Here's both of them:

So what's the story on the Santana? Inquiring minds need to know.

They are beautiful - and I gotta say that is one of the 2 nicest looking Santana Stylus' I've ever seen.

BTW - I'll share this little tidbit and you can tell the whole story....

Serotta's Santana was the very first (#1) made in the 56 size - according to his serial number and my conversation with the Santana folks. Very sweet.

55/Rad

Short story :

Santana wanted to get into the Scandium market with it's tandems. They decide to "try" the material with a limited production of singles. About 200 stylus framesets were made. As near as Rad and I can figure, about 100+ made it into private ownership. Rad has one, I have another, we are still waiting for signs of life from other owners. Most, if not all, of the framesets were made in '99 and '00. Mine, and Rad's, were NOS frames when we acquired them. Of course, Rad, having unlimited access to parts, money, and labor had his built, on the road, and torn down again before I set cleat to pedal with mine.

The Santana got the old Campy 9 speed from my Serotta. The only new parts were the Ouzi Pro fork, the FSA K-wing bars, a new carbon Campy front Der., a stem, seatpost, and some cables.

The Serotta got the new Campy 10 speed, new Eurus wheels, and an FSA carbon crank.

I feel as if I got two new bikes for the price of one.

Which Serotta frame is that?

Nice! Not only a rare Santana, but first in the series . . .

Standard run of the mill Serotta Ti Legend, nothing fancy.

Yeah, maybe it will make me rich in my retirement. Wait, I'm already retired, and bikes very rarely appreciate enough to live comfortably on the resale!

Do you have a higher resolution/larger picture of the Santana you could link us to? I'd really like to take a closer look!

Serotta - can you post a closeup of the brushed scandium tubes on the Santana? This is truly one of the things that make this frame so beautiful.

55/Rad

This is the best shot I have at the moment. I can take another if this isn't detailed enough.

Wow - that is hot! Must be dazzling in the sun. Thanks for the closeup.

Gorgeous bikes. Love the paintjobs on both of them.

Beautiful. But the saddles make me cringe a little bit...

hey man... you can't diss a man's saddle nor pedals. both are very personal -- and usually work perfectly for that individual.

Those are hot!

Nice bikes!

You are right of course. I do take a bit of grief over the saddles, and the old heavy pedals, but they work for me. I've been riding since the late 70's, and tried about everything out there, and finally at my advanced age found that the Koobi works. I must have 10 or 15 sets of Look pedals, red, white, black, rainbow, carbon, aluminium, plastic, they all still work.

Mrballistic, I hear you may be joining the Santana Stylus club soon?

yep... i'm getting a pair of wheels built now, so i should have it built and ready for some good posing photos sometime in early february.

I decided to drag this old thread back from the dead to update the Santana Stylus threads.

Summary:

I buy a Santana Stylus (serial number 400), then Rad buys a Santana Stylus (serial number 413). Rad builds his, then strips it and sells it to Mr Ballistic.

I build mine, then break it around the bottom bracket. Santana repairs it and sends it back to me. I build it again and ride it for a couple of thousand miles.

Mr. Ballistic breaks his around the bottom bracket shell. He sends it back to Santana. They replace his with the last NOS 56cm in the warehouse. They eventually repair ole' 413 and strike a deal to sell it to someone who wants it repainted something other than original swirl. It is sanded, and primered then the customer backs out on the deal. It sits in the warehouse collecting dust.

My Stylus breaks again, this time around the bottle cage area. Santana says it's a goner, not able to fix it. BUT, they can send me a replacement frame that has been repaired. The catch is the frame is under primer. I can take it that way or they'll paint it a color of my choice. SERIAL NUMBER 413. "nuff said, here's the pics of the frame I just received from Santana. RAD and Mr Ballistic's old frame.

Neat story but I don't know that I'd want to be on a frame that seems to have a history of failing?!?!

Rob

Three failures in two frames.... why do you think it SEEMS to have a history of failing? J/K.

I've had several frames break while riding in addition to this Santana. A Raleigh 531c, three Kestrels (1-4000, 2-200sci), a Cannondale, a ProFlex and a Serotta Ti. None of the frame breaks were catastrophic. I inspect after every ride, and most creaks that defy normal maintenance are usually something to do with the structural rigidity of the frame.


My wife updates the insurance often and encourages me to ride.

What a neat "circle of life" story. I really miss that Santana - that scandium frame was light as a feather and built up with the American Classsic 350's, it came in right at 15 pounds - lightest bike I ever owned. Unfortunately, it was just a bit too small for me.

Looks great in the maroon, though I have to admit I really liked the swirl they did on the original. The swirl wasn't actually in the paint but on the tubes themselves and the "paint" was really just a tinted clearcoat that allowed the swirl to show through. Very unique.

Serotta - how are you going to build it?

55/Rad

Rad, I debated making a large shadow box for the frame and just mounting it in the bonus room with a plaque stating the history of the frame and it's ownership. You are certainly correct, it is not nearly the piece of "art" the original frames were. I still drool over the swirl finish in blue and silver. It's hard to see in the picture, but this paint has some metal flake in it. Nice, but not nearly the extraordinary original finish.

I'm going to make it a fixed gear. My old fixie is just about to fall apart (it was an old broken Raleigh frame that was repaired by a friend in his welding shop.)

I ordered a White Industries Eno Eccentric Rear Hub today. I'm going to use an older Campy record front hub. I may even have an old high flange hub in the parts bin. I might lace them to some Mavic CXP 33 rims. I have some old C-record parts, crank, front brake, etc., Cinelli 66 bars, an old Thompson seat post, a Regal saddle. I'm going to try not to spend much money on it, but make it as comfy as most of my road bikes. The only thing (other than the frame) that scares me is the Cinelli bars. They are the oldest set I own. I may spring for some track bars.
I'm still deciding what sort of gearing to use. I think I have a 49 or 50 chainring for the crank, maybe an 18 tooth rear might be tolerable around here. I'll probably order everything from a 17 to a 21 to cover all the bases.

Quick update for the 2 or 3 people that like to see a story thought to conclusion:

The Stylus was built up as a fixed gear with front brake. The head wrench at the shop that built the bike took it for his usual test ride. The crank bolt on the old C-record crank I was using sheared off suddenly, causing an accident. One of the rear chainstays was damaged beyond repair. I have yet to see the damage (might get a chance to see it this week.) My luck and experience with the Santana Stylus has been a real adventure, but as all adventures, it has finally come to an end. RIP Stylus