When is it a one off?
 

I'm just interested in a concensus as to when it is reasonable to declare your bike a one off? I can't contact the builder(Mino Denti), though he is still around. So, how many endless hours of googling a bike and finding nothing like it until you can be confident it was a custom job?

1.3 trillion hours unless you post pics. 1.3 with.

When that builder confirms it was a one-off ;)

-Kurt

You guys are such pic Nazis sometimes. Okay I have to go steal some batteries from the remote control. Give me a few minutes.

Grrr :D :D

What's it matter? Just say "I think it's a one-off, but can't confirm". To anybody that can't tell, either, it won't really matter. To anyone that knows better, they'll understand what you mean.

Exactly right.
Builders remember one-offs. The good ones take notes and file them under the serial number.

Denti Update !!!Pics!!!
 

Here ya go...

Columbus decals read:
Fork-forcella origonale
Frame-tubi rinforzati garantiti/acciaio speciale
serial#334 or 33A
BB Shell- Brevetto Denti
Campy drops front and rear

Bought this bike last year in Florence Italy, it was kitted out with a mix of Dura Ace 7400 and 7402, Cinelli stem and bars, Ambrosio tubular rims.

I paid $225 US for it and it's killer...

That's all the info I have.

Results 1 - 10 of about 196,000 for denti bici. (0.12 seconds)


http://www.dentibiciclette.it/

Funny, in all my countless hours of research on this bike I never thought to Google Denti. I didn't then go to the very obvious website and maybe email them after translating in Google to Italian and then repeating the process a half a dozen times until becoming frustrated and giving up at no great loss as obviously the current incarnation of the name has little to do with the company as it was in the early 90's. But I'll get right on that...


gotcha...

One more clue, these frames on ebay are the closest thing I've found to this bike(minus the horrid paint jobs).

http://cgi.ebay.com/NOS-VINTAGE-WILI...3286.m20.l1116

interezting find on ebay. The masking of the chrome lugs leaves a little to be desired.

I dunno. I'd never seen the lugs before, and then you show me a pic on eBay of the same lugs...I dunno. You are right, though...Killer Bike.

Yeah, these frames have been on EBay a couple times in the past few months. Based on my experince they are worth pretty close to the $350 they want, except for the paintjobs are so unpleasant. I am beginning to believe that Triestina may have worked in the Denti factory during this period(late 80's, early 90's). I could only hope to verify that somehow, I mean the dude built bikes that won stage victories in The Tour and Giro! As of last night I actually found an email address for Mino Denti himself. After some google translation I sent him an email humbly requesting any info on the frame. He replied very quickly and asked where I was and how i got the bike and such. I have sent him photos and hope to find out more soon. I am not able to really figure out when Denti went from boutique builder to the current Denti which makes all types of mass production bikes. I have never spent so much time trying to track down the origins of a clearly marked bike from a company still in existence(probably got about 100 hours of googling in on this). I can only hope to get some info from Mino, though I am unsure how involved he was with his namesake company. We'll see...

Holy sweet crap! The seatpost and bottom bracket clusters have amazingly beautiful lugs!

Do you just sit around and look at it sometimes? I would.

Here's my correspondence with Mino Denti, for anyone who cares:

Caro signore, mi scuso se sono preoccupanti voi e per i poveri italiani. Ho una bicicletta mi piacerebbe molto sapere circa. Essa ha il tuo nome su di esso quindi ho pensato che sarebbe stato meglio chiedere a lei. Ho cercato di contattare la vostra bicicletta, ma non hanno ricevuto una risposta. La mia bicicletta è uno Denti Road Tech Cinque. Mi piace molto e sarebbe grato per qualsiasi informazione potete darmi al riguardo. I rifiuti non più del vostro tempo. Grazie
Translation:(I translated my message back to English and it was terrible, I hope the guy doesn't think I'm a moron)Basically me apologizing if I'm wasting his time and asking for info on the bike.

Reply:Ma quali informazioni desidera avere ?

Dove si trova ?

Da chi ha acquistato la bicicletta ?

Cordiali saluti

Mino Denti
Translation: But what information you want?

Where are you?

Who bought the bike?

