Steel road bike collection: Tommasini, Viner, Lejeune, Specialissima, R753 Joe Waugh, R753 Rourke, Sedazzari, Grandis, Pinarello...

[Fifthgrace]

Week 5. Early 90s Joe Waugh R753.

Reynolds 753 Joe Waugh frame built by the renowned Dave Yates, with original paint including white lining to lugs and ‘no JW decals’ as specified by the first owner. R753 decals (design dating from 1989-1995). Frame came with Mavic SSC headset and bottom bracket and was completed by myself with a Mavic SSC groupset to include chainset, gear levers, Professional model drilled brake levers with rare Mavic-in-diamond engraved logos (with Modolo hoods), calipers, F&R derailleurs, pedals. stem and handlebars. The Mavic headset uses the unique Mavic spanners for adjustment, but hasn’t needed them! Tubular Mavic Gel 280 grey anodised rims, Campagnolo Super Record hubs, Everest alloy wide ratio freewheel, and Record skewers, Chorus seatpost (I've ummed and ahhed about fitting a 27.2mm Mavic SSC black seatpost but so far resisted!) . Regal saddle and leather Christophe pedal straps complete the build. Mavic SSC was the choice of many pro-riders BITD for accurate gear changing and reliability. I have also found the Mavic chainset/BB offers a remarkably low friction set-up.

The frame is beautifully crafted and provides a svelte ride, enhanced by the 25mm Vittoria Corsa tubular tyres, until a recent puncture to the front! (If you have a suitable replacement for sale, do please contact me). The Orange and blue is a colour combination that sits well with me. I’ve added Holdsworth bottles and a metal badge to the headtube as although I respect the original owner’s choice to be decal-free, I felt the bike deserved a ‘face’-after all, the paint specified as per the original receipt is ‘Holdsworth Orange’!

 

[Rapparee87]

Beautiful bikes. Happy riding.

 

[Fifthgrace]

Week 6. 1976-77 Sedazzari Specialissima (Arabesque). Columbus steel frame and fork feature chromed details including rear stay ‘ears’, Arabesque lugs and S-engraved fork crowns. Hand-made twin loop eyelets to guide rear brake cable, rear chainstay bridge (V -shaped) and twin cutouts to bottom bracket. Original metallic orange paint and Italiano Veterani Tricolore 1976-77 decals: Italian seller believed the frame had been provided as a prize for the amateur race winner(s), or maybe Sedazzari was a race sponsor as two Specialissima frames with these celebratory stickers have been identified to date, including this one.

I have built the frame with late 70s /early 80s components including Ofmega BB & Super Competizione chainset, Galli Criterium front & rear part-anodised derailleurs, Modolo anodised drilled brake calipers & Modolo Professional (Patent) brake levers. Mavic SSC/ (Simplex SLJ) gear levers. A mention here of website Velobase, which I have found to be a useful resource to help identify components beyond the comfort afforded by making Campagnolo the default choice, though not infallible in regards its accuracy! Over the years, I’ve added a number of newly recorded components and have attempted to unravel the complex Galli ranges in particular with many an hour spent cross-referencing listings, line drawings and 'groupo' pics etc!

Wheels comprise 32-hole anodised Ambrosio Excellight rims with elegant OMAS hubs & matching QR skewers and black spokes built by ‘Lord of the rims’, Pete Matthews of Liverpool. A Cinelli stem and 64-40 handlebars wrapped in Velobitz stitched leather to match the 'Azzurri' Selle San Marco Rolls saddle, Miche fluted seatpost (3ttt) and Veloflex Corsa 25mm clincher tyres complete the build.

I’d seen pics of this particular frame back in 2019 when I was researching Sedazzari bikes following acquisition of the previously featured Sedazzari, missing this being on-sale by just 2 weeks. However, I was fortunate enough to come across it listed for sale again some years later on eBay and paid the BIN price so as not to risk losing it in the ensuing auction format! I’m looking forward to putting some miles on it this Spring now that it’s ready to roll again.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

That is stunning

 

[Fifthgrace]

Week 7: Mid to late 60s? Lejeune in Team colours. I only (relatively) recently decided I wanted a French road bike, being a contrasting choice to the Italian and English bikes I own. I’ve been put off building frame-upwards due to idiosyncratic French parts specifications, so favoured a complete bike purchase. This one came up on FB Marketplace and caught my eye, especially as it was a little different from the PX10 that usually comes to mind! Resprayed by Bob Jackson in 2010-ish. I purchased from second owner. Original colour was a dark blue with Lejeune decals. Re-painted in team colours with gold lining. New Decals added.

Frame and forks: Reynolds 531. Nice reinforcements to brake bridge. Fork has 4 holes to crown from beneath (lightening?). Other Nervex lug styles can be found on other Lejeune bikes (dating from 1950s), but these specific lugs not seen on any other Lejeune model on the Web. Note the oil port / grease nipple to the frame BB- these are rarely seen after the mid-60s. Original one was brass and has been replaced according to seller. The lugs are Nervex Legere 110 Lugs and were featured in the 1958 Evian GB Importer catalogue https://www.flickr.com/photos/stronglight/albums/72157601987782099/

Size: 55 ctc top and seat tube.
Front and rear dropouts are stamped 67, no maker visible: 1967 date?

Saddle (original to bike): Norex perforated No 38 made by Ideale, France, first introduced in 1963. Note I am assuming it’s the same as the Ideale, Elaedy and Nortex, but doesn’t have saddlebag loops, unlike the others named. Course version (vs Touring)?

