I picked this up a few weeks ago......my size - 60 cm. Geometry is "race" but is of the era, maybe(?) built to fit its first owner and a bit relaxed compared to even a decade later. See BBM's red
racer - mid 80s, I believe. I tried linking his post but search function is ditsy today. Anyway, his bike appears more severe in geometry.

Been meaning to show more but this is all I have so far.

Overall condition is quite nice. No dents, few scrapes, perfect alignment all around. Good chrome. Paint is a bit faded but still strong and bright metallic..............tangerine?

A telephone call to Palo Alto Bikes connected me with a sales fellow who kindly looked back as far a 1977-78 catalogue without finding it. He thinks it precedes that. I'm expecting more
info from them shortly. We'll see.

It was identified by a previous owner as "early 70s" but that seems too far back, given the braze-on cable guides on top of BB and the presence of braze-on top tube cable guides. The
decals are a clear indicator of era difference with later bikes but it's hard to pinpoint the year of change in that regard.

I'm building the frame up and will follow with more pics as that develops.

Cheers,

Julian

Sorry I drove the bidding up on that....

Lewis, I bought it on second go-round. To my knowledge, it first came up publicly as fully-outfitted bike in mid-Feb. I missed that one, seeing it only as a completed sale.
It sold, was stripped and parceled out by one of my favorite sellers a few weeks later. I bought frame and fork in second listing.

It's gonna be a cool rider.

J

Very Pretty.

Really nice J.

Scott

I cannot tell you how your frame's ride quality would compare to mine - They're different sizes, probably different geometry, and most likely built in different decades.

I can tell you that of my four main bikes in rotation (De Rosa, Pogliaghi, Cinelli being the other three), it continues to be my favorite and the one I grab first.

Could just be because of the color, though.

i like it very much. it'll be great to see it when fully built up.

I'd think with the short dropouts, bb braze-ons and Columbus logo in seat stays it was later than mid-70s, not earlier.

Yeah, that was also my impression. I guessed post-1979 but that doesn't appear to be the case. Time will tell more about that. I'm pretty sure the info is out there.
As I pointed out, a recent owner who is from California declared it an early '70. That's even more hard to take at face value.

Palo Alto Bikes is being nice with their help. I was told that their Technical manager had just picked up an early PA steel frame. He's the one who'll help me further.

J

BBM, yours is a sweet looking bike. Modern running gear and such, as I recall. I've followed your posts about it, and had your praise for the bike in mind as I went after mine.

My recent rotation consists of the Moser, the Raleigh Pro and the one most regular is the Peckham, just a fabulous bike.

I'll set my Palo Alto up with bits from the same period as the frame. Maybe Campy NR, maybe Suntour Superbe. Soon.......

Thanks,

Julian

Looks nice!!

The '76 Palo Alto catalog does not offer any bikes for sale, so maybe later than '76?

The manager that you talked to came and bought my 61cm PaloAlto touring model back in December, after I listed it on Ebay.

He lucked out and got the whole bike with TA cranks and Superbe parts for 500, and it's a clean one, just too big for me.

These were made by BMZ (Biemmazeta) in Italy. The paint is Imron, which is particularly durable.

I have seen one other PaloAlto in that same color, a friend sold it last year, size 56 iir. Yours might even be that bike, as the sale was in California.

That's very interesting, vjp. Thanks. I'm going to call mine a '77, then, until better info comes along.

J

Boy, it's a small (C&V) world. And full of cool and useful bicycle information.

J

Really beautiful frame. I like the metallic tangerine, as you call it. Anyone have any more info on Biemmezeta, such as what other brands they may have built?

Btw, do you have a photo of the complete frame/fork?

The one I sold to one of Palo Alto's managers:

BMZ also built under their own name, and for Performance Bikes. I have had two (regretfully neither my size) one from Palo Alto Bikes and the other a Performance. Both were very finely crafted.

Thanks, Randy, I'll get some more pics up in a day or so.

And, thanks to all other kind posters.

J

I doubt that the GPM version of "shorty" dropouts were on the scene much earlier (and probably later) than the Campys, and genrerally those were considered to be "introduced" in '78...some big hitters may have been able to get some a year or so earlier. I bet it's no earlier than '77, very possible a tiny bit later, but...what rear spacing: 120 or 126?
Great color, BTW!

Good to know. Thanks.

The rear spacing is 126.

J

I bet it clocks in right around 1980. Last summer I sold an 83/84 model, same color as yours. All the construction details are identical. The only difference is the style of the decals.

I'm surprised you found anyone at Palo Alto Bicycle Shop
who knew what you were talking about.

My last trip to Palo Alto to buy a Woodrup, I stopped into
the shop while i wated for traffic to clear in the homeward
direction.

There was a kid who knew about the catalogs.

Steel is kinda an exotic frame material for the current
crop of employees.

https://www.paloaltobicycles.com/abou...ived-catalogs/

is a link to the catalog "archives", which has only cover photos
for various years. It appears, at least, that they have these catalogs.
Just no one to scan and put them up on the interwebz.

Here is 1976 catalog online.

[QUOTE=thinktubes;14080240]I bet it clocks in right around 1980. Last summer I sold an 83/84 model, same color as yours. All the construction details are identical. The only difference is the style of the decals.




Beauty.

I think the color on that bike is more on the red side; mine is a slightly faded orange. I see also some slight differences in the lug shape and cutouts.

Somewhere along the way I deduced that the different decals were indicators of time rather than model. Right or wrong, I don't know. Can anyone shed some light on the decal significance? When was the point of change?

Thanks.

J

I know you have always liked the Palo Alto, but sometimes it sounds like the De Rosa Primato is winning the battle for your affections.

https://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in...54145-p-2.html

"Looking at this month's logs, I have 14 rides totaling 325 miles but only 13,828' of climbing. 3 rides on the Palo Alto, 1 on the Pogliaghi, 1 on the Cinelli, everything else on the De Rosa. Didn't even realize it until I looked just now. Oh - and I'm on vacation for a week in the Eastern Sierra. Take a guess what bike came along on the trip...... go ahead, throw a dart. "

Probably correct about the decal style indicating (approximate) year, but there are only 3 catalogs from PA on VeloBase, and these graphics don't seem to be in use either in the '84 catalog nor the '78-'80 catalogs. Those earlier frames look to be much more in the "Tom Ritchey" style and might even still be his hand-work, the "touring" model also came with 531 tubing. I would tend to agree with thinktubes that yours might be just a tick earlier than his '83/'84, but as you say the details are not "identical": not only the lug cutouts but also the chainstay bridge...otherwise, pretty dang close!