FYI

Mino Denti

My reply:Grazie per la risposta, è un onore per corrispondere con una leggenda della bicicletta. Il mio nome è Jason Tarver e vivo a Austin, Texas, Stati Uniti d'America. Ho comprato questa moto a Firenze circa due anni fa. Sono interessato a sapere nulla circa la bicicletta. Si tratta di una delle più belle biciclette ho mai visto, molto ben costruito e piacevole a guardare. La corsa è fantastica! Mi potrebbe dare ulteriori informazioni su ciò che la bicicletta anni è stato fatto e che ha costruito questo? Sono certo che si sono impegnati, in modo forse vi è una persona che posso contattare in relazione a queste informazioni? Sono felice per qualsiasi aiuto. Apprezzo molto il vostro contatto con me. Sembra che preferisci cavalli di biciclette ora, non si è ancora in giro? Vostri cavalli sono belli e lei sembra molto ben noti per la loro qualità. Anche in questo caso, mi scuso per la traduzione. La ringrazio signor Denti.

Translation: Basically me answering questions and kissing ass big time(this guy is a cycling legend in Italy, so getting a reply blew my mind). Included a picture with my reply.

"One off" or One of?"

Nice frame.

One off or one of a kind, in other words a custom build with custom paint, the only one in existence. And yes, bibliobob,I look at it all the time, other than some dings in the paint, I can find no fault in this frame. I am an artisan and I have utmost respect for the person(s) that built this bike. It is a true masterpiece and rides like a dream(the wet kind even).

Never was sure if this was a Denti or not. There appeared to be clear-coated decals that were removed and then had Denti decals applied on top.

http://www.firstflightbikes.com/1989_Denti.htm

I have two friends with a Denti each, from the mid 80's as they were imported in smallish numbers back then. They were known at that time for tight rear triangles, including requiring a crimped seat tube to clear the rear tire on one.

Paint was average, chrome better than typical from Italy at the time. Both guys have had them since new, and won't gve them up. One was treated to a Joe Bell paint job, full tilt.

Aaaah the Italian MTB, think Italians would treat this like Facism and just pretend it never happened. I can't even see the bike through all that Euclid! As for the paint, I'm beginning to seriously consider sending it off for a Cycle Art spa day. Paint and decals in good shape, just a touch up here and there and a shiny new coat...

I went through the same maze (2 years) as did you with my Ambrosi. When he (Sergio Ambrosi)

and I finally made contact, I too was "blown away"!


Regards,
J T

Oh how I love my beautiful early 80's (maybe late 70's) Mino Denti!
 

Hello All,

Now I'm wondering how many of us still have our vintage Mino Denti bikes still kicking around. I got mine in the mid eighties from my cycling coach. It has been a great friend ever since. I just recently converted it to a fixed gear ride. I cannot express how that feels other than WOW in capital letters! I guess it's true what they say, "Once you've gone fixed, you'll never go back" (or someone should say that anyway). Sadly I haven't yet had the opportunity to take some current pictures of Mr. Denti with my new rear wheel sporting a Phil hub and Salsa rim, but here are some shots when it was in transition (aka, a single-speed):

P.S., I found Mino Denti on Facebook and we're now Facebook friends! Pretty cool, eh? Anyway, if anyone else owns a late 70's or early 80's Denti, no matter what model, please put up some pictures so we all can see.

Bye for now,

Randy W. Sandberg
San Jose, California -- USA

Thanks so much for this info, I hate the thought of Facebook, but I will set aside my morals to find out more about this bike. I'm going to the frame shop today to have it checked for true before building it back up. Alas, I have top put off the CyclArt treatment until next overhaul, but I did some touch up and am just too eager to get her up and running. I'll sign up for Facebook tonight and try to friend you and Mino ASAP. I'm not sure of the vintage of mine, it was dressed in Dura Ace 7400 gear, so I assume it was from 1990 or so..maybe it's older and had an upgrade at some point...hopefully Mr. Teeth can clarify. Thanks again for the 411.

I still ride around on a 1984 SLX Mino Denti not too far from where you are at in Mountain View, CA. with titanium Super Record components and hi-low rear hub. If you are still interested, I can post some photos.