Il Progetto e Finito

Yeah, it rocks

While I've been riding Il Progetto Originale for a month or so now, the finishing touches were still being waited on, either being sought out from bargains online, or finding just the right new old stock to give the old girl just the right blend of old and new.

After a long couple of weeks, the Bozzie is 99.9% completo.

The search for a seatpost and some shorter throw bars were the big stumbling blocks.  Do you know how hard it is to find a handlebar in a 25.8 clamp diameter these days?  Well, it's pretty damn hard.  Just about give up finding a new one from any manufacturer, and NOS or second hand ones are almost as rare.  I came across an ITM Millenium Carbon model on TradeMe (the online old bike not-so-superstore) and won the auction unchallenged.  Seems old scratched up carbon bars in an outdated size standard are surprisingly not being actively pursued in these parts.  But, as is the risk with buying stuff online, the stated 42cm width turned out to be only 40.  Bummed, but not entirely distraught, I kept up the search.  A set of Ritchey WCS Classic bend alloys, in a true 42 were snapped up, once again unchallenged.  Happy this time, I paired them with a NOS ITM Eclypse in 130mm, to offset the shorter throw of the bars.  Fizik tape finished it off and matched perfectly with the texture of the saddle which was to come later.

The seatpost was proving a bugbear too, and despite the best intentions of mates Kah and Stu, I was still without a shiny, good-looking post.  There was a new Chorus carbon sitting at the local distributor's warehouse, and although I wanted alloy, I decided the carbon would be in keeping with the 11 speed composite bits danging off the rest of the bike.  Now, the saddle looked a bit too sleek, and Ric urged me to try a San Marco Regal, just the right mix of classic and sleek.  And it's a great saddle, the comfort level is an unexpected bonus, plus how can anyone not dig the copper coloured rails and six rivets?  A true classic.

Oli got my wheels sorted after a little hiccup with the front spokes, and they roll super smooth and look oh-so-Roubaix with the Ambrosios spinning 3 cross 'round the  Chorus hubs.  Cheers mate, glad you could be a part of the V-build.  Our Velomihottie from the Aussie Chapter, Belinda, did a sterling job of hassling every customer and cohort at her shop for any Campy posts or skewers, and a nice rear QR turned up in my mailbox with only a note stating “you owe me a coffee” as collateral.  What a true VMH.  Which only leaves the missing .1%; a matching front skewer.  Donations accepted gratefully, coffee gladly proffered.

Well, I'm pretty happy with the bike.  Na, I'm stoked.  So it's 2kg heavier than the Roubaix, but it's way better to look at, it's not a dime-a-dozen, and it rides real nice.  I'm glad to be back on a standard crankset, the classic bend bars feel just right, and I don't know how I've lived without Campy for so long.  Steel is real, 3 cross is the boss, the Italians are stallions and the Bozzie is the duck's guts for this Aussie.

[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/[email protected]/bozzie/”/]

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35 Replies to “Il Progetto e Finito”

  1. Brett – that’s the bomb cakemate.
    I’m feeling inspired to register and login some time soon, just so I can share my Bosomworth (pronounced “Bosmworth”) story with the readership..
    I’ll drop a snippet and update later….
    If anyone is familiar with Adventure Cycles of days gone by in Auckland, New Zealand – it was a treasure trove of…well everything cycling.
    Often referred to as the “gimp pit” it harboured many steel road frames awaiting a new home ..that’s where I found my first Bossie which was transformed into a retro sled of sorts – parts I had lying around transplanted frankenbike style onto the newest member of the family.
    On it’s maiden voyage I visted a local bike shop for a few bits and bobs and the mechanic (who I used to race raod bikes with back when I was a kid) told me had another Bossie in for repair and I should check it out…..
    A thing of beauty it was (and still is) because I memorisedthe phone number off the job card and rang the owner on Monday and insisted it should find a new home at my place.
    Needless to he thought I was bonkers and flat refused to give in…I sent him a few pics to show him I had one already and was genuine about looking after his baby.
    He mulled it over and then said I could have it.
    On arrival he asked if he wanted a spare seat that made his bum hurt – a Turbo with world champ stripes on it – “well if you don’t have a home for that I guess I could take it as well”
    Sweet bro !
    So home it came – I’m not saying how much money exchanged hands as it wasn’t much….
    Pics to follow

  2. @Ricko – New Zealand
    Awesome stuff Rick mate! I have seen glimpses of your collection of steel steeds, and can’t wait for a Guest Article on them. Readers, check out some of Rick’s work here…

    And if anyone wants to pick up some sweet steel, Oli’s mate Dan is regrettably having to sell off his stable of beautiful bikes due to an unfortunate injury. Give these bikes a good home. I know I’m damn tempted to get amonst them. Check them out here…

  3. Well done, Bretto! Your patience has been well rewarded with a stunning ride. Thanks for letting me build the wheels, and sorry again for the spoke debacle!

    Good to you you hang the knee out on that tricky corner too…

  4. What a beautiful build! It’s absolute aces, but you simply have to get your hands on a campag front skewer, I bet the bike handles like crap without it!

    I am so glad to see you as a Campy convert; no unsightly cables, all magnificent stuff. Funny thing, I had a real job getting my Campy shifting perfectly with the K-Wing bars I had; when I switched to the Rotundos, the shifting became flawless once again – I’ll never route cables internally again.

    What a beauty, and look at that form on the bike!

    You’re riding on the wrong side of the road, though, fucktard.

  5. brett: beauty of a ride, right in so many ways!!
    I love steel! I bet that rides smooth as butter!

  6. Love the cornering shot of you up there. You live in a beautiful place to ride, by the looks of it.

    Every time I see your sweet, restored ride it makes me want to work on finally updating my Schwinn. Someday soon…

  7. @mcsqueak
    I reckon we were travelling at least 20kph when I took that cornering photo. Maybe even 25, as there was a pretty stiff tailwind. It was all I could do to keep up with him, once he got those massive guns firing on both cylinders, let alone take the photo. Hairy stuff. Graham Watson eat your heart out. (Actually, the bike looks great. And yes, on a day like that Wellington is a great place to be.)

  8. @Stefan

    Yep, my camera and/or photographic skills suck. No, it’s the camera who is wrong! How hard can it be to ‘point-and-shoot’? I just wanted to get the post up, and will look at taking better pics over the weekend.

  9. Is it the drugs, or do those bushes and that rock ahead of the corner look like an echidna humping a golden retriever?

  10. Beautiful! It’s great to see classic steel updated and out on the road where it belongs. Still think it needs a shiny seatpost to match the bling coming off that high-polish ITM stem, though…..

  11. @mcsqueak @G’phant @Brett

    That’s a terrific-looking steed, Brett! Of course, the pic of you cornering””in my North American myopia””I had a brief moment of panic that you were on the wrong side of the road and about to get creamed by an oncoming truck. Glad that wasn’t the case.

  12. Gorgeous. The Regal is pure class with the brass rails and rivets. And there should almost be a rule that if you’re riding a classicly styled bike you need to have Elite cages. As our season comes to an end yours is just beginning and you’ve got a lot of riding to look forward to on that beauty. Sometimes I miss living by the sea and the mountains, the scenery in those pics is nice. Enjoy.

  13. @michael
    Probably about 2 full bidons, a couple power bars, 2 C02 cartridges, patch kit, spare tube, and arm and leg warmers.

  14. Nice work on this build up project! And good on ya for putting up with sourcing those hard-to-find parts.

    The action shots are sweet as! I love NZed. Was very, very fortunate to live there for a short while and have been to both islands twice now (two different trips). Need to do some cycling there next time I go.

    I have those cages on my new carbon bike, to give it a bit of classic styling and taste. And I also have the more traditional Ciussis on my Tommasini, which fit right in. Have a Regal on there as well, but with silver rivets to match all the shiny metal parts.

    For me nothing beats well-made steel frames with thin tubes and low-profile rims in the looks AND feel department. I actually got bum rushed by a raccoon last night; he bounced into my front wheel, then slipped underneath my downtube. My Record/Open Pro front wheel is still perfectly true. Little bugger lived to see another day as well.

    As for Campag – yep, I’m a lover of their gruppos. My newly assigned bad weather bike has Shimano 105 stuff. Never easy for me to reach my levers to shift from the drops. Last week I realized it actually hurts my wrist to try and downshift from the drops. I’m not that big and thus, my hands aren’t that big. Being able to move my hands slightly from the drops to the curve and reach the thumb button is great. Being able to hold the paddle back and downshift as needed from the drops is even nicer. For me, the Campag v. Shimano debate is an easy one. (Haven’t ridden SRAM, but I’m so happy with all three Campag gruppos I own, so why mess with it!)

    Nice bike! Thanks for the New Zealand photos!

  15. who are you—-no carbon in the line up——wanting to own a 29er——whats next —-tofu beef

  16. Nice work Bretto. I love all those touches on the ride; the saddle, the cranks, the stem, the f’ing wheels are killer. And some action shots, Brett in the V-Kit, beauty.

    Do you know how hard it is to find a handlebar in a 25.8 clamp diameter these days?

    I have a spare pair of Easton carbone bars, just like the ones you maligned so on my bike…but I guess you wouldn’t want those, not good enough, eh? Ooooo, I feel Monty Python coming on…

  17. There’s an accent, the phrase should be:
    ‘Il progetto è finito’ :)
    btw great bike!

  18. Now it’s just perfetto :)

    (In case you could use the apostrophe under the question mark button)

  19. @Brett

    Brett, it is not your camera, it is the confusing background ;) just place the bike infront of a plain wall, an finished. ;) it deserves it.

  20. @Brett
    Brett, unfortunately you can’t so far you are using an American keyboard
    instead the Italian ones… éèéèéèéè :)

  21. @CJ
    Thanks mate! Unfortunately, there is nothing in the right diameter… I love Fyxomatosis, so many nice shiny things and stuff I want but can’t afford!

  22. @Brett

    I’m late to the party, but put me down as a fan of your build. Really beautiful. And I still can’t believe that when I travelled Down Under for two months some years back, I went all over Australia and never once went to New Zealand. I guess people all over the world come to America and don’t go to Canada or Mexico, but it still seems like a wasted opportunity on my part. It looks like a beautiful part of the world. Sweet ride and locale, for sure.

    And now I’m in the market for a steel frame…

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