1988 Benotto Triathlon...any info?
 

I did some work for a client and they were so happy, that they offered to sell me a C&V Benotto that they had collecting dust. I asked if it was an Italian or Mexican made Benotto. Unfortunately, the owner replied Mexican. But I thought it would still be worth seeing. Hoping some nice Campy stuff adorned it.

Upon seeing it, there was some paint scratches, rust and dried decals, but overall, not too bad. It wasn't my size at 58cm, but for $50, it was worth my while.

I did a search for it and didn't come up with much on this model, other than determining it's an 88. There was a decade old thread where T-Mar stated this model was made from hi-tensile steel. Although picking it up, it weighs no more than a Cr-moly frameset. He also claimed if it has a "Thun" crankset, run away and not buy it, as it required a special tool to extract.
This isn't true, as I was able to pull the crankarms off with a standard Park extractor, and the BB came off with standard cup tools too.
Hmmm.

It has Shimano 105 brakes, Light Action aluminum rear derailleur, a Shimano twist tooth 6 spd corncob, and SIS DT shift levers. It has Miche Touring hubs which still spin smooth, a testament to the white grease found in Italian hubs. ;) Our water-based degreaser just won't break it down. The front wheel appears to be original with a 'Benotto' HR22 rim.
But the rear has stainless steel 14G spokes and a Mavic 2 rim....maybe rebuilt at some point.
The only odd thing I noticed is that the rear Miche hub has a big gaping space between the freewheel and hub flange (see pic).
The BB cups are Italian-threaded, and Japanese-made.

Does anyone know anything about this model? Is it true it's made from Hi-ten steel? The 3 main frame tubes' mid section are oval. And the seat tube is 26.4mm at the post.
The top tube is 56cm, and I may be able to ride it. But for now, not certain of its future.
Has anyone ever owned one?


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Someone has a tendancy for hyperbole! I'm pretty sure that I haven't been on the forum for even a single decade and that post was only 15 months ago, not decades. I never said that Thun crankarms require a special tool for extraction. They use a standard extractor, as you have found out. What I stated was that the Thun (Germany) bottom bracket requires special tools. You don't have this bottom bracket. Yours has "Japanese-made" cups. It appears that Benotto spec'd a different bottom bracket or requested Thun to supply a different bottom bracket, probably due to original concerns with the standard/traditional Thun bottom bracket.

While I did say that I would walk away (not run away) from a Benotto Triathlon with a Thun crankset, that is on the premise that it a Thun crankset (i.e. crankarms plus bottom bracket) and not just Thun crankarms, as on your model.

As for the tubing, it is hi-tensile steel, at least according to the Benotto literature of the period. A 26.4mm post is not outside the range of a lightweight hi-tensile steel for the period. Furthermore, if they had used CrMo or some other higher grade alloy it would be atypical for the marketers not to insist on a tubing decal to proclaim the fact.

Looks like a nice bike. I, personally, have no truck with hi ten frames. The ones I've ridden provide a very nice, if somewhat heavy ride.

i found one of these at my local coop... just a rolling frame set with chrome forks... upon further inspection, it had dimpled paint at the lugs, looks like somebody took it off to many jumps... oh well.. original wheels too

T-Mar, thanks for posting and clarifying about the specifics of the Thun crankset. You're an invaluable resource to this forum. I apologize if you took offense, it wasn't intentional. I did a quick google search for info on this model and glanced over one of the results. It was your response I referenced, and was formatted differently and I must have picked up your member since: 2004 date somehow as the posting date. Hence the decade old, and the rest was me paraphrasing.

When I was able to remove the crankset, there was a contradiction to the info I found. That's why I wanted to dig further. I guess I'm fortunate Benotto sourced a conventional BB for 88.
For a brand with such history, and a model that's been offered for several years, there is surprisingly little
to be found about it. Would love some feedback on this hi-ten steel race frame's ride characteristics.


here are a few shots of the BB. Perhaps it's a replacement instead of a factory original. It has a 120mm asymmetric spindle, and an unusual pin patterned adjustable cup.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8261/8...e33bcc3a_o.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8391/8...abd57077_h.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8523/8...8c65a4b7_h.jpg

Yes, it could be a replacement too.