erbfarm

My friend has a Gios Torino Super Record from 1979 probably. He just picked it up recently, it had been refurbished in the early 90's. It has a campy sealed bottom bracket on it that was probably put on in the mid to late 90's. My friend said the bottom bracket is in good shape and isn't making noise, should he replace the bb or can he still ride it? The Campys are expensive. The other thing is the chain. He wants to upgrade it with master locks, but bent some of the links trying to take it off the bike with a chain tool. What type type of chain should he get as a replacement? He has an original Campy freewheel. He says it's got either 5 or 6 cogs on the free wheel. The handlebars are bent so will need to be replaced. He wants to keep the original handlebar stem. Any suggestions for bars? Thanks for the info everyone!

Maria

Chombi

If the sealed cartridge bearing BB is still spinning smoothly, without and play or noise....just keep using it. The sealed cartridge bearings are non-serviceable anyway. You basically replace them when they start to feel bad/loose.
Bent handlebars??...better check the whole frame for any misalignment very closely, especially the condition of the front fork, top and down tubes.
If the bent bars were a result of a crash, other things on the bike might have been bent too....

cyclotoine

HI Maria,

Look for the same handlebar on ebay. THe brands and model should be on the bars. Classic Cinelli would be appropriate but must be paired with a cinelli stem for the correct diameter. There is no reason to change the bottom bracket if it is functioning well. It sounds like your friend is not experiences with bicycle chains and has damaged the chain so I would recommend he have someone else install a new one. I would replace it with any 6/7/8 speed chain from KMC, sram or shimano. I prefer shimano chains, but he may prefer sram as they come with a master link. Master links generally should not be open and closed repeatedly. Why does your friend wish to have one?

erbfarm

Thanks for the info! My friend is trying to keep everything intact as much as possible (he likes to restore things). I was just curious to know if the campy freewheel had special spacing and required a special chain. If any 6/7/8/ chain will do, that would be great. He thought it would be easier to maintain a chain with a master link so that's why he's putting one on (in case he has to take the chain off again in the future).

eschlwc

i use sram pc-830 chains from ebay ($12) on all my bikes. after a couple weeks of heavy use, i use 'white lightning clean ride' wax on the chain about every week.

Big Block

Maria,
what stem is on the bike now?
my 1984 Gios Torino has 3TTT stem and handlebar

cyclotoine

Sounds like he did not use a proper chain tool on his original chain. It is possible to push the pins through so they are just hanging in one outer plate and remove the chain and later re-install using the same pin on older chains of this era. So the master link is not necessary. In any case, yes all 6/7/9 speed chains are of similar width and should work okay with his freewheel. If he actually has a campagnolo freewheel he may want to consider not using it as it is very valuable however I suspect the hub is campagnolo and the freewheel is something else. If the bike was refurbished to include an indexed shifting system than he may need a specific chain. Photos would help.

JohnDThompson 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The SRAM PC830 7-8 Speed Chain will work well. The Campagnolo freewheel has aluminum cogs, which wear much faster than steel ones; this may create a problem with the new chain. Replacement cogs are not readily available, and tend to be expensive when they do show up. A replacement freewheel would be in order if he has problems after replacing the chain. Used Campy freewheels still go for considerable $$$, so he may be able to recoup some of his expenses by selling it. Do be aware that the Campagnolo freewheel uses a unique remover with helical prongs:



What brand is the stem?

jiangshi

If he is using a modern, sealed Campagnolo BB, it may not be the proper length for a classic Campagnolo crankset.

If that is what he is doing. Impossible to tell from the lack of concrete information given.

erbfarm

He has the original Campy crankset on the bike but he's going to take some pics tonight so everyone an see the brand of the stem, the freewheel, the cranks, and the chain. Thanks everyone for all the help.

erbfarm

Hi again everyone,

Here's a link to Tony's bike photos https://imgur.com/a/1idQG

He wants to know
1) he's got a bent link on the chain (bent while trying to get the chain off). Should he replace the chain? And would a SRAM 6,7,8 spd work? he's got a 6 speed freewheel, Sunrace is the make. There are Campy hubs on the wheels. Do you think the Sunrace freewheel is original to the bike?

2) The handlebars were bent in a crash. The stem looks fine, it's got Campione del mondo on it. Would a Cinelli bar fit the stem?

3) Any other tips? He wants to retain the integrity of the model without spending much money if possible. He got the bike for free from a friend!!

cyclotoine

1)Yes to using Sram, no to being original.
2) Yes it is a cinelli stem and should say so on the top. THe bars are cinelli campione del mondo and he can ONLY use vintage 26.4mm cinelli bars in that stem.
3) the front derailleur, cranks and bottom bracket are all replacements. does it have the original fork? Those headset spacers make me suspect it is not. The "integrity" of the bike as a vintage piece is more or less out the window with all the changes. I would suggest he simply use what works, respect it can keep the frame from rusting (clean and wax it) and ride it. The chain is also not original.

Ex Pres 

The bottom bracket is an A-CH model. Not as expensive as a Record/Chorus one. But no need to replace it, just keep this as reference.

Not a Campy freewheel. The SunRace is just a generic fairly inexpensive replacement, but he may need to buy a new one if the new chain skips on it.

erbfarm

Thanks! How can you tell if the fork is original? What should Tony look for on the fork to tell if it is?

cyclotoine

it will be blue and should have either a flat crown with GIOS coins inset or have an embossed Gt logo. A picture would allow us to tell immediately.

JohnDThompson 

It looks like a track stem, which wouldn't have been original to the bike:



Unless he likes the extra drop that stem offers, he may want to replace both the bars and the stem; this would give him more options to choose from as well. Good news is that those track stems are quite attractive to the fixed-gear crowd.

onespeedbiker

Since the Bottom Bracket is A-CH model, they are made to fit the lower models, Xenon/Mirage/Veloce/Daytona/Centaur. The Chorus and Record have a different chainline, so you limited to an A-CH or A-CS Bottom Bracket. BTW your crankset looks to be a 2000-2003 Daytona/Centaur 2000-2003 and the Veloce front derailleur is probably from the same period.

Pars 

^ The Campy Centaur BB will also work to replace the A-CH or A-CS, and are a better BB with 3 bearings instead of 2.

https://www.excelsports.com/main.asp?...ajor=1&minor=6

Italian thread for the Gios. You can sometimes find good deals on these (ebay, etc.) I saw that wiggle had them for ~$60, but English thread only (in the 111 mm that you are looking for).