1992 DBS Daccordi La Migliore

[bjarnetv]

I figured this might be an interesting bike to document for you lot, since it's a pretty rare and nice bike.

These 90s DBS La Migliore bikes are kind of overlooked over here in Norway, as most people think they are Norwegian bikes of average quality, while they are in fact just rebranded italian bikes from Daccordi (and rather fine ones i might add)


i have for several years ridden the little brother of the La Migliore, the colombus Cromor tubed Professionale, so when this SLX tubed top of the line frame turned up for sale, i decided it would be fun to compare the two, and bought it.

Not many people have compared similar bikes from the same frame builder with different tubing, so i was admittedly quite stoked about the upcoming shootout, and a bit worried that i was just wasting my time and money on a frame that would feel and look exactly the same as my old bike :roll:

when the bike arrived it was definitely showing it's age, with non working STI shifters and gritty headset bearings, so i decided to pull it apart and give everything a good cleaning before trying it out.





everything cleaned up pretty nicely, and the shifters started working again after cleaning out all the gunk and regreasing them.


putting together clean, freshly lubricated parts is the best
i decided to change the stock cinelli handlebars for some deda piega with a modern ergonomic shape, and a 120mm deda murex stem.


looking good!
not quite finished yet though.
the original campagnolo omega tubular wheels were all bent out of shape, so the professionale had to donate its mavic aksium wheels.


(the seatpost and stem are a bit to high in this picture, as i didn't want to stick them in too far without measuring first, scratching the finish on the visible part)

the detailing on the bike is quite nice.
really elaborate lugs similar to the Daccordi Griffe model.


(to be continued)

 

[bjarnetv]

more frame details



and the finished bike, out in it's natural environment

 

[bjarnetv]

so what i a DBS La migliore?
a quick googling of similar daccordi branded bikes led me to this catalog page among others, showing the Daccordi Professional, available with either SLX or Oria tubing.


i know at least some people are familiar with these frames, as some professional teams used them in the early 90s.


mine was apparently bought new in 92.


i dont know the price when new, but i have found a DBS catalog from 94, listing the 94 model La migliore with a choice of dura ace or campagnolo groupset for slightly over 22000 NOK, which amounts to around 36000 NOK in todays money, or around 3305 GBP for you international types :shock:
the Cromor tubed professionale was almost half the price.

 

[bjarnetv]

so, on to the big question - how does the more glamorous SLX tubing compare to the Cromor frame?
Both bikes have the same shimano 600 tricolore groupset, almost the same size (1 cm difference), and the same wheelset.

well, to my big surprise, the SLX tubing easily crushed the Cromor tubing from the very first pedal-stroke i took.
Where the Cromor feels leaden, slightly disconnected from the ground, and not very willing to sprint, the SLX feels like a taut spring that just beckons you to go fast and get up and sprint up every hill.
it's so much fun to ride, it's kind of hard to choose between it and the modern CAAD 12 ultegra when i'm heading out for my weekend rides.
(the CAAD is obviously still faster though)

After reading so much about the different steel frames not really feeling any different, this sure came as a big shock to me, but a welcome one

 

[bjarnetv]

so naturally, since the bike turned out to be so nice, i decided it needed a bit more bling, and luckily a dura ace 7800 groupset showed up for sale at a price i could live with.



still waiting for a few parts, like the bottom bracket, and a braze on FD, but hopefully i'll be able to mount it before winter sets in with full force.
Not sure if i could bear waiting for several months to try the gloriously shiny components out

 

[Nob]

Nice build

 

[bjarnetv]

All the pieces finally arrived, so i got the dura ace 7800 groupset mounted!



i even managed to find a NOS 7800 bottom bracket on black friday sale
what luck!


It's kind of hard to photograph, but IRL the groupset looks freaking amazing, almost like liquid mercury.
shifting is also really good, with a solid and satisfying mechanical "thunk" when shifting.
In some ways the shifters feels better than the modern Ultegra r8000 shifter (mechanically), though it doesn't shift quite as fast.

As an added bonus, the groupset weighs around half a kilo less then the 600 groupset, which will come in handy when going uphill.

unfortunately, winter is upon us and the weather sucks so i probably wont be able to take it for any long rides for a while, but it feels really good so far, just riding around the block

Next up on the list, is finding some new wheels.
The mavic aksium wheels are fine and all, but weigh a ton and doesn't have the best feel.
i'm really tempted by some Hunt Sprints, just to go all in with the shininess.

 

[jamesdak]

Re:

That has turned out quite nice!

 

[bjarnetv]

Re: Re:

That has turned out quite nice!

Nice build

Thanks, i'm quite glad it turned out as nice as it did! :mrgreen:

 

[Apple Tree]

Daccordi are top quality. With Columbus SLX, even better. Still made by Luigi Daccordi today.
An excellent restoration.