600 (pre-SIS). The original universal 61 centerpull brakes work amazingly well. THey dont stop as suddenly as more modern brakes but they modulate very well and provide sufficient breaking force.
I only recently though to reseach my Atala on the net, and was very suprized to finaly find its vintage. THe serial # is 72A1986. I guess I was thinking all along it was probably an 1986 model year, but after reseaching, realized it is actually a 1972. I was previously thinking about brazing on some cantelever brake post to make it a more dedicated cyclocross bike, now I appreciate its age more and realize it is probably a sin to consider making such irreversable frame changes. I still have majority of the original parts saved that came to me with it if I ever decide to restore to original condition would only need to source a few relativly common campy components. In the meantime, I am just glad to have it as a nice riding old bike that is still viably functinal and get more enjoyment in actually riding it than if I restored it and kept it hanging on the wall.

My Atala originally had a nice metal headtube badge that I long ago broke-off and lost. If anyone has any leads on obtaining a replacement badge, let me know, It would be a good start toward restoration! Any idea where replacement atala decals can be found?

Guzziee - I would really like to see the photos of your Atala from your original thread post if they are still available anywhere!

-Jason Gray