Which Benotto 1978-1980

[Madsbt]

Hi
I am new to this forum and hope for help identifying a Benotto bike from 1978-1980.
The bike has been repainted at some point, and there might have been a change in the original setup.
It has a Campagnolo Nuova Record derailleur, but brakes, crank arm, seatpost and pedals are Gran Sport - sadle is a Turbo - Hinault edition. The handlebar is cinelli, and the stem is 3ttt.
It has the cable on top of the chainstay, which is not diamond shaped. Under the Bb is a cut out shaped like a heart with a line in the middle.
The mandatory danish frame number indicates that it has been imported in 1980. The numbers under the BB says 3-C-597 in one side and 3-9-57 on the other.
The markings on the crank arm sats strada and 8 in the small square (I have read that means production in 197. In the current set up it has Maillard wheel hubs and Weinmann rims.
My guess is that it is a Modelo 2500, but I am not sure…?
Kind regards Mads

 

[Madsbt]

Hi
I am new to this forum and hope for help identifying a Benotto bike from 1978-1980.
The bike has been repainted at some point, and there might have been a change in the original setup.
It has a Campagnolo Nuova Record derailleur, but brakes, crank arm, seatpost and pedals are Gran Sport - sadle is a Turbo - Hinault edition. The handlebar is cinelli, and the stem is 3ttt.
It has the cable on top of the chainstay, which is not diamond shaped. Under the Bb is a cut out shaped like a heart with a line in the middle.
The mandatory danish frame number indicates that it has been imported in 1980. The numbers under the BB says 3-C-597 in one side and 3-9-57 on the other.
The markings on the crank arm sats strada and 8 in the small square (I have read that means production in 197. In the current set up it has Maillard wheel hubs and Weinmann rims.
My guess is that it is a Modelo 2500, but I am not sure…?
Kind regards Mads

I just found the diameter on the seat post, which is 27.2 indicates that it is made from columbus SL (machiine.com) making it either a 2500 or a 3000

 

[vtwinvince]

The 3000's had diamond profile chainstays and chrome.

 

[Madsbt]

The 3000's had diamond profile chainstays and chrome.

 

[Madsbt]

I agre - I think my bike could be a modelo 2500, as it has a 27.2 seat post, or maybe a 2500 frame with nouva record groupset, but with g. s. brakes and crank set?

 

[petgel]

Looks like a 2500. Campag dropouts, round chsinstays.

 

[petgel]

Yes, defo 2500. They only seemed to ever do them in the champagne or blue in that era. I would say 1979. Contrary to popular opinion they weren’t built by De Rosa. The only ones built by De Rosa were the filotex/Sanson team bikes. The one at the start of “a Sunday in hell - 1976 Paris roubaix” is not a benotto at all, but a De Rosa with benotto decals

 

[vtwinvince]

Lots of confusion about that. I heard that Benotto used the De Rosa factory to build some of his product, but using his own people.

 

[petgel]

Lots of confusion about that. I heard that Benotto used the De Rosa factory to build some of his product, but using his own people.

Benotto used contract builders in many small outfits with spare capacity to produce his frames. The 3000 on the whole were good quality. They were early adopters of investment cast lugs, which is why they still weren’t as good as De Rosa who were still using pressed, predominantly