Stella ??? Campy Components
 

Hello, yesterday I picked up a Stella bicycle with some Campy components. The rear derailleur is Campagnolo, the downtube shifters are Campy, it has Campy hubs, the front derailleur is actually a Suntour Sprint, the freewheel is Huret, the stem is ?Asax? (I can barely read it), and the crankset is something I do not know, it is not marked but I do know it is cottered. I am trying to find out a year and model on this Stella, as it does not say. It does say this on it though: Vainqueur Du Tour De France Du Cinquantenaire. If you need me to post some pictures, I can quickly take some and post them on here.

Start here, if you haven't yet. And yes, please post some good, well-lit pictures. Stem is ATAX.
http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Fra...a_bicycles.htm

I don't know much about Stella bikes, but I've seen the brand mentioned online a few times. It's actually a good brand, made in France, and that Campy is probably the early stuff that people want, if it's not rusted away. :) Everyone will want pics, if you can post them, including me. ;)

Yes, I have been to that website, and I am also uploading some nice pictures I took with my Canon :)

I could use some good pics of the decals to recreate. I have 3 Stella frames.

I went and bought some new red cable housing and cable yesterday, that is why one of the brakes is off, as I am in the process of changing it out :)
http://i.imgur.com/sRN9N8G.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6tFsyZh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/tJ7cXB3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/i2DNePR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lqbNlHR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/m5a8Ab3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lGJD2Sd.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/T0L2810.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/s4uqmFc.jpg

Stella, like many makers, made a wide variety of models. I'd say that's up from the bottom, but still on the low scale. Oddly enough, Stella used Columbus tubing on some of their better bikes.

I have a couple of these frames, maybe the best they made, repainted though.

Do you have any idea what year this bike is/model? I am very curious about this bike.

Just an unfounded opinion but with those Velox derailleurs and Gran Sport shifters and hubs I'd say early 70's.

I'd guess early/mid 70s. I believe they used letters/numbers for the models. Not much Stella info around I'm afraid. The silver was a common color.

The Campagnolo would have been a slight model upgrade, but the rest is pretty basic French of the day.

I can give you the number on the bottom bracket. Let me go look at it.

I've watched this one for a long time - the owner started over $200 and is now at $115. I've read the CR details but still couldn't get a good feel for the quality of the SX-73 model or ride. Too tall for me or I'd have jumped at it with the current price.

The OP's bike looks to have a more basic frame with decent components. I'd put it definitely above the lower end of the spectrum of frames. It's got some nice components.

Most interesting part of that ad:
"The picture is not my bike, but looks similar without air pump and has dirt/road tires"

I agree, and I am going to be working on this bike/cleaning it most of the day, so I can also post some update pictures.

That is a nice looking bike, but the odds of finding an exact year may be slim. Personally I think after a good overhaul and cleaning it will be a good rider for sure.

I don't know why I never got a pair but I always liked those Tipo hubs.

I am putting alloy bars on it right now, I have an extra set of SRs from the mid 70s laying around that I will put on it. I cleaned the stem and it is not rusted! The rust just rubbed off from the inside :)

The Velox was a Campagnolo entry level derailleur introduced for the 1972 model year. They quickly fell into disfavour and given that the shifters are also Velox, I assume they are OEM and would probably date this bicycle 1972-1974. The frame characteristcs indicate hi-tensile steel and in conjunction with the components (with the exception of the replacement front derailleur) are representative of an upper entry level model. Sometime during this period Stella switched from model names to numbers. Given the level and apparent era, it is probably a Stella Bordeaux which was 2nd from the bottom of the line in 1972.

Thank you for your information! Helps a lot! Anyway, I am working on the headset right now, here are some pictures. You can tell no one has done anything to this bike in 30 years.


http://i.imgur.com/UiSLvlQ.jpg

Yes. Just be thankful that stem came out.

(oh and actually that stem came out pretty easily, suprisingly) After some cleaning:
http://i.imgur.com/ELivz7G.jpg

Undoubtedly due to the LBS doing proper prep work prior to assembly.

I'd be all over that if it were a proper 62, but that ad reminds me of a few to many "my UO8 is a PX10 " ads I have seen. If it were local to me, I would take a look but expect a base level boom model.

The SX-73 was Stella's club racer model. The frame is hi-tensile steel, though it should have forged dropouts with an integral hanger. It has been converted from it's original tubular wheelset to 27" clincher (and it looks like the valve stems are ready to be sheared off). You can see how the pads on the front caliper have been adjusted to their highest possible position. I can't identify the derailleurs but the levers appear to be the aluminum Hurets, so the I suspect this a late boom model with the nice Huret Challengers. However, the Stronglight 49 crankset is definitely the highlight of the bicycle.

As to the handling, it's should be more reponsive than your typical, boom era recreational tourer. You can see the head angle is steeper than the seat tube. It should be similar to a Peugeot PA10 or Gitane Interclub. A period road test stated, "a responsive machine for fast club rides, or perhaps a season or two of local racing...a fairly responsive machine without the choppy feel and stiffer ride a machine made with a little steeper head angle and shorter wheelbases produces...reponsive enough for most riders on our American roads, and as long as you don't try to use it to bash aorund the houses, turning nine corners in a one mile circuit, most of you should be quite satisfied with the machine".

At the current price it's a fair deal tending towards good. Remember it's only a hi-tensile frame, looks like it needs work and it really should be converted to tubulars or at least 700C, which in my mind offesets the Stronglight crankset and Challenger derailleurs.

Fwiw: