Can you identify my Team Shimano 753c?

Bike shop informs me I've been riding a rare item on my turbo trainer, and should get it restored. I want to do it properly, but can't find much out about the bike, which is thinly painted in the original red and white Shimano colours. Its a 753c frame with internal cable routing, cinelli bottom bracket, campag drop-outs and front fork ends, campag aero seatpost, cinelli criterion bars, cinelli stem, mavic wheels, san marco concor supercorsa saddle. The rest is dura ace - front (2 ring) and rear (7 speed) mechs, brakes, hubs and I think quick releases. Frame looks very similar to the stuff produced by Raleigh's SBDU except there is no SB stamp on the bottom bracket - in fact, there are no ID marks at all. Bike shop guru said it reminds him of the bikes MBK produced in the early 90's, and was probably made for a team and not expected to last more than a season (hence untreated frame and thin paint job). It's been converted to RSX STI's, but the plan is to put the downtube shifters back. Any help with this would really be appreciated, as I'm having the bike stripped and repainted, and want to get the right colour scheme, and restore the old girl to her former glory.

MBK frames were quite distinctive and mainly Columbus. Picture?

Pics added.

What a strange way to show pictures !! I thought my screen had gone funny

The paintwork looks a bit like a Daccordi.

Certainly don't think it's an MBK, although that's not to say its not.

Paintwork reminds me of Graham Weigh (Deeside Cycles) back in the 80's not sure if they used cinelli bb shells or Campagnolo ends though.

Whatever it is 753 with DA is a winning combination!

Tel":1rovzc5y said:

Whatever it is 753 with DA is a winning combination!

Click to expand...

Paint it a deep metallic red and chrome gold Pavone decals! BINGO another matching Pavone


Ian.

Thanks for the interest and tips. Does look a lot like the Daccordi paint, and the component set is very close the the Merckx builds, but the 753R tubes discounts both of those I think. Specialist frame builder looks like the way to go - have contacted Graham Weigh cycles to see if they have a clue.

Nigel Dean had some 753 frames so could be.

Mystery solved thanks to Tel. Graham Weigh thinks it's one of his stock models from the late Eighties - although that is one seriously spec'd 'stock' bike. He says the frame painting was done by a guy in Belgium who has long since retired, and that "these frames were not over-lacquered as I know they were always cold cured for 7 days after stoving". It's got a bit too much surface damage to save the original paint, so I think I'll be going for an all-white finish with some of Graham's retro decals and a bit of chrome... Thanks again for the responses - I'll get the finished article on the users bikes forum.