Drillium Dude 

Those look similar to the slotted DOs that Richard Sachs was doing around 1979. Of course, his were Campy and I assume he slotted them himself. Cool. And that Confente number 12 - stunning. Thanks for the link; never seen a more beautiful yet understated Confente. If I ever had the money and the opportunity, that would be the one I'd go for.

DD

Drillium Dude 

Stem bolt problem is sorted. @qcpmsame has a spare bolt-only, which I think is the best way to go. Didn't really want to cannibalize a stem if it could have been avoided.

Many, many thanks Bill

DD

velomateo

A Medici Pro-Strada was my first road bike, purchased used in 1988, in San Diego. It had a Campagnolo G.S. group with 980 rear mech. Mine had over the BB cable routing, like yours, and didn't have a Columbus decal either - or show evidence of one ever being there. I was told then (by someone) that mine was a Tange frame, not sure which tube set though. It also had the cutouts in the lugs. Joe Bell did a beautiful re spray on it, from blue to a glossy black with white in the cutouts and the star decal set.

It was replaced by another Pro-Strada, in silver with SLX tube set, purchased new from Adam's Avenue. This frame was considerably stiffer and wasn't prone to "auto-shift" during sprints, like the previous frame was. I've had several SL frames that weren't whippy, so it leads me to believe that maybe the first Medici was a Tange frame.

Drillium Dude 

Interesting about the Tange tubing. I have a Bicycle Guide somewhere that features a modern Medici Pro-Strada filet-brazed with Tange tubing, but that issue is from 1996. The 1979 brochure states Columbus SL/SP tubing exclusively, and my fork has helical reinforcement in the fork steerer, so I'm 99% sure it's Columbus.

So, it was Tange, over the top BB guides and cutouts in all three lugs? Hmmm...I wonder if whomever it was that suggested Tange was blue-skying. Your details seem to point to an early frame, built with Columbus tubing.

I can't really recall much about the handling feel of my previous frame, which was SL. I'll have to dig up that thread and see if I recorded my impressions.

DD

velomateo

Honestly, about the Tange, I can't be sure. I don't even remember who told me, but for some reason I feel like I heard it when I brought it in for paint. I was new to cycling then and didn't know to check the steer tube. If you have a sales brochure that states Columbus, it's probably correct.

I have some old pics, I could post later, if you would like to compare details.

qcpmsame 

Interesting conversation regarding the serial numbers and year of build for Medici. Food for thought there, I can see why we would look into it, but my Medici is just exactly what it is to me, a very special connection to the man that gifted it to me, nothing more, nothing less.

smontonaro the link I used was from the links page of Velo-Retro, it took me to an older registry spread sheet. I used your provided link to edit my entry as I made some mistakes on it. I changed the year of build to an open question, from 1978, as I had believed it was based on an old thread about DD obtaining it.

Y'all mention the various head tube decal arrangements above, Jeff, if mine has a shield border around the lion these tired old eyes do not pick it up at all. I understand about the WC arc flash above the lion and this is the only clue that would make me think its after 1979. However, it is only an exercise in detective work to me, fun but not really an impact on how I feel about the bike. Btw, as Jeff knows, my Pro Strada has the small "Confente" cable guides along its top tube.

Classtime 

What is up with the cable guides? Did Campagnolo make two sizes of housing? I convinced myself that my guides had corroded and that was why they were tight. I filed the paint off (which was a mistake) but it didn't help. I'm commuting on mine lately with 25mm Sprinter Gatorskins. There is room all around for 28s but not 30s. Have fun with that bike. Mine's done some pretty serious gravel/single track. Best on the road with a group going fast.

qcpmsame 

Apparently Mario Confente preferred using a smaller, more elegant cable guide for his work on Masi, Medici and Confente bikes. I read in the recent RBA article about the blue Confente The Pro's Closet has on display, that he would have a customer for the Confente send a rear brake cable housing when they placed their order, then return the frame with the housing run in the guides. I have no means of corroborating this, but my guides are smaller and require the special diameter housing.

I hope that @repechage sees this thread, he has been most helpful to me.

Drillium Dude 

The outline around the lion is difficult to see because it's black against that dark green - I wouldn't be surprised if it's near-invisible unless in bright, direct sunlight

I'm interested in the details mainly because I actually have documentation that sets the date of sale of this frame/fork/decal example. Knowing these things help to date yours that bit better, but yeah - I know your priorities are different when it comes to the bike and your use/appreciation of same.

