Rondinella bike

[MagicJohnson]

Hey guys, just wondering what you know about this bike i bought. Its a rondinella frame ( i'm guessing 80's?), came with tubular wheels that i'm currently selling because i cant afford to keep replacing the tyres.
Shimano dérailleur, a really nice leather concor profil saddle and cinelli stem and bars, but annoyingly i have to replace the stem as the bolt has been completely rounded out.

Anyone know if this is a good bike or have ideas on what to do with it?
http://imgur.com/a/uGaeW

Thanks

 

[foaf]

see here for more info:

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/bu ... nella.html

 

[MagicJohnson]

Thanks

 

[torqueless]

Anyone know if this is a good bike or have ideas on what to do with it?

Yes it's a good frame. I'd guess late '70s. Some of the components may be later. My advice: keep the original paint. Strip the frame of it's components, clean 'em, lubricate 'em, put it back together, and go for a ride..

 

[MagicJohnson]

Will do, thanks

 

[torqueless]

Just had a look at that classic lightweights page- the first two numbers in the serial number, I guess under the bracket, should give the year the frame was made. Care to share?
sorry for my somewhat flippant earlier post- you probably did all that already..
Are you saying the hex socket on the bolt is rounded out- i.e. un-turnable with a hex key? which bolt, the expander bolt into the steerer, or the pinch bolt that secures the bars in the stem?

 

[MagicJohnson]

Wow yeah i didn't see that on my first read. Just checked and it says RO77 so i guess made in 1977.
No worries i didn't read it as flippant, I hadn't actually done that yet but I'm cleaning it now.
The bolt i mentioned is the bolt attaching the stem to the frame - i've taken a photo here http://imgur.com/kkIl2vB.
Any suggestions on how to get it out and where to buy a new 26.0 quill bolt would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[torqueless]

From what I can see, that's a well nice handbuilt frame- going by the vertical rear dropouts, probably a time-trial frame, with a wheelbase of less than 39" and close tyre and brake clearances, almost certainly commissioned by a serious competitive cyclist. Unless you were going for the then new-fangled 753, about as good a frame as you'd hope to get back then, and would have worn a full compliment of Campag. NR/SR. IMO it has a really nice fork-bend, too, (they don't always).

Regarding the stem bolt, I've (touch wood) never had to tackle that particular problem, so take this for what it's worth and get a second opinion. I take it that the stem is 'stuck'- i.e. you cannot move the bars sideways at all with the front wheel held between your knees?
Judging from the photo, that might not be the original Cinelli bolt anyway, and even if it is, it looks like the washer under the bolt-head may be missing. You might be able to clean up the hex socket 'corners' sufficiently with a needle file or Dremel or something to get a hex-key to function in there again- obviously it would have to be a slightly larger hex-key than the original. Upend the frame and get some Plus-Gas down the steerer tube and let it soak in before attempting to loosen the bolt. If that doesn't work you may have to drill out the whole bolt-head- a careful operation, 'cause you don't want to go through into the alloy stem- use a hand-drill rather than electric. If you get the bolt head out, you can get a 'drift' against the now exposed end of the shaft of the bolt and hammer it out, again careful not to slip and dig into the alloy of the stem itself. If you succeed in getting the bolt/expander out, you may still need the Plus-Gas to free the stem itself from the steerer. And of course all the time you've got to be careful not to stress that nice old frame and forks.

Last time I looked, (some time back!) Campyoldy had some generic expander bolts for a few quid.. not Cinelli ones, which I believe have their own thread. You may be able to re-use the existing expander 'nut', but obviously you need a bolt with matching thread... and don't forget the washer!

Hope this helps.

 

[MagicJohnson]

Thanks a lot for all the info, I'm new to this forum but i can see already how brilliant it is.
I'll definitely try getting the bolt re-cut and see if that works, but i need to try soon because unfortunately I can actually move the stem with the wheel between my knees. It's sturdy enough to stay still while i cycle, but not great in the long run.

Another quick question, do you think I should keep the wheels that came with this bike? I'm trying to sell them ATM (here's the link and info viewtopic.php?f=22&t=286861 to see the pictures right click then copy URL and paste it in your browser ) because I don't want the stress of tubular wheels, but they might be great if they're the original wheels. If i didn't sell them I still wouldn't use them, but maybe keep them so that the bike is still all together?
Thanks

 

[torqueless]

Well, if you can move the stem in the steerer, that's actually a good sign- it means it is not 'stuck', and getting it out should be easier.

I can't quite work out from your pictures how many of the components on the bike are contemporary with the frame? The drivetrain (chainset/gears, etc) is definitely a later replacement. The bars and stem are contemporary with the frame, especially if it's an 'oval badge' stem and 'coat of arms' bars. The wheels look like 'training sprints'. The sprocket-block is Shimano, possibly replaced at the same time as the cranks/gears etc., The hubs themselves are likely budget Shimano, Normandy, or Joytech or something- have a look for engraved marks on the barrel of the hub itself. So, IMO the wheels are maybe not quite as nice as the frame, and maybe a bit later, which is not to say they are bad, just that back in late '70s/early '80s they would likely have been 'second best' pair at least on a frame like this. They were 'everyday' wheels, which is what most sprint/tub users needed, every day. Nothing wrong with that. They can be cleaned up.