Late 1990's De Rosa Nuovo Classico

De Rosa bicycle founder Ugo De Rosa was born on 27 January, 1934 in Milan, Italy. Ugo initially raced bicycles and then focused his talents on building bicycles.

De Rosa's passion for racing led him to study mechanics and engineering at a technical college, and after the war he opened his first shop and commenced the manufacture of racing bicycles. In 1958 he was asked by the famous cyclist Raphael Geminiani to build him a bike for the upcoming Giro Italia race.

After this, bikes built by Ugo De Rosa became a fixture in the professional European peloton of the 1960s. The Faema team was the first team to ride De Rosa frames. 

In 1969 De Rosa was approached by Gianni Motta, who engaged De Rosa as his frame builder and mechanic. De Rosa accepted the offer and became the bicycle supplier to Motta's professional cycling team. It was during this period that one of the greatest stars of cycling, Mr Eddy Merckx (you may have heard of him!) rode bicycles manufactured by De Rosa. 

De Rosa built some frames for Merckx around this time, but it was not until 1973 that their relationship was formalized and De Rosa became the official frame builder and mechanic for the Molteni team which Merckx captained. Merckx and his teammates won nearly all the major European races including the Tour De France, the Giro d'Italia, Milan San Remo and the World Championships. 

Since then the De Rosa company has continued to manufacture high quality steel framed bicycles. The two most notable steel frames are called the Neo Primato and the Nuovo Classico (New Classic). 

Here is a New Classic from the late 1990's, a beautifully crafted steel bicycle dripping with classic Campagnolo Chorus and Campagnolo Record parts, Mavic rims, and a San Marco Rolls saddle.

....another classic that stands alone given the history behind the De Rosa brand.

Safe riding.

James @ PVC

My Ciocc San Cristobal 2014 (Part 1)

I've been looking for a 'new' classic steel frame to build up recently. It was time for a change....out with the old and in with the new!

I was after an Italian built steel lugged frame that had a classic racing geometry. I was looking for features such as a chromed 1 inch threaded fork, a chromed chain stay, and chromed lugs. I was also after some branding that was stamped into the steel frame somewhere. 

I considered the usual suspects such as the De Rosa Nuovo Classico, the Cinelli Supercorsa, and the Bianchi Tipo Corsa. They were all very nice frames that are relatively easy to source.

With the popularity of steel frames growing there were many choices.....unfortunately though, not many were Italian made. Even De Rosa are making steel frames in Taiwan now so it was interesting to determine which steel classics were still manufactured in Italy.

After a lot of internet research (as most of us enjoy doing) I discovered a not so well known brand named CIOCC (pronounced CHEE-OH-CH) and became particularly interested in the San Cristobal model - see CIOCC post from March 2014.

After a few emails I discovered that I could place an order for a new Italian built San Cristobal frame with a CIOCC distributor in Melbourne - his name was Mike. 

I'm very happy to say that Mike did a great job. He communicated well and whilst doing so offered a wide range of frame colours and decal types. The San Cristobal was also available with either a 1 inch threaded or 1 inch non-threaded steerer.

You can find Mike at http://www.ciocc.com.au/ or click on the CIOCC logo to the right.

I placed an order for a frame and about 8 weeks later it arrived on my doorstep.

Here is the bike I ordered...

Beautifully chromed chain and seat stays.

The CIOCC logo on the top rear of the seat tube is interesting. CIOCC have been placing a decal in this unusual position for a long time. I've been told that it's placed in this position so that a competitor can see what type of bike has just passed him!

Chromed head tube lugs.

Campy Record threaded headset.

The frame is stunning and the photos really don't do it justice. The details and finish are perfect. 

It arrived in a solid cardboard box and it was packed with great care. It didn't come with the headset at all so I bought a Campagnolo Record 1 inch threaded headset that does the job well. When fitting the headset I also added a Campy spacer from an old 'Super Record' headset from the 80's.

CIOCC stamped on the top of the seat stay.

I particularly like the Italian flag logo (pictured above) that sits towards the rear of the top tube. This feature is also available on the GIOS Compact Pro which I also considered as an option. 

CIOCC stamped on both sides of the bottom bracket.

A chromed 1 inch fork with CIOCC stamped into the crown.

The classic CIOCC head tube logo.

So the dilemma now is to source parts for the build. Cinelli still offer a classic quilled stem, and with a bit of effort I should be able to get hold of a NOS fluted Campagnolo seat post. 

I have certainly decided that the groupset should be from Campagnolo, that was an easy decision! But do I go classic Athena silver 11 speed, or carbon Chorus 11 speed? So many options!!

Until next time.....safe riding.

James @ PVC.  

Italian steel and chrome.

I'm on the hunt for a "modern" vintage steel frame for a new project. The plan is to get my hands on a brand new modern frame, steel of course, preferably with some shiny chrome for that vintage feel and build it up with some modern componentry. 

The market for such a frame is quite interesting right now. Manufacturers have realised that consumers have an appetite for new steel frames and are re-issuing steel frames that will take modern components. Of course Italian steel is what I'm after and for some reason most chromed steel frames on offer are Italian, or at least have an Italian heritage.

Manufacturing in Taiwan is where value for money is within the international bicycle industry and after reading the fine print in some brochures I've learnt that some "Italian" companies are now building their frames in Taiwan and shipping them to Italy before distributing them from their homeland.  

"What parts need to be chromed?" you ask. Good question.

Traditionally the lugs, or a least the ones on the head tube, the drive side chain stay, perhaps the drive side seat stay, and definitely some chrome on the forks. The forks can vary from being fully chromed (my preference), although at least the fork crown and the dropouts should be dipped in the beautiful shiny stuff. However too much chrome can look a bit tacky, fully chromed frames don't do it for me - to me an indication that someone is trying way too hard!

Here's a selection of frames on offer from all of the big Italian brands. All of them classic, all of them beautiful.....

 "CIOCC" SAN CRISTOBAL / WORLD 77

"COLNAGO" MASTER

"BIANCHI" DOLOMITI

"GIOS" COMPACT PRO

"CINELLI" SUPERCORSA

"TOMMASINI" SINTESI

"DE ROSA" NUOVO CLASSICO

Differing styles and brands will appeal to different individuals for a multitude of reasons. Most design and styling features are common although I've noticed that the main difference between frames (and an important one too!!) is how the fork is attached to the frame.

Traditionally a threaded headset with a quilled stem would be consistent with the "vintage" aspect but some manufacturers have modernised the frame by providing a fork that will only take a threadless headset (A-head style) that requires a modern clamp style stem. And to compound the problem it is usually a 1" threadless fork as opposed to the 1 1/8" threadless on most modern setups.

Threaded headset with a Cinelli quill stem

Threadless headset with a Ritchey Ahead stem

To my eye the quilled stem is far more attractive and consistent with vintage styling even though the range of modern quill stems are quite limited. A-head stems just don't quite sit as well with me for a "modern" vintage build, but of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

So now the hard part......Which frame to buy? What colour? Which components?....and where to source them from?

Safe riding...

James @ PVC