Lea_Kim

I've just find a beautiful (to me) Marinoni Special that is supposed to be from 1980. I don't have much information about this bike and it seems impossible to found a serial number on it. All the Marinoni cuttings are there so I know it's a geniune Marinoni. And I know most of the Dura Ace AX groupset is not from 1980. The headset is a Campagnolo Super Record (original groupo?). The Columbus sticker says it's a repainted frame.

So my question is : Is it possible to know the year of a Marinoni if it has no serial number? I know that if I bring the bike to the Marinoni shop they'll probably be able to give me a range, but I won't have time to go there for a while, so I'm trying with you guys!

BTW, I paid 300$ for it, and here in Montreal it's a very good price for a Marinoni.

roscoe p

Check the steer tube, mine was there. Marinoni was very helpful when I emailed them the serial number---they were able to tell me when it was built and what it was built out of as well as the original paint color.

devinfan

Can't help in any way, but beautiful bike! That's a great price for such a nice frame and a great (original or otherwise) gruppo.

Lea_Kim

Thanks riscoe p, I'll have a look at the steering tube in hope of a serial number!

cyclotoine

Close ups of the seat stay caps, fork crown and head tube lugs would help in approximating the year. The BB looks dirty. 1980 is a good estimate based on what I see. Give the shell a thorough cleaning... the SN was usually on the back right where you have taken the photo, but I don't see anything. Repaints can cause the number to disappear if they don't get the original paint out of the numbers (mine is barely legible on my '81 Pista special). As suggested above the stear tube is a good place to check also. Does it have the Fleur d' lis on the fork crown?

cyclotoine

hmm is that the porta catena rear drop-out? yup 79/80... 'nonis that early are rare, very nice find.

Ed in Toronto

Beautiful bike, congrats on your purchase.

RavingManiac

There's one for sale on CL up here in Maine. It's a 52cm, otherwise I'd be on it. Asking $250, don't know if he'd ship. https://maine.craigslist.org/bik/2931413122.html

Lea_Kim

I'm going to my local bikeshop to remove the fork (I don't have the tools) this afternoon so I'll hopefully have a serial number this evening and more pictures of the frame. The engraving is an (M), and not a fleur-de-lis. The seat stay caps are exactly like on that 1972 Masi (https://www.raydobbins.com/ebay/bike-masi/Photo_21.jpg).

cyclotoine

I wonder if the ones with the fleur-de-lis were for a provincial team and the ones with maple leafs for for national athletes? You see these used from inception till even the mid to late 1980s. I once got my hands on an '88 with the fleur-de-lis. I loved that frame but it was a 58 and I had to sell it, not before collecting the complete and excellent condition first generation chorus group though! Some might hate me for that.

Citoyen du Monde

I bought my first three Marinoni bikes in the late 70's and early 80's. It was the height of the time of René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois and Marinoni steered clear of politics and offered both the maple leaf and the fleur de lis. He also offered the Marinoni M as well as the buyer's initials.

One of my bikes was built for touring/racing with racing geometry, however with eyelets on the drop-outs and Blackburn rack braze-ons on the seatstays above the brake bridge. It had my initials on the fork crown. The one before that had the Marinoni M on the fork crown...

Lea_Kim

OK, I have found what could be a serial number inside the fork, but it's only 3 digits long (195). I'll email Marinoni this week to see if it's a valid serial number. It's so unfortunate that it's a frame just a bit too big for me! I'm sure I won't be able to sell it!

Here's some more photos.

randyjawa 

A fellow I know, here in Thunder Bay, just might be willing to do a swap. He has a couple of smaller Marinoni bicycles and yours looks to be a 54cm, which is what he rides. I will look into it for you, if you wish.

Best to send a personal message if you want me to help. THX

Lea_Kim

Thanks randyjawa, but I realy love that bike too much, and if I change the stem, I'll be ok on that bike.

I recieved an answer from Simonne and they don't have a database for bikes made befor 1983. :-( So I'll have to go to the shop so they can have a closer look and give me a better range for the year it was made.

