MrEss

Congrats on finding something that suits you! I hope the ride is as nice as the buying process was!

Giacomo 1 

Thanks guys!

Yeah, the price seemed pretty good to me too. I'm very happy about it. The seller said her LBS thought it should bring in something in the $1000 range. That's alittle optimistic IMHO, but I was certainly expecting to have to go higher to win this. I'm definetely not knocking the Shimano group. I have the 105's on my Miyata, which I believe are basically the same as the 600, just later, and they work beautifully. So I'm not a Shimano hater. I was just thinking out loud of a Campy conversion somewhere down the line to make her an all-Italian, but that's just a thought for the future. Right now, I just want to get this bike and enjoy it as it is...

Drillium Dude 

Wow, that's an interesting choice of colors for the fade - I think it works great. From the auction pics, it's sorta hard to tell there's a fade going on. I like that.

Seems as though you got a smokin' deal there. By all means, ride the stink out of the parts already there and worry about upgrading to full-Campy later. You'll be glad you did.

Welcome to the world of Italian steel. Waiting with baited breath for the ride report

DD

Giacomo 1 

Yeah, thats the plan Drillium!

I'm glad everyone feels that I got a good deal on this bike. I really thought this bike would be a real bidders war, especially that the opening bid was so cheap, but I couldn't figure out why nobody showed up. I was afraid there was something wrong with this bike and I might have missed something. Ever feel that way?

Drillium Dude 

I wondered the same thing when the bidding on my Spinella (Olympia) went nowhere and I got it for well under $300. Although the seller posted very detailed pics, I couldn't figure out why nobody went over me - and I put my final bid in well before the auction's end, which is atypical for me.

Frame arrived in perfectly straight, ding-and-damage-free condition. Rides like a dream. Sometimes you just get lucky

DD

Giacomo 1 

Wow, that sounds like a super deal! I'll bet that seller was not happy!

I could be wrong, but in the 307 posts in this thread, I don't think I heard the name Spinella mentioned at all. I'd love to see a picture of her, it sounds like a beauty. And besides, we've had way to few pictures for a thread on Italian bikes!

Chombi

Strange, but for me personally, Masi bikes always attracted me in a special way ever since the first time I saw one close up after a Cat 1/Pro racer crashed hard in front of me while watching a Criterium in Milwaukee in the early 80's and I noticed that the bikie crowd around me had just as much concerned comments about how the bike fared than with the poor injured (I think she broke a collar bone) rider. I guess, afer that incident, my mind automtically equates Masi bikes with brave, and maybe great racers....So just for that reason, Masi always tops my list. I always found Colnagos to be almost common/too numerous, but areal nice Colnago is always a nice thing to see, but I actually prefered the simpler finshed/designed Colnagos in the early 80's more than the later "peacocks" that came out in the later 80's which seems to be catering more to the collectors than racers. I've encoutered weired bottechias in the early/ mid 80's though that seems to be really down on quality with decal and paintwork that was falling off their frames as they just hang for sale at the bike shop, but that wasn't really uncommon for many Italian bikes of that era......including the very pretty Cioccs.
I'd say that it would be easier to find a good Colnago than a Bottechia anytime just because they made so many and I never really heard of any horror stories about Colnagos from back then.

Chombi

Road Fan

Laverda?

Road Fan

I need pics of that!

repechage

Don't forget a Masi was used to break the hour record before a Colnago did. The number of bikes out in the world does indeed make an awareness difference, in that regard Colnago has the numbers.

Giacomo 1 

It's funny what sticks in our minds about a certain brand, and it doesn't just have to be bikes, and makes them our favorites for life.

I was very fond of Bottecchias as I mentioned earlier in this thread, simply because there was a guy when I was teenager that I looked up to and he had a beautiful red, white and green Bottecchia. For all I know it could have been a gas-pipe bike with lousy paint and of no real value, but it was very Italian and he was the only one of us that could afford one. I always wanted that bike simply because of that guy. I actually looked for months for one but to no avail. Maybe someday.

As for Colnago's, well, I can't say a bad thing about them. To me they are the Ferrari of the bike world. So much history, so many victories, so many great riders and they just have that allure to them, like a Ferrari. Maybe they are not as exclusive as a Ferrari, but their reputation and the mindset of the company really reminds me of what Enzo did at Ferrari. I think I will always crave one also...

gomango

No reason to not enjoy a nice Colnago.

I've owned them off and on since 1979.

I currently own two, and enjoy them a great deal.

I will say though, they really are lightning rods for supporters and detractors.

BTW You might be surprised at how inexpensively one can find a nice used example if you have patience.

..and can avoid eBay.

Road Fan

I think the word is "asploded."

