There is a Cambio Rino about an hour from my home. Sale ends tonight.

I have looked at the photos on the website and either they were taken by a moron or they gloss over at least one serious issue.

per ad copy :

"Cambio Rino bike with 20 inch tires. 35 inch seat height. Palisade Answer cycling shoes size 11 to 12. Note: Tires flat and seller will put peddles on prior to pickup"

Pros:
It's not 20 inch tires and not 25 inch either inspite of the note shown. I guess from the look they are 27 inch not 700C which might confuse other bidders.
Frame is between 23 and 25 inches
Rims are presta not schrader
The RD, FD, QR's, seat and seatpost are all marked Rino
Looks like a very tight racing freewheel which usually suggests a better quality frame
Looks like adjustable rear dropouts again suggesting a better quality frame
I note Campagnolo shifter housing which costs more than generic housing (but to be fair could have been lying around the house and used here)
Seat stays embossed with Rino
Speedy Modolo brakes
Primus air pump


Cons (Sigh):

I can't blow up the photos.
There is no quality shot that shows the shifters ( I think they match the Rino shifters I have in front of me but don't know for sure)
There is no quality shot that shows the brake levers
There is no quality shot that shows the bars, nor the stem
The Primus pump and the weird old Cateye suggest an old and tired bike (not upgraded in a long, long time)
The forks don't look right in the 1st photo and in the full shot, they look possibly to be bent
If the seatstays are embossed with Rino, I would expect the front forks to have that as well but again no detailed photos of the forks
It looks like a hole in the chainstay with some wire in it ???
The inside of the FD looks rusty

The seat might clean up but I doubt any value to the Cateye. The shoes probably are a bit too small so would keep the cleats and pass on.

I emailed the auction company asking for photos though I don't expect any updating to occur.

I emailed Randy JAWA and he wasn't comfortable enough with the photos to approve it either






Based on the lack of detail on the front I am backing away from this anyway.

Could you give me any idea what you think?

Looks like a real gamble. Seatpost could be seized, the pedal threads in the last pic in your post don't look very good either.... probably why there are no pedals on the bike. I would only buy this if it was really cheap. Without being able to see better pictures I don't know what to make of the fork either, it might have been ridden into the back of a car but without feeling the top tube and down tube it's hard to say; can't see any wrinkles in these tiny pics.

Are you looking for a collectible or a rider? As a collectible, I simply don't know enough. I think the brake levers are Modolo but don't know what model. The calipers are not recognizable, but they do have wheel guides which was a premium feature. The rear mech is not a major house unless Rino had it "house branded," but quality is still a question mark. Operability might be fine. The derailleur design is an offset parallellogram that does not seem to be slanted. I would not expect shifting better than Campy (old) Record, but ... whatever, as a rider it's easily upgraded. Shifters look like campy, I'd expect a decent copy.

I don't see any sign of a bent fork. Are we just raising issues because we can, or does somebody see something?

There was a lot of good frame tubing that was not Columbus, Reynolds, Ishiwata, or Tange. If it was mixed brand the frame might not have even been marked. Even if it was not DB it might be a straight and well-riding frame.

As a rider it might be a decent starting point piece of local history.

I'm kind of amazed at the overall negative reaction. People have shown much less "perky" bikes here in the past.

A bit of Cambio Rino history for those not familiar.

I can't figure out that black 'hole' thingy is on the chainstay. Looks like a hole with baling wire in it.

And a gigantic red flag! Were it me, I would definitely pass on the purchase. I have owned several Cambio Rino bicycles, and not one has had such a hole in the chain stay.

OP,
Wheels appear to match so unless the front wheel is out of whack perhaps no front end damage... where are the numbers for the auction at now, what would you be comfortable paying if there was slight damage? Not sure that there is a hole in the stay either.
One last thing you could drive out and have a look and if all is fine place your bid just before it closes and drive home with the bike...I assume you would have to pick it up anyway.
The only way to tell for certain is to have a look.
Best, Ben

Sorry to all for not adding that this online auction doesn't have a viewing time (if it did it is long past).
​​​​​​
I didn't like the angle of the photo s and lack of front end details.

Lastly, I have aal chest infection now so would have to be a serious sale for me to drive anywhere
​​​​
Was thinking max $175 for the record

Too much risk for what you'll get. Sure they were a nice boutique marque with extra mojo for their own components but the devil's in the details and they aren't present.

Last night I emailed the auctionner and asked for better photos.


Got a reply from the websuite

"Jun 15, 14:30 EDT

Hello,

Thank you for your request.

Unfortunately, we only have one-time access to the premises and do not have more information other than what is present in the catalog and pictures. Please note that the description takes precedence over photographs.

However, we can try to find out more information by contacting the seller and cataloger, and if we do, we will update the lot description directly on the catalog. Regardless of whether or not we can get an answer to your question, we will use it to improve training and reduce cataloging gaps in the future.

We recommend bidding with caution, and we are sorry for any inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding.

Regards,

Maxsold Support"

I think I am out

On that chain stay, it looks to me more like reflective foil wrap that has crinkled with age and is starting to peel off. The 'hole' seems to be just part if it where the chrome backing has fallen off the surface plastic. But of course I'd want to see the bike in the flesh to make sure.

WGB-

History now but the shift levers are Rino Chronos to match the derailleurs. Brake levers are legit - they and the calipers look like Modolo Speedys. Bar and stem are Cycloman. Frame and fork look ok, it's probably camera angle on the forks. The frame will typically be either Columbus Zeta or SL in that period. An acquaintance had one of the SL framesets with full Rino gruppo and kept and rode the bike for 30+ years.The stay is just a foil decal that was laid over the stay to give the look of chrome. Very common in that period and equally common to be torn, wrinkled or chipped or all three together. Your $175 sounds about right, depending on seeing in the metal.

Yup, that black thing on the chainstsy could just be road snot or the foil finish falling of the decal backing, and the "bailing wire", just the foil decal wrinkling....

The subject bicycle is an early 1980s Cambio Rino Crono with their Crono derailleurs, crankset, post and saddle. As noted, the shift levers are the matching Crono and the brakeset appears to be Modolo Speedy. The frame on this model was typically full Columbus SL. Those shallow rake forks are typical of the Cambio Rino models of this era and look fine to me. Based on the photo, I can't tell what's going on with the chain stay. The wheels appear to be wired-on 700C replacements for the OEM tubulars.

If you can get it for what my Dad called "shrug money" - meaning if the bike was a total loss it wouldn't be a financial big deal, however you define that - go for it.

If you have to pay more than "shrug money," pass.

Is it just my old eyes, or does this pedal hole have no threads at all? I've blown it up until it becomes pixellated, can't see threads.

Bike sold to a last minute bidder who jumped bids from $145 to $165. I suspect he would have trumped my max of $175.

Now watch it get posted on her with detailed shots showing no issues!

Hah!, maybe Jjhabs bought it. He's like a magnet for getting great bikes!