Austro-Daimler Super Leicht 1978

Blackbike

Retro Guru
I found this on Ebay, where unloved but lucky bicycle frames have one last chance to find their redemption.

It is cosmetically rough due to poor storage conditions but completely rust free internally with all the chrome surviving and minor surface rust in a few paint chips. Due to my mechanically deviant nature it is destined to be a restomod. This is a 2nd generation Austro-Daimler as it has revised geometry for 700c wheels and short reach brakes.

The first course of action is always thorough inspection followed by a cold set from 126mm to 130mm, frame, fork, dropout alignment, and verify every thing is symmetrical on centerline. Six hours later, done and done.

In my youth this was a grail bike and eye wateringly expensive at the time. This one was sold as a frameset as evidenced by the lack of the Super Leicht decal on the top tube. The build components will be top shelf and shall be revealed in the next installment of the build. The wheelset shown is end item and consists of Sun XCD hubs, tied and soldered Wheelsmith butted spokes, and Ambrosio Excellence rims for the proper old school vibe.




: Mike
 
Last edited:
So... Campagnolo Record Triple. This one has a problem known as a cold lap, its a forging process error. Its cracked all the way through the crank arm and two thirds of the way through the spider. Look at your Campagnolo cranks closely. This one came from a parts lot I bought years ago.


Because I didn't learn my lesion with Campagnolo I spun the roulette wheel of fate and won this round...


The NOS 10 speed Comp triple front mech which I never heard of appears to be identical to the Record triple front mech with exception of the ink stamp.
The reason I needed this front mech is the 30, 40, 50, tooth chainrings, that 10 tooth spacing between the rings is compatible with certain 10 speed triple Campy front mechs and this is one of them as it was part of the "Comp" group set with the 30, 40, 50, tooth option.

In transit is a NOS 111mm asymmetrical Record bottom bracket coming from Italy traveling by tramp steamer I'm hoping to see that sometime next week.

The bike is being built up as a sportive with mostly later 10 speed era Campagnolo components with a twist or two.

: Mike
 
While we are waiting for the bottom bracket to arrive I will preview some coming attractions..

Shifting duty's are being performed by Dura-Ace 7900 10 speed indexed downtube shifters with the triple rings on friction, the rear mech is Dura-Ace 7700 GS mid cage with 13 tooth JRC ceramic bearing pullies, my limited power output is being transmitted through a Sram PC 1091R 10 speed hollow pin chain spinning a Dura-Ace 11-27 titanium cassette. This is essentially the same combination as I'm running on my Bob Jackson World Tour with slightly different gearing.

Brakes are Campagnolo Super Record 10 speed era differential skeleton, soon to be fitted with Swiss Stop BXP pads.

On to the cockpit. Seatpost is a 27.4mm Campagnolo 2nd gen. Super Record (1980's) with a titanium Ideale 90 saddle.

Bars are 40cm Nitto B130AA, clamped into a Nitto 80mm Craft quill stem, with classic era Campagnolo Super Record brake levers and black alloy Nitto bar plugs. Not everyone's cup of tea but this combination should work well with the long top tube of the Austro-Daimler as it's being built as more of lightweight super cruiser than another race bike.

Back to rubbing out the paint...

: Mike
 
Sorry if you mentioned already, but what crankset will you use?

Hi Highlandsflyer,
The Campagnolo Record Triple with 50, 40, 30 tooth rings. This is the fourth bike in the fleet running various mixes of Campagnolo and Shimano components. I lean towards Campy cranks on the more vintage builds as the styling to my eye is a bit more timeless/retro for the 10 speed stuff.

Have A Great Evening: Mike
 
Back
Top