Giacomo 1 

I think all great marques have that effect. Some love them and some hate them. There is alot of jealousy with greatness. Although I tried, I couldn't find that elusive Colnago bargain...

There could well be a Colnago somewhere in my future, but right now I have a Basso to get busy with! (I just love saying Basso with a slight Italian accent...) It has such a nice ring to it

gomango

Could well be.

lml999

It's not that simple. Within any of the top brands, you've got a wide variety of designs, construction, costs, etc.

Do you want early traditional design (70's)? Do you want more adventurous style and componentry (late 80's)?

Are you a collector or a rider? Is this bike going to be a sunny Sunday ride? Your everyday machine? A trophy for the wall?

Personally, I have always loved the Colnagos...and fortunately, the typically short top tube on most Colnagos provides an excellent fit for me. I own a number of different models and love each one for its individual attributes.

If I were you, I would spend some time looking at Colnago, Pinarello, De Rosa, Masi, and Cinelli. I owned a Cinelli Super Corsa, briefly, and just didn't feel one with it. The old Masis were beautiful bikes, but the brand changed ownership at some point and I think it lost its soul.

Ultimately, the bike has to inspire you to ride. For me, the little guy painted on the Colnago top tube helps a lot.

Have fun...and let us know what you end up with!

Lee

lml999

I owned the little brother to this bike back in 1972 (This particular bike, I think, is a bit newer). The Atala was an okay brand...they put their money into components rather than the frame. The all-Campy Atala was $385 in 1972, about $75 cheaper than a Raleigh Pro...

That bike took me many miles to many places...and I won my first race on it in 1974.

About five years ago I dug it out of my brother's garage and donated it to Bikes Not Bombs or some similar organization. I would like to think it's now providing transportation services in some far part of the world!

If you are looking for a Grail bike, however, there are better Italian brands to consider.

Lee

lml999

Italian bike = Italian components. Just say "No ShimaNo!"

jr59

Yep, but ride it to death until you can save enough for a Campy set up!

No Shimano works great if your bank account is full. if not, save your $$$$ and buy a Campy set up latter!

lml999

Maybe. But each has certain design characteristics that make them unique. For instance, the lugs on the Colnago Arabesque or the Master Olympic.

Builders get no points for clean lugwork. That's a requirement (and not always met). They can get points for unusual lugwork...like the long points, with drillings, on the fork crown on my Raleigh Team Pro...on the *inside* (wheel) side of the fork. Very pretty.

But we're talking about individual bikes here...and sometimes a builder messes up. My mid 80s Colnago Super rides like a gaspipe special...I have never figured out why...one of these days I will retrieve it from my inlaw's house in Florida and put it back on ebay.

Lee

Drillium Dude 

It's an Olympia badged as a Spinella (a builder in its own right - there's a gorgeous one on Flickr) and I did a thread on it a few months ago. Since there have not been enough pics for you on this thread, here you go:



I got some great feedback - as you have here - and found out that Olympia is Italy's second-oldest (after Bianchi) bike maker. Apparently they did very little exporting, particularly to the US. As a result, I now have a lovely bike that is pretty scarce outside of Italy. I like that

DD

WNG

Giacomo,
I'm not seeing any pics of the Basso. Hmmm. Is it just me? Or you didn't post any.
IIRC, An article wrote Bassos are not very popular in Italy and don't sell in the numbers like other known brands because Basso is also slang for an insult.
But the builder goes the extra step on every Basso by rust proofing the interior of all the tubes. Galvanizing was claimed in the article. A Basso was the intelligent man's buy.

Drillium Dude 

^ WNG, he's just not received the bike from Ebay yet. Some of us looked around Completed Listings to find what he won - it's a metallic green/magenta fade with Shimano 600 on it if you want to check it out.

I don't know if Giacomo wants to out the specific auction, but it should be fairly easy to find.

After all, I found it

DD

Schwinnsta

OK, here is mine, which I think is a late 80's GAP model with Campi Athena, mostly. I could be wrong.
https://s869.photobucket.com/albums/a...winnsta/Basso/

Giacomo 1 

That Spinella is looking very nice DD! The red is striking and so appropriate for an Italian ride. It looks fast. I also enjoy owning something that is scarce and out of the ordinary. Who knew Olympia was Italy's second oldest bike manufacturer? You can only learn these things on Bike Forums!

And DD is correct guys, I don't have the bike as of yet. Should be here sometime later this week. I do promise I'll post pictures. I was the OP of this thread, and thought that I would update everyone of where I was at in my hunt. Maybe I jumped the gun abit and I should have waited, but I was glad to resurrect this thread, as it had so much good info on it. You can never talk to much about the Italian passion of bikes!