Cromovelato Moser

[fitz]

I've recently got my hands on a mid 80's Moser. I have always lusted after cromovelato finished frames and bikes in my size rarely come up.




Apologies for the poor photos but this thing is hard to photograph as the camera I used cannot focus on the shine. I'll get a manual focus camare at it soon and wait for a dull day.
Anyway the frame came to me with a mix of gear. Campagnolo Victory cranks, levers, brakes and pedals with Shimano DA 7400 RD, FD and indexed shifters and DA 13 - 26 6s freewheel. The DA was a later upgrade I think as it is in really good nick. MA40 rims on Campagnolo hubs. 3TTT bars and stem with a campagnolo seatpost holding a Turbo saddle.

The frame is an aero tubeset from Columbus but has no tubing specific label, just a columbus sticker. The down tube, seat tube and seat stays are all ovalised and it also has the top mounted shift levers.

I am pondering how to rebuild it. If it had been all original then I would have left well enough alone. The Victory stuff just doesn't seem to match the aero profile of the tubes and I want to keep it Italian if I can. Early C Record is the right timeline and the aero focus is surely in keeping with the frame design, but gee... the prices. I do have some later (printed instead of engraved logos) C record cranks, levers and shifters and seat post but would need rear and front derailleurs and brakes. BTW I dislike deltas.
Any suggestions on how to build it? Any ideas as to the tube set that is used here?

[RobertFrith]

No to both your questions - sorry. Got to say I love the idea of working on a Llewellyn branded work stand though

[tallywhacker]

the tapering of the seat and down tubes at the lugs looks similar to this (aero tubeset) which is columbus air. Also the way the shifters are attached looks the same

[Dan]

Looks tops! I'd put the Mavics back on, and source a set of campag derailleurs and synchro shifters. I don't actually think there's much wrong with the victory/triomphe groups. Then search for the rest of a C-Record group

Can't help you with the tubeset sorry.

[dayne]

Does the frame take an Aero seat post?
It could be cx aero or air, I could be wrong but im sure chromevelato paint refers to a candy clear coat over a chrome frame rather than just plain chrome.
Either way it's a nice frame and i would try to get a chorus or record group from that era, im not a big victory or Triomphe fan.

[dubrat]

Not CX Aero or Air as they both have proprietary lugsets to suit.... My suggestion would be shaped SL or similar...

Ps I have the perfect groupset but isn't cheap...... Century

[fitz]

I agree with dubrat, not Aero or Air. Maybe a version of MS (multi-shaped) though I thought this was n account of the crimping in the tubes and anyway usually carried a MS label.
Nice olmo tallywhacker. Yours? the tubing looks identical but is it Air?
I do have a rear victory derailleur but the front one I have is band on, I need a braze on mount. I might just keep and eye out for C Record derailleurs and sell or swap the 7400 parts. That would also leave me with a full Victory group the flog.

Cromovelato was a coloured translucent laquer sprayed over a fully chromed frame. Colours were limited and I have seen red, blue, green, gold ( Moser) smoke and of course the copper Wilier gioielli ramato. The Wilier is my dream vintage ride, rare as fillings in hens teeth.

[bicyclepassion]

Nice frame. As far as I remember, the top mount shifters were all over by the time C Record appeared in 1985/6. I think this frame is more like 1983 or 1984. Some of the aero stuff available at that time might be more appropriate than C Record or Chorus. Google 'Colnago Oval CX' for examples of Aero Italian bikes equipped with Italian 'aero' parts in 1983.
As for Synchro shifters, the cable routing with top mount shifters was not kind to early indexed shifting.
Warren

[munga]

maybe this?

[bicyclepassion]

Good thinking! Next issue Of Ride Cycling Review mag will have a full feature on Shimano Dura Ace AX, 1981 / 1982. This stuff was seldom seen on Italian bikes. But Moser used a combination of Dura Ace EX and AX on his Moser branded 1982 team bikes. See full feature of the 1982 Moser bikes in Ride mag January 2006. So maybe Shimano AX is just the thing for this Moser frame?
Warren

[fitz]

Good thinking! Next issue Of Ride Cycling Review mag will have a full feature on Shimano Dura Ace AX, 1981 / 1982. This stuff was seldom seen on Italian bikes. But Moser used a combination of Dura Ace EX and AX on his Moser branded 1982 team bikes. See full feature of the 1982 Moser bikes in Ride mag January 2006. So maybe Shimano AX is just the thing for this Moser frame?
Warren

Yes I remember that article. He rubbed the natives up the wrong way when he did that. The AX is a lovely group. The crank/pedals system may mean an aero seatpost will sit too low in the frame. But the shorter drop will also mean its easier on my knackered back

[tallywhacker]

I agree with dubrat, not Aero or Air. Maybe a version of MS (multi-shaped) though I thought this was n account of the crimping in the tubes and anyway usually carried a MS label.
Nice olmo tallywhacker. Yours? the tubing looks identical but is it Air?
.

yes, mine. Looks mostly like this now (Galli changed to Campagnolo chorus). I was told the tubset is air, there were 2 versions of the tubeset fully aero and aero with round ends.
Fitz, a word of warning, when routing the internal cables thru the bottom bracket use an offcut of cable outer and a small plastic tube for the hole where the front mech cable exits. Had a couple of cables break from rubbing in that area

[fitz]

Wow beautiful finish and build. I have left the old cables in as I am not sure exactly how to go about removing them. I wAs thinking of soldering old cables to those already in then pulling them through. Then routing. The new ones back using the insitu wire.
Who did the respray on the olmo? .......looks excellent.

[tallywhacker]

I fed the new cables in from the lever holes and an old cable in from the dropout pulled them out the bb and did a quick solder then pulled it thru. Sass at Quantum cycles in Perth did the repaint