Another Benotto Modelo 850 - about to be saved !!!!

[the45rooster]

Hi to you all out there. Yes - I know that this is probably a dead in the water or gasping thread BUT I have just started a project on a Champagne - 52cm Benotto Modelo 850.
The bike has been seriously neglected/bodged and neglected even further than anyone could imagine even a total cycle moron would have subjected even an entry level Benotto to.

The bike is now striped and ready for Stove Enamelling (NOT cellulose) at C&G Finishes,Wavertree,Liverpool.

I intend keeping chromed forks and having the frame Stove Enamelled in African Violet with a Champagne Head-tube and a seat tube panel in Champagne and also possibly line the lugs in Champagne.

 

[oonaff]

yeah nice ones ! would love one.quality!!!

 

[the45rooster]

Hi to you all out there. Well the once very sadly neglected Benotto Modelo 850 is ready for riding again,albeit a few tweaks are required to the choice of gearing as I cannot use a 14 -28 it has got to be a 13 - 28. That is on route and hopefully will be fitted by Friday 21st.
It has been rebuilt with a great many new components except for the original Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport rear dérailleur,a Campagnolo front shifter and friction levers along with the original seat-pin and a rather tidy pre-owned Selle Italia Gel-Flow saddle.

 

[oonaff]

hello 45rooster,nice work.do you know what the tube sets on these and other benotto's were.
i always assumed for some reason that they were high end like sl.but i seem to recall something written somewhere
that they may have used plain guage tubes on some of their models.

thanks kevin

 

[the45rooster]

hello 45rooster,nice work.do you know what the tube sets on these and other benotto's were.
i always assumed for some reason that they were high end like sl.but i seem to recall something written somewhere
that they may have used plain guage tubes on some of their models.

thanks kevin

Hi Kevin. I am afraid that I simply do not know albeit I do recall reading someone's opinion somewhere that the low end stuff was used on the frames that were made in Mexico.
There were reports of cracking and breakages at the union with the lugs and snapping of tubes.
It has also been reported that when an already damaged frame was given a more deliberate 'Post Mortem' by cutting through the lugs - very poor mitres and in some cases clear evidence of no attempts to mitre at-all.
I have not researched the Modelo 850 but I understand that it was made with Zeta tubing.

 

[oonaff]

thankyou,i did not know about the mexican connection i doubt very much if an italian craftesman would
of done the things mentioned.
i am interested in these cause i remember an old school friend showing me his benotto in 1980.
it was his pride and joy.
its that blue decal one can never forget or mistake.although the style was copied by an english frame
builder i believe .
big thanks to you for posting, kevin

 

[the45rooster]

Hi again Kevin. There are one or two interesting pages to be looked into by Google'ing The History of Benotto.
Yes,the story goes that he met and married a Mexican girl and then move all of his cycle building to Mexico - seemingly with some unwanted results and especially when the quality (or failing standards of it) started a decline in the frame building and attention to detail that he and his brother had seemingly built a successful business upon.

As far as the distinctive blue background of the white Benotto name and the white surround goes - I chose a colour change that I hoped would not clash with it. I had pondered a few but simply could not envisage the decals on them and a separate panel on which to mount them was also out of the question.

I had even contemplated using the Benotto Blue bar tape but considered that it would all be a bit OTT and settled for the default Black. The bars were first covered with the foam sleeve and then taped over - I have large hands for a 4'10" tall guy and cramp has often been an issue on skinny bars.

 

[the45rooster]

Hi to those that are following my Benotto 'rescue post'.
After a period of riding and fettling and a bit more riding and more fettling I had settled for a Triple Stronglight set-up on Thorn 140mm cranks (limited bend after a total left-knee replacement in November 2007)as a 50:40;30 with a 7spd screw-on cassette as 13:15:17:19:21:23:25 on the new Weinmann XR18 rims with Miche front & rear hubs.
The rear 130mm axle is doing the paintwork on the drop-outs (125mm) no favours and is shortly about to be changed to an 8spd cassette consisting of individual Shimano Hyperglide sprockets but on a 125mm axle.
The Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport restricts me to a 26T max on the rear albeit that is staying.
I have recently acquired a pair of Shimano Exage hubs with a 7spd/125mm 125mm spacing that is for a 7spd cassette.
The bike will end up with an 8spd 12:13:15:17:19:21:23:25 rear cassette and the triple front.
Roll-on the Spring and Summer sunshine.

 

[phantom photon]

Re:

Nice to see another being saved

My first 'proper' road bike was a blue/white Benotto way back in about 1987. Was a great bike, would love to get hold of another one to restore.

 

[the45rooster]

Re: Re:

Nice to see another being saved

My first 'proper' road bike was a blue/white Benotto way back in about 1987. Was a great bike, would love to get hold of another one to restore.

Hi pp. Yes. There are fewer and fewer of these really classically fine line frames about these days. My first encounter with Benotto was seeing the two images of those owned and restored by Malcolm Summers on Classic Lightweight Cycles ( Readers Bikes).
The Benotto 3000 really did make me seek one out. This particular one that Malcolm has enjoys a rather respectable history.
My particular frame was seemingly made in Italy and just escaped being blighted by being made in Mexico - with all of the issues that ensued after production was transferred,then they were eventually - no more.