rBoTM October / November - Nominations Please!

Let's have your nomination for the October road Bike of The Month contest please

Might give my Gios a try!

Updated pictures! Gios is now fitted scrumptious blue hoods.

Second picture is to make you go bonkers! ....lol

Carrying on with the theme started with my bike last month, here is another bike by Licinio Marastoni. Marastoni was very far ahead of the times throughout his career. He was one if not the very first to use investment cast lugs, he was likely responsible for the design of the allen key seat lug bolt (that he fashioned from a Campagnolo chainring bolt and then showed to Tullio). He was also one of the earlier frame-builders to use braze-on front derailleurs. His frame-building was also top notch, with very neat filing of his lugs, BB shells and fork crowns (obviously before he sitched over to investment cast items). He also did a number of other niceties like brazed-on brake centerbolts (not seen here as they would not work well with the delta brakes) and nicely formed chain and seat stays (on this bike the stays and fork blades have all been very nicely formed by Licinio, to give them very nice aero form)

The components are mainly Campagnolo C-Record apart from the headset as I find the square spanner faces of the C-Record headset to be very off-setting. In its stead, I have used a headset with a more conical design, which I find more appropriate. The stem is a nicely pantographed Dura-Ace stem, which I find to be the ultimate combination of design/function. The tan tyres might be somewhat off-putting to some, but I prefer function over aesthetics here as it is perhaps the bike that I ride most often.

Enjoy!

Sheesh, it's going to take one hell of a bike to beat that, stunning.

I see someone's stole your Passatt wheel centres too

Hi All, I might also give it a try (apologies if it's not possible). My Raleigh Europa 1979. More pics to come.





Link to project: http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=219562


Thanks!

This is a lovely frame from Mattolini Bros in Siestre Fiorentina.


Equipped with campagnolo record / super record groupset, Drillium = drilled for lightness.

Apologies for Shimano freewheel in pic, Regina Oro on it's way!

I believe you meant to write Sesto Fiorentino. I wouldn't worry about the freewheel much, what is perhaps more disturbing are the brake lever hoods and the saddle. The lever hoods seem unnecessarily chunky when compared to the original lithe Campagnolo ones and the Brooks Professional saddle, while a great saddle, simply does not suit an Italian bike with full drillium. Why go to the whole trouble of drilling everything out to reduce the weight and then put a saddle whose additional weight over other period saddles was more than the savings obtained by the drillium work? The result is heavier weight and far lesser durability.

BTW: a friend of mine bought his motorcycle from Mattoloni a few years ago in Sesto Fiorentino and there were no bikes to be seen. I truly doubt that they ever built any frames themselves, they were more likely insourced from some third party builder who produced for them (my guess is that it might even be a Colnago). Perhaps you could start another separate dedicated thread where you could display more close-up photos. I think it is deserving of more photos.

Ah my typo! I found only one other Mattolini on line: http://www.eroica-ciclismo.it/schede_bi ... inotti.pdf

Thank you, I have some brown gum campy hoods sourced so that's not a problem, also available is either a Rolls saddle or a Iscaselle Giro d'Italia in perfect condition ( same as: http://bianchista.blogspot.co.uk/2011/0 ... addle.html )

There are more detailed pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51987088@N ... 1220012856

The fork inner lug work and dot cut-outs on the lugs and fork crown look like early Colnago.

Thanks for linking to the detailed photos. It is indeed an interesting bike. My suggestion that it might have been produced in the same place as Colnago bikes seems less likely after having seen the detailed photos. There are simply too many inconsistencies and the finish work is not quite as refined as what you would have found on a Colnago at that time. The fork crown, the lug shorelines and the rear dropouts do not show the same dexterity and/or time spent with the file.

From the components and frame details, I think that you can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that the bike was produced between 1973 and 1976. The stem is post 1972, the rear derailleur is marked 1973, the cranks are marked 1973. The frame still has cable clamps on the top tube (generally meaning pre-76) but braze-on bottle bosses (generally meaning post 1972).

Did you do the partial repaint yourself? If you did, I must complement your work. I did not notice any blending and the orange peel is virtually non existent.

As far as a saddle goes, the Rolls dates from the 80's (see on my Marastoni here above) and the Giro d'Italia from the 90's (I have three of them on my triplet), so not quite in keeping with the vintage of the bike but still more in keeping with the drillium.

Many thanks.again, saddle wise I overlooked a brown suede unicanitor, the pedals have now been dressed with clips and dark blue binda straps. The bike is on show at sigma sport showroom.