Meanwhile, I bought two more Marinoni... One from 1992 and also a 2002 model... They were SO cheap I couldn't resist.

mainducoyote

+1

I've had a LOT of Marinonis , and the serial numbers are sometimes hard to see but always there. I've only seen one without serial number and the answer from Marinoni was that it wasn't a Marinoni it it didn't have a serial. Yours is definetly one so keep looking

Here is the serial number on this same bottom bracket shell

mainducoyote

BTW, I can see yours, it ends with a 1 , same spot as the one on the bb I posted

Edit: or not ...

Lea_Kim

Thanks mainducoyote, I'll have a closer look with a good bright light in different angles when I'm back home. I'm actually on the bus back to Montreal with a new Marinoni. How many bikes is too many again? I'm still looking for that perfect bike... It must be somewhere out there! ;-)

Lea_Kim

@mainducoyote, is 59 the frame size? From your SN, I guess it's a 1986?

mainducoyote

So you're the one buying all MY Marinonis? . Which one did you buy? the one that was for sale for 200$ ? Yes an 86 , you are correct.

mikemowbz

My initials happen to neatly correspond with the Marinoni 'M' on each side of the fork crown, so I get that custom service from the standard product. Good deal, huh?

@Lea_Kim: Three!? I just picked up one (in just my size) remotely...the bike is in Montreal where I soon shall be also, though now in Vancouver.

Including that one, I've actually picked up two complete bikes and a frameset in the past week (one of each ends up in storage soon), so I can't act too incredulous.

Two things:

1) Pics of the new Marinoni, please! Especially interested in the '92...as well as hearing more about the older example that kicked off this post.
2) Did you go to Concordia or something? I'd swear I know that name...

Hope you get that fit right and ready for a long hazy summer...

randyjawa 

I have had my Marinoni for many years and there is no serial number to be found. Needless to say, that made me wonder and I contacted Marinoni regarding the bicycle, including good pictures with my inquiry. They assured me that the bicycle was a Marinoni and of 1976 vintage, which corroborated what the previous owner told me. The person at Marinoni went on to explain exactly what components would have been fitted to the bicycle. They never commented on the lack of a serial number or challenged the authenticity of the bicycle.



Anyway, this remains a mystery to me to this day and thought it worth a mention, considering the focus of this thread...



I have finally collected and prepared everything to return the bicycle to its "as issued" condition. Except the serial number, of course.

Lea_Kim

That 200$ one was in Trois-Riviere right? It was too big for me, but I contacted the seller and decided to let it go. I'm not a flipper and I wasn't sure if one of my "tall" friends would take it. My last one was 250$ in Quebec City, a 52cm, but the serial starts with a 0 so I guess it's a 1990 and not a 1992. The owner told me he bought it in 1992, but maybe it was late 1991 and it was the "last year model". The groupset is Shimano 105 SIS and it's a sweat ride. I'll post some pictures this week-end.

Both the 1990(?) and the 2002 are Columbus SL and are heavier then my 1980(?), so maybe the Dura Ace groupset makes all the difference, but there is a 4 to 5 pounds difference between them. Maybe it's a SLX frame?!? I'll do some research on seatpost sizes and such.

Lea_Kim

Hey mikemowbz, as I was saying, I'll try to post some good pictures this week-end. When you say that you picked two bikes and a framset, you mean Marinoni? Do you see them a lot in Vancouver? When I was there, I haven't seen a lot. I've seen more Fiori (norco) in Vancouver, but not a single Marinoni...

I almost enrolled in Concordia at the Simone DeBeauvoir institute, but I changed my mind at the last minute. It's probable because there are so many asians in Concordia and Lea-Kim sounds asian... Right? ;-) But my name is extremely french: Lea Chateauneuf.

Lea_Kim

Beautiful bicycle! Marinoni from 1976 are hard to found! There's a 1977 on Kijiji right now, but it's a bit pricy for me. Was this bike equipped with Campagnolo Super Record?

mikemowbz

There's a nice Marinoni on craigslist here right now, not selling (I've seen the ad weeks apart) at $650 for a tricolor-equipped bike, good paint, I didn't take too much note of further details since it's either 54cm or 56cm (I ride 60-62). Firm on that price, I guess.

They come up from time to time here, but much, much less so than in Montreal (or Ottawa, Toronto, etc.)

People here go for Cramerottis, which are in more abundant supply, to fill a similar need.

And no, not three Marinoni's (I can't match that). And the one that is was (is) in Montreal.

I'll have to check that one for a serial number (though it's much later than yours).