Motobecane With an Identity Crisis

The Suntour Superbe levers are in excellent condition. The hoods - notsomuch. 

Black and red paint scheme seems wrong for a high-end Motobecane from this era. 

Still, regardless of what tubing may lie under the paint, the attention to detail on the lugwork and fork crown leaves nothing to be desired. 

From what I've read, Motobecane serial numbers are nearly impossible to decipher. 

Brazed-on cable guides for stem shifters denote mid-to-low-end in the Moto lineup for this era. 

Purchased this Motobecane today for just a pinch over $300. I was under the impression that it was a Le Champion, but further investigations are beginning to reveal a lesser model with upgraded components. 

First clue that the parts weren't original? The Suntour Superbe brakes. Then there's the Campy bits - Nuovo Gran Record derailleurs, seat post. The Pivo  bar and stem were typical of a Grand Touring or Super Mirage from the late 70s. Also, the braze-on cable guides point to mid-level frame. By the way, no model name or frame tubing manufacturer decals anywhere on the bike. 

Thanks's okay - it's a fine steed and well-taken care of. The original owner rode the bike for four years after purchasing it, then hung it in his garage in 1985. It's literally been hanging there for the past 30 years. So... the frame and components are in very nice condition. No blemishes on the frame other than a few small nicks under the bottom bracket and chain stay. "Cherry" was a term we used back in the day to describe a car that was a real eye-catcher. I think that term applies here just as well. 

This will be my winter project bike, and will need a thorough tear-down, repack, and new cables, hoods, all the usual suspects. I'll probably sell it after that, as I already have a 1974 Le Champion in equal condition - pic below. Stay tuned, and be sure to chime in on our Facebook page, as well. Share your pics! :)

*********UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE***********

I have received numerous comments from the helpful folks on the Classic Rendezvous Google Group. Here's one that pretty much summarizes what I've received so far. 

My guess is that what you have is a 1978, 1979 or a 1980 Super Mirage or Grand Touring.
Check the catalogs on Mark Bulgier's site...
The clues are as follows:
- paint scheme and lugs match those frames
- "Motobecane" branded crankset consistent with original equipment specs on Super Mirage
- Pivo stem consistent with original equipment specs on Grand Touring
- brazed on top tube cable guides eliminate the Grand Record option as all the black and red Grand Records I have have clamp on cable housing guides...
- unused cable stops indicate the possibility of stem shifters which is how the Super Mirage was equipped
- I speculate that the derailleurs, brakes and hubs and seat post which are not consistent with any of the catalog specs for those yearswere "upgrades" at some point later.

*** *** ***

Hi Tom,

My money is on a Grand Jubile.  I think Moto made this color scheme on the Grand Jubile near the end of the production run with these graphics.  At that time, I think they had transitioned to Vitus tubing, and had suntour components.  I think the Grand Record from this time period still had the Campy dropouts.  The transition to the new graphics probably happened in '78 give or take a year.  I'm not an expert, but certainly an admirer of the mark.

*** *** *** My 1974 Le Champion *** *** ***

Modolo Speedy Brakeset - Black

I love finely-crafted brake calipers and levers. The best ones illustrate a harmony of form and function. That being said, Modolo brakes may not be the best stopping brakes out there - certainly not by today's standards, but even back in the day. However, Modolo did make great-looking brakes, and their attention to design detail is, to me, very apparent in their models starting at the Speedy level.

I also love Suntour Superbe and Superbe Pro brakesets and, of course, most of the Campagnolo offerings in this category prior to 1990. Don't get me wrong; when it comes to modern builds, there are few brakes more sexy that gleaming polished metal or black Campagnolo Skeleton calipers. But those belong in another blog.

I purchased the Modolo Speedy brakeset pictured here off Craigslist for a song - $50. The levers even had the original hoods on them, but they were so cracked and deteriorated that I threw them away as I began polishing. These will go on a build, eventually. In the meantime, they'll remain in my offsite, climate-controlled, subterranean component vault. 

Share your experiences with Modolo brakes below so our readers can enjoy your stories too!

1983 Bianchi Tipo Corsa

This build is 98% done. 58cm 1983 Bianchi Tipo Corsa. Wheels are going to need to be changed out. They have era-correct Phil Wood hubs (so nice), but the rims are early 90s Mavic. No huge deal, but there's so much effort in keeping the rest original that I didn't want to skimp on the wheels. I have another set of 80s Mavic wheels that will go nicely. Might even splurge for celeste tires... we'll see.