Just got the note on my email about the bolt going into the mail today - thank you! I should be able to complete the build by the end of the week at this rate.

DD

Drillium Dude 

Cool, glad you still have pics. Feel free to post them here

DD

Drillium Dude 

My understanding is they are the guides he used on his own frames. The Medici lugset was also derived from a lugset designed by Mario, but the result was much more raw and lunky looking, IMHO. They are not thinned in the slightest; in fact, while this looks nice at 3 feet, if you get close up you can see that there was not a lot of finish work put into these frames. That's okay - you don't need thinned lugs to win a race - but in 1979 you could get a Colnago Super for $339 from Bikecology, so there's a decent comparison, and we know from the documents that this was a $400 frameset.

What I don't have a clue about is why he made the guides with a smaller diameter than the gold-standard Campy housings. Heck, even CLB alloy housings will not fit. What housing did he design them to be used with?

It seems that the best-fitting housing is modern stuff like Jagwire, which of course wasn't even around back then. Makes sourcing vintage cable housing for these guides tough. I'm trying to find some, hopefully in yellow, but failing that I will just spend the coin on a Jagwire set and be done with it.

DD

velomateo

Unfortunately not a lot of details visable in these pics. The b/w pic's probably the same day I purchased it, short stem and nose-up saddle. Fluffy haired guy is me with the bike after paint from Joe Bell. Silver SLX Pro-Strada, I wouldn't mind finding that one again some day.

Drillium Dude 

Hmmm - looks like I'm seeing three different bikes!

First one is when you go it in 1988, right? Yes, a little difficult to make out details, but I do see three guides on the top tube which could be the early Mario-designed type. I note the decals seem to be somewhat later as they have the World's bands vice the stars. Looks like the fork is fully-chromed but the stays are painted?

Second one is after the repaint, so of course the decals could have been any he had or could get, which explains the lion without shield on the head tube. I note the stays are painted in that pic, too.

The third pic has me confused. I'm seeing a chromed fork and rear triangle and what appear to be later decals, plus the internally-routed brake cable. That doesn't look like either of the first two. Was it repainted/modded a third time?

I had to do a double take on pic #2 - I thought that was JFK Jr.

DD

Drillium Dude 

Since we covered a lot of details about the Medici saga in my old thread from 2013, I figured I'd cross-reference it here. Might be some answers to some questions that have come up on this thread.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...i-content.html

DD

Wildwood 

I sent an email to that Craigs listing, asking if he would sell the 'extra components' not on the bike separately. He said, 'No, they go with the bike". So I asked if he would part it out and offered generously (I thought) for the original group, to which he replied, "No way".


DD, you just have a magic way with people?
....or a bigger budget...

velomateo

@DD, there ware two different frames. The last pic, with chrome rear triangle, was the SLX frame that replaced the first.
Haha JFK Jr. I haven't heard that one before.

qcpmsame 

@velomateo, very nice pair of bikes in your pics, you have excellent taste. The silver is a color I haven't seen up until now. JFK jr, hmmm, I was thinking the same thing myself. Nice Do you have there.

DD, I have I have some of the smaller diameter yellow cable housing if you need that, I can send a second parcel with it will help you out. Its in good shape and should be enough to do your acquisition.

I do fully understand your interest in establishing the dates, having the original paperwork for both the frame and group is a big plus for your goals and desires. I am trying to get some information from Tommasini that gives a date pinpoint for it. @repechage and some of the other learned honorable elders feel its an 86-87 model. I completely trust these guys, but like you I would like the hard down information. At least these Medici have full serial numbers, say what you will. The Tommasini serial numbers seem to range from non-existant to indecipherable, and all point in between. Ms. Barbra has answered one query I sent through their system for questions, and I have sent in new pictures with the details she asked to be included, last weekend.

I guess that knowing the correct date is responsible, but it won't be a factor in gathering more components towards a year correct date code bike, in my case. I was very pleased with how it ride in Boston's environs, its wheels are due back here by Thursday, via UPS. That is part of a long sordid story I just don't need to re-live please, let's just say that our son has gotten them properly boxed, protected, shipped and insured. Good man there, even if I am biased

I had built new wheels after the original ~ofmega hubs went south, and I scored a nice pair of NR low flanges. They are holding up first class to date, 36h, laced up 3X, DB stainless spokes, brass nipples and my usual GP4 Mavic rims. I'll leave the tub choice out, I was informed that they are low class and no respectable rider should use them. I feel cheap and used now..... and man is it fun

That red paint just looks right on your bike, and the Zeus components look as nice as I remember them, a club mate had that group put aside for a one off build, back in the early 80s, sadly it never happened AFAIK. About the tires, I went to 700x25 a few months back, our roads just eat up 23s and beat me to death. Low pressures dealt me flats, and normal 23 pressures were harsh as all get out.

Sorry for the hijack, lots of questions here and in our emails to answer, phew---------

Drillium Dude 

Nah, no magic going on here. I didn't want to part it out, per se, but did want to return it to original, and of course I wasn't interested in the weird bar/stem combo, the modern brakes or the forward-raked seatpost. My spiel was: give me a price without the new stuff and I'd remove it and return them. That way, he didn't have to pay a shop to make the bike original again. He said $650 and that was okay with me.

I think if he'd been like us and did a lot of his own work, he might have been more flexible, but he had shops do the wrenching as he said himself he wasn't mechanically inclined, especially when it came to moving mechanical things.

DD

Drillium Dude 

Ah, I see. I was confused because you referenced a silver SLX frame and the third pic seemed to be wearing either black or anthracite paint.

I think those Medicis with the fully-chromed fork and rear triangle were the best-looking bikes of the bunch. Particularly cool is the fact that chrome on the stays went all the way up and included the the seatstay caps. It appears the chrome on the chainstays went right up to the BB shell, too. The only thing sexier would've been the addition of chromed head lugs.

This is the hottest color/chrome combo in my opinion:



DD

francophile 

DD are you lacking anything else to make this "complete"?

velomateo

Yeah, the extra chrome was nice, and the fork was a little racier too. I regularly search for Medicis here. Recently there was a very nice purple one with Campy SR and monoplane brakes. It sat on CL for a long time. I would have bought it, if it had fit me, because it was only $500. That's cheep for the SoCal market, even for a brand that doesn't command the respect it deserves.

Drillium Dude 

It appears not at this point. I just got back from my LBS with gear cables and brake cable inners. Bill looks like he can hook me up with the smaller-diameter brake housing, so that's pretty much it.

I wish I hadn't wasted the two rolls of Newbaum's black cloth tape during my experimentation on the bare-metal Colnago Super project. I'd not have to make a trip to downtown Seattle to pick it up! Oh, well.

I appreciate the offer to assist - thanks

DD

Drillium Dude 

Bill, I can surely use the yellow cabling! If it's long enough, I'll put it in service. I bought brand-new Jagwire housing today (black) which will work, but damn, that yellow would add just the right amount of highlight.

If you'd like, once I know the yellow will be long enough, I could send you this new stuff so you can have some spare housing just in case you might want to change it up in the future. Let me know and it's yours.

It's rather funny I and most others commenting here have been defaulting to the details regarding the frame and not discussing the gruppo much. My first true racing bike was an Olmo Nuovo Super Sport and it came equipped with this exact same gruppo. I loved that bike and I remembered the components all worked very well, particularly the drivetrain.

It's good-looking stuff, too (with the exception of the brake levers - they look mighty clunky to me). The finish, I would say, isn't exactly on a par with Campy, but it gets close, and the factory drillium is pretty cool

The drivetrain is smooth and shifting is a dream, well, on the workstand it is. Can't see why that won't translate to the road. I don't remember the braking performance, but we'll soon see about that.

I'm hoping I have this pretty much together by the weekend. Just holding off on the bar tape (have to pick up tomorrow) and cabling up the brakes - can't do that until the stem is locked in, of course

DD

francophile 

No worries, I've helped and been helped by my fair share of fellow BF'ers, figured I'd toss out the offer.

Recently swapped an '88 Fuji for a mostly complete early 80s Zeus frame that I'm shocked anyone was riding.
Repaint, deep TT dents, seat stays both mangled but sporting a mostly complete Zeus 2000 group in similar shape to yours, only lacking a rear caliper, hubs, one shift lever screw, two pedal dust caps - 26.8 seat post, bars, panto'd stem are unusually nice. Not sure what was up with the fwd-mounted cheapy chinese no-name rear caliper and mix of iL/Sansin hubs tied to 27" 70s steel wheels, but I wasn't judging.

No clue what the hell to do with it all, either but your post seemed to cosmically perfect, like it was meant to be.

I need some early 80s Campy NR/SR stuff, if you don't need anything off this, I'll probably post as WTT in the sales forum.

Drillium Dude 

For those interested, here are some shots from the 1979 brochure.

I'm assuming the dudes in the photos were part of the Carlsbad Masi operation before moving over to Medici. @repechage - can you ID anyone?











DD