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 Seems old scratched up carbon bars in an outdated size standard are surprisingly not being actively pursued in these parts.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/brettok@velominati.com/bozzie/”/]
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Great post. Bike looks fantastic. Really nice set up. Much more character then the usual bike set up.
No way can I ride that fast...
Is it the drugs, or do those bushes and that rock ahead of the corner look like an echidna humping a golden retriever?
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.....
@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.
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.
What does 2kg heavier than the Roubaix equal ?
@michael
Probably about 2 full bidons, a couple power bars, 2 C02 cartridges, patch kit, spare tube, and arm and leg warmers.
Very sharp bike mate. All these retro builds have me craving steel.
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!