Dropout screws are in backwards. I have another, shorter pair coming in the mail this week, so those will be fixed. Stem isn't correct. It's a more recent Cinelli. Other than that - pretty much a correct (catalog) build for this bike. 

Frame came to me as a freshly-painted bare frame and fork. Spent this summer slowly builging it up - piece by piece. Really had fun with this build. Something about taking my time, polishing things - working on early Saturday mornings in the garage to assemble what I know will be a beautiful machine. 

More pics HERE.

Thanks for looking!

1985 Schwinn Super Sport

58 CM Center to Center Seat Tube and Top Tube

Full Shimano 600 Grey Edition

All parts removed, cleaned, lubed, replaced

Frame has only a few, very minor blemishes and nicks.

Ready to ride!

Picked this bike up from a local seller in Orange County, CA. He may not have realized what he had. Once I brushed some dirt off the top tube, I saw a beautifully-preserved 30 year old bicycle. 

Took a couple weeks taking it apart and reconditioning it - had a blast doing that, as always. 

For sale, so leave a comment if interested. 

The 1985 Super Sport was three from the top in the Schwinn line-up. Club racer with effective racing angles, light Columbus Tenax (older name for Chromor) tubing. Weighs in at 22 pounds 4 ounces on my Park scale; which is 2 full pounds less than Bianchis of the same era I have. 

Tubular wheels on this one. The original rear wheel (clincher) had a bad axle, so I swapped out the set for something more lively/light. 

Chime in if you've ever owned a Super Sport. 

Catalog can be found HERE.

Vibrating Parts Cleaner - It's Time to Come Clean

I recently purchased a 5 lb Vibratory Tumbler from Harbor Freight to clean bicycle parts and bits. Here's a couple videos showing how I used it and the results. 

Enjoy!

Chime in by leaving a comment if you've used one of these and care to share your story. 

Bianchi - The New Obsession

Original listing photo. That is NOT my douug!

1982 Campagnolo NR mech and Gipiemme dropouts

Bianchi-branded Ofmega Strada crankset

Dia Compe hoods fit fine over Universal levers. I have since removed the top ferrules. 

I've always loved Bianchi bikes; particularly the celeste ones from the early 1980s. I found one on eBay recently and the seller was local, so I contacted him. It is a 1982 Nuova Racing with original components and a well-preserved paint job. I took it apart, cleaned it up, and now it's ready to ride.

Actual photos of the Tipo Corsa frame.

Not my bike, but a close-enough vision of what it will look like. 

UPDATED PHOTOS OF TIPO CORSA BUILD (sorry for yelling)

Red cable housing. Yes!

Three weeks later, fueled by my recent purchase and the fun I had bringing that Bianchi back to original condition, I searched for another. I quickly found a 1983 Tipo Corsa 28-T that was a repaint, but well-done and quite pristine. The buyer was, again, local, so I purchased it and that is now my Summer build project.

I've taken the parts from my Guerciotti and some other I had in stock to build this, and am having a blast.

So why the interest in Bianchis? In and around 1981 and 1982, I couldn't afford any other bike than my trusty Univega Viva Sport. It served me well and I put many miles on it. Still, I longed for a "real" racing bicycle. I cut apart Bianchi, Specialized, and other brochures and created a collage on the wall next to my bed. No poster purchased in any store could have been more inspirational or fun to look at. I memorized the bicycle specs from the charts in the catalogs and dreamed of the day I could finally one one of these fine, elegant machines.

Fast-forward 33 years and I finally purchased a 1981 Super Leggera in mint condition. Unfortunately, it was too small, and I decided to sell it after two years. The ones I recently found fit fine and the experience of wrenching on these and riding them is, in every sense of the term, a dream come true.

I have my eyes open for more and am saving my pennies. The thought has even crossed my mind to sell a Colnago or two to pay for another Bianchi, but I've, so far, talked myself out of that silly notion. :)

What about you - ever own a Bianchi?

Mavic 851 SSC (professional) Rear Derailleur

Found this Mavic 851 at the Whittier bicycle swap meet last Saturday. I'm quite pleased with the price I paid as well as the condition of this fine mech. Plus, it's just so damn cool looking!

These were made in the mid 1980s and designed in such a manner that all of the individual parts are replaceable. This is the reason that, when looking up this model on eBay, so many of the auctions are for the pieces of the derailleur - and these come at a premium price. 

This may get mounted some day, but for now, I'm keeping it clean and in a spot where it can be appreciated by like-minded vintage enthusiasts (nut cases). :)

Click HERE for the VeloBase entry for this Mavic. I kinda like the fact that mine is in better shape than the one on VeloBase.