Italian Job anno 1991

[fdoc]

Named after the winner of the Tour de France 1925 and '26, Bottecchia (Ottavio) bicycles are still produced in Italy.
My road-bike is her 20th year and still in perfect condition. Altough not a premium cycle,it's real joy to ride
Not marked "Hi-Ten" steel tubing for the frame by Italian mass-producer Biemme,Miche fork-neck bearing-set,Miche hubs&skewers,Mavic eyleted inox rims and inox spokes,Miche Monolith crankset and 6-speed casette,as I can figure out we have a DID(?)chain,Suntour Blaze Accushift front&rear derailleurs,Modolo Mach1 brake-set and brake-levers,Carnielli (the own name of the bike's manufacturer)heat treated alu handlebars,SR seatpost and SelleItalia saddle. All this weights 26 lbs/11,5 kg

 

[fdoc]

few more pics

 

[Cossington]

Bottecchia

That is a sight for sore eyes - lovely. How long have you had it? How did you acquire it?

I have a very soft spot for Bottecchias - my third proper road bike was an SL-tubed model, which has recently passed away (cracked half-way round the seat stay, courtesy of the rust-moth, after too much winter abuse). I can still recall the excitement at seeing it for the first time - beautiful red paintwork freshly waxed and gleaming - love at first sight.

They often seem to have quite steep head angles and mine certainly was very 'responsive' (or nervous?!).
I love the script font on yours. Well done for keeping it in such great condition.

David

 

[fdoc]

luckily preserved

Hello David!
Not only books (lat.:Habent sua fata libelli) and people,but even objects -such as bikes- have their own fortune.This bicycle was sold as new in Austria,but soon after the first owner left the country:moved overseas,so the bike remained unridden for circa 15 years -luckily enough stored in a dry place.The parents of that guy took Boti to a nearby second-hand cycle reseller,where from it was picked up and delivered to my country.I purchased it a few years ago. Regarding to the excellent,almost unridden,absolutely rust-free(I'm quite sure it was never used among moist circumstances) state the approx.90Ł (converted to your currency) price was not extreme...
Rides fantastic,handles perfect -I'm really fond of this cycle!
Italians know something about vehicles(foods&meals,fashion,wines,etc)

 

[dubmaster77]

Hi!
Intresting read, I have an OLMO which I knew very little about due to it being modified into a single speed and resprayed, Your frame looks almost exactly the same!! I wonder if they were produced in the same factory?
Stu.

 

[fdoc]

same genetics

Hello!

I wouldn't be surprised,if your Olmo and my Bottechia were almost the same,just like twins. Even the producer of the Bottechia bikes let the frame-manufacturing to a mass-producer: it was Biemme. So it is very likely,that Italian bike-frames under other names were made/built in larger numbers
on the very same factory line...
It is a well known industrial practice called "badge engineering",for instance in auto-industry: Opel-Wauxhall(etc.)

fdoc

 

[dubmaster77]

Yeah that is what I was thinking? Does your bike have a 1" headset? That was confusing me as it has the later allen key brake set up.
Cheers,
Stu

 

[fdoc]

headset size

Yes,that's the size of the headset.

 

[kanzlr]

and nicely equipped.
The Mach1 is not bad for a single pivot, the blaze should shift amazingly well

 

[fdoc]

were speculating on upgrade

When I bought this bike,I was about to upgrade it with Shimano or Campa parts from the same era. Riding it a few times the Bottecchia convinced me,that the factory equipment configuration is quite OK