A present from my lovely wife. I've switched up most of the parts because it was outfitted with parts from a low-end Bianchi. Not sure at all of the model - I thought it was a Gentleman Z but haven't found any with eyelets for fenders like this one. Even though this is just a mid range model (Columbus Zeta tubing) it rides beautifully and there's lots of nice attention to detail on the frame. Hope you like it!

NICE!!!!!

Fun for sure.

One more:

Pretty bike!

You are married to a good woman. My wife doesn't complain about any of my bike craziness, but she has never bought me one.

What's not to like

Beautiful with the chromed fork crown!

Very nice devin!

We just don't see enough Olmo's here. My guess is they didn't export that many to the US.

Enjoy the ride!

That's the truth indeed. We'll be celebrating our 25th anniversary in June, and everyone thought it was a mistake when we married at 19. You just need to drop some hints to your wife - I showed mine what the Columbus and Reynolds logos look like so she knows what to look out for.

That's what I appreciate - manufacturers that don't spare all the niceties for their top models only.

I think that's true, I've seen a few here in Toronto though, so maybe they had a different relationship with Canada. Interestingly Olmo is still in business in Italy and making some pretty cool bikes!

I've never seen these brakes before.....what are they?

French - CLB Professionals. In their day they were at least in the top 3 for lightest, not that it matters on this frame. They work amazingly well with Koolstop salmons.

Doh! I forgot you were in Canada.. You look so American!

I guess it's going to be a couple of months before you get to ride her any distance. If it's cold here, it must be freezing by you!

Great looking bike!

A lovely Olmo indeed...CLB brakes and retrofriction Simplex (I think from the pic) levers? Nice! How about some drivetrain detail pics?

Well I'm half-Chinese and I was born in Florida, so maybe that's why I look American! It's pretty frosty here. I ride all the way through though, even through the ice storm last year.


Thanks Bianchigirll!

Thanks - your right about the retrofrictions. I have to run off to coach swimming now, but I'll try to post some pics later! It's a bit of a frankenbike, I'm afraid.

Very nice Olmo and I like the bottle, nice touch. What do you think about the ride? Personally, I think the Olmo's have a ride very similar to a Colnago of similar vintage.

I know various couples who have celebrated golden anniversaries after getting married at 19 or so. Congrats!

Fabulous looking bike!

Thanks Gary, The bottle's a bit of a cheat, it's a plain white NOS bottle I had, and I just bought two Olmo headbadges online and then applied them to either side of the bottle. The bike has a lovely ride, very springy and lively, I wish I could compare it to a Colnago but sadly I've never ridden one so I can't. It feels very "Italian" to me, anyway, whatever that means.

Thanks John! Golden is 50, right? Now that is impressive. To be happily married after 50 years together is something to be proud of, and getting rarer I imagine.

I like it very much!

The CLB brakes are neat; I had a similar pair on a Norco frankenbike I picked up some time ago in Montréal from a guy who refurb'd it (adding those and other bits).

I believe I saw on another thread that you've moved up size-wise due to back problems and the desirability - or, indeed, necessity - of a relatively minimal saddle-to-bar drop (though my memory does sometimes mislead me on me these matters). In any case, this example would seem to show us to be in the same size range for frames, and I will admit that a bike one's size often puts an extra sparkle in the eye.

This one is very nice, indeed. Great paint and details, and it looks as though a fairly tight wheelbase and steep-ish(?) head angle, so pleasantly agile and responsive to ride I'd imagine - even if not a tip-top-of-the-line offering.

The personal touch that lingers with such a thoughtful gift should keep the wind at your back!

The bike is great, but you're wife's the real winner in this thread - she's a keeper

DD

Thanks mikemowbz! The Olmo does have pretty tight geometry. Strange combination with the fender eyelets, but who knows? This frame's seat-tube is 61cm c-t-c, which is quite a step up considering most of my frames are 54cm. I have to say it was nice to be able to get off of this bike and stand up without having to lean on the bike and then slowly groan and stretch myself upright. That's arthritis for ya. I think I could still ride a smaller frame for short distances but not for long trips like the Toronto - Niagara Falls rides I like to take, that's where this one will come in handy. I'm also experimenting with riser stems like Salsa's and their ilk to work with a smaller frame.

Ain't that the truth. As much as I enjoy messing around with these old bikes I never forget for a moment that the people you love are all that matter, the rest is just dust in the wind.

Congratulations! You must be happy with your wife. As proud owner of Olmo myself, I can attest to what you are saying about ride quality. Olmos are very comfortable, springy and lively, and descend like on rails.

Don't be. It's pretty much perfect as far as I'm concerned. A discerning rider who's not into the gruppo thing might have chosen that exact configuration. The Simplex rétrofrictions, CLB brakes and leather saddles are on my permanent shopping list for when I visit swap meets and the like. As are frames like that in that size, BTW.

Come to think of it, that bike could have been something I'd have built and I'd be mighty pleased with it.

Congrats on the wife and the bike!

Thanks for the kind words, non-fixie. Come to think of it I've never actually owned a bike with a complete gruppo, that might be fun in its own way. Also never attended a swap meet, I wish there was one in Toronto!

Beautiful bike!! The colors really pop.

devinfan-

Great brakes, those CLBs. The missing adjuster O ring can be replaced with standard plumbing O rings from Canadian Tire. Worked on mine. Really interesting to see an Italian frame with French components.