A Potpourri of Parts off the Mystery Klein

I've stripped the parts Klein mystery bike (turns out it's NOT a Stage, as they had fender eyelets. Hoping it's a Klein Team Super or the like - more on this in an upcoming post), and cleaned them. 


Missing from these photos is the Shimano Titlist front derailleur (This is NOT a typo, Shimano Titlist.... let's continue, shall we?) and some generic Shimano downtube shifters. 


There was also some SR bars that were scratched beyond recognition or comprehension, frankly, as I don't understand how drop bars can have scratches on the tops of the drops unless someone was riding the bicycle upside down or wore gloves made out of steel wool, but I digress.

As mentioned in a previous post on this bike, the SR stem's 5mm allen bolt was rounded out, so that was recycled along with the bars. The prize of the component haul is the Campagnolo Super Record derailleur. It's in excellent shape, and will be placed proudly in the museum, until I work up the courage to use it in a build sometime down the road. 


The Sugino cranks are the second set of Mighty Competition cranks I've acquired recently, the other off of the Alan. These cleaned up very well, and have been zip-locked for safe keeping. 

The brakes are black Weinmann Type 500, which still fetch about $25 for the set on eBay. I don't see using them in a future lightweight build, but they look nice and represent a piece of cycling component history, so I'll hold onto them.

The rims are semi-aero Araya tubulars and are very light and true. A nice spare set of wheels is always welcome. The seatpost is branded Cannondale, but looks like it's missing an adjustment bolt. I'll investigate further tomorrow as I begin cleaning and polishing the frame. 


Stay tuned for more edge-of-your-seat gear geek speak! Ouch... that was painful.

1973* Campagnolo Nuovo Record Derailleur

I purchased this on eBay a week ago or so, and was surprised when it arrived yesterday at the overall excellent condition of this Campagnolo Nuovo Record derailleur. Very few sings of oxidation, only minor abrasions, and even the return spring action is still strong. 


Keen eyes might notice a missing tooth or two on the jockey wheels. No biggie. This isn't going on a bicycle anytime soon. I know - Gasp! Criminal, right? Fact is, I'm building a vintage parts museum that will represent iconic bicycle parts from the last 50 years, so finding decent representative parts is hard enough; I'm not going to then thrash them by putting them to use. 

There's a strong argument that bikes are meant to be ridden, and parts are meant to be used. I can make the argument that some bicycles can be considered works of art, and the same goes for parts. Tributes to industrial design, if you will. I own bicycles that I rotate out and ride on a regular basis, but I also have a couple that I like to keep in pristine condition, so I don't ride them. It's not like the world has a bicycle shortage. I'm not hording pennies, for crying out loud. 

What's your opinion? Do you keep any parts to display and/or admire? What about whole bicycles - have any that you never ride, just look at?


* Year is approximate - Brev. Int. Campagnolo

Modolo Team Brakes - White

I bought this pair of Modolo Team brakes as NOS about seven years ago to put on my Olmo Sintex, but have since migrated them to my Batavus Professional, and now... they will be going into the Bicycle Parts Museum (soon to be a link to a fantastical array of vintage bicycle parts...totally drool-worthy, trust me.)

I'll need an expert to chime in here, but it seems that the "Team" models were simply the Modolo Professional brakes in white. As you can see, mine are now more of a cream color, but hey - makes them even more rare, right? Ahem... In any case, they have about 25 miles on them, total, and while cleaning them up for their photo session this morning, a tiny strip of white paint or acrylic coating - whatever the brake shoes are coated with, fell off. This tells me that these are ready to retire, and not destroy by using them on a bike. If paint is starting to come off of these that easy, then they would be thrashed within six months of use. 

Pretty brakes, though, ehe? My favorite brakes are these and Campagnolo Record Cobaltos. Poetry in anti-motion, I suppose. You follow? Good. :)


Here's what they look like when they are actually white. Click HERE.  


What about you? Do you like Modolo brakes? Any input on the "Team" designation? Chime on in.

1971 Campagnolo Gran Turismo Derailleur

I bought this Campagnolo Gran Turismo derailleur as the start of a vintage bicycele parts collection. The Gran Turismo was introduced in 1971 and was on the lower price and quality end of the Campagnolo derailleur line. It had a super wide gearing range, and looks more like a Ninja weapon than a bicycle part. Heavy too - all steel construction without any efforts on weight savings. I dissassembled it and shined it up a bit. Looks nice sitting in my display case :)


Any experiences with vintage Campagnolo derailleurs? Chime in below by leaving a comment, or send photos and your stoy to vintageracingbicycles [at] gmail.com.

Modolo Brakes - What's the Product Lineup?

UPDATE: Found this page with terrific details on Modolo Brakes, the Modolo Lineup, and photos. 

I've always appreciated Modolo brakes, and have been lucky enough to own a few pair. Right now, I only have a pair of white Modolo Professional levers and calipers, but always keep my eyes open for more on eBay. 

I wanted to find out how the Modolo product line hierarchy was laid out, so I did a little research and found this Modolo Brochure. Hope it's helpful to you too!

Kronos -- Master-Pro -- Professional -- Equipe -- Speedy -- Flash -- Sporting