Wheels are original to bike, but re-spoked: 1035 Nuovo Record French threaded large flange hubs (introduced 1960s) with oil holes and spring clip covers, rims are MAVIC Championat du Monde (original sticker just visible, Mavic SSC stickers are a later, incorrect addition. There is a Mavic-in- Diamond original sticker on the wheel, which dates from 1960s. Replacements are available from Cyclomondo Australia- M6 design reference). Campagnolo wheel QRs. Recently glued Vittoria Tubular tyres.

Freewheel is a replacement Regina 5 speed with French threading. Chain to match. Previous freewheel fitted was a Maillard (I still have). NB 6 speeds started being introduced from the early 70s but only became widely used outside of the pro bikes from 1978 and onwards.

Rest of the equipment is not believed original to bike:

Handlebars: Guidons Philippe/ ATAX Franco Italia D 352: 25.0 clamp size according to Velobase (70s-80s). Previous owner created Bidon handlebar holder himself.
Stem: Philippe “Cadet” (very nice, shows patina) with typical red painted engravings to front. Clamp 25.4 according to Velobase.
Seatpost: JPR extra legere (fluted, no paint, and no anodising to clamp): 1980s Velobase?
Brakes : MAFAC Racer centre pulls + MAFAC Course long reach brake levers (17 drillings). Dia Compe replacement hoods fitted.
BB: Mavic. Fitted by seller. Sugino axle bolts?
Chainset: 1978 Campagnolo Gran Sport (8 in a diamond on the cranks), chain ring is “Patent Campagnolo” with a C in diamond, (became Brev sometime in 1978.
Rear derailleur: Nuovo Gran Sport with an external hook hangar (frame has no derailleur hangar)
Front derailleur: 3-hole Super Record with anodised arm, clamp on.
Campagnolo gear levers/ shifters: 1014 Nuovo Record, clamp on.

I think the seller did a good job with the paint refurb & parts and it’s the first bike I’ve made no changes to. Saddle needs some feed and maybe tightening up (first of these full leather traditional saddles I've owned). And now just need some Spring-like weather and flowering fields to roll by...

 

[Valden]

Beautiful bike collection!! Thanks for sharing these pics and all the details

 

[Fifthgrace]

Beautiful bike collection!! Thanks for sharing these pics and all the details

Thanks, just two to come!

 

[Fifthgrace]

Week 8. 1970’s Viner Stella Special a.k.a. "Viner Stella Professional", one of the "Stella Special Professional Framesets".

So it's my wife's birthday coming up back in 2019 and she asked me for a new Viner set.
Thought I'd surprise her with something a little more exciting and engaging than just a cutlery set: a shiny viner (frame)'set and fork!

Her being short in the leg, long in the body required a max seat tube of 47.5cm- not an easy spec to find and this ‘already stripped’ frame was probably bespoke to its original owner. I checked the official Viner frame sizes and this one was comfortably smaller than any ex-works offerings Apparently these frames were more expensive than the R753 Raleigh when new, and there is a lot of attention to detail.

Back from the paint shop and in my wife's chosen colour scheme of pearlescent "Audi" Green over gold base (yes, really!) and actually pretty darn close to the original release flat green colour, plus yellow detailing added. Nice job by Jason at Rourke cycles S-o-T.

So frame build commenced, but it needed 3 iterations:

1. Build with drop handlebars and ITM aero seatpost. Wife couldn't reach the brake levers and seatpost wouldn't go low enough without going into the aero section. Toe clip and strap pedals not to her liking…. (note to ‘self, never assume what I like is what she will like).

2. Sourced regular seatpost and ITM straight/swept handlebars. Fitted shims as handlebars went from 26 to 25.4mm stem. Problems solved: Shimano 600 seatpost can now be dropped; fingers can now reach and squeeze brakes. NOS Lyotard conventional pedals fitted.

3. Swap out Black Rolls saddle and matching bar tape for NOS yellow Lady Turbo saddle and matching perforated tape…(note to self, it’s never right first time or even second time..)

Final spec:

Viner Stella Special Professional frame and forks: Columbus SL. Star cut-outs to lugs, fork shoulders and bottom bracket
Respray by Rourkes, Stoke on Trent from bare metal frame sourced from Italy
New decals sourced from Italy
Campagnolo Chorus (C Record Era) Groupset: F&R derailleur, gear levers, brake calipers, brake levers, chainset. NOS Chorus Italian thread BB
New Record headset
NOS L. (Lady) Turbo saddle
Shimano 600 seatpost
NOS Nisi Toro alloy rims with eyelets: Ofmega (front) and Miche (rear) 32hole hubs
NOS 6 speed Regina America Freewheel
Hubs rebuilt by myself and Swallow Cycles with new spokes on wheel building course in the Iron Gorge
mega-short reach Cinelli stem
ITM handlebars
NOS Lyotard pedals
Zefal bottle holder

So my wife occasionally now joins me for a ride to the local pub, but changing gear with one hand off the handlebars is still a challenge she’s not really mastered (she only learnt to ride in her 40s and having fallen off as child and being told by her mother that cycling was too dangerous, she was a slow convert!). The bike is fast and brakes well-too well on occasion (over the handlebars she went, front brake applied in isolation- you have to learn...). Luckily, bike helmet did its job and she and the bike were unscathed. So that’s the wife’s steel bike. My favourite steel bike to ride next week…

 

[vtwinvince]

I'm not seeing anything I don't like.

 

[Fifthgrace]

I'm not seeing anything I don't like.

I'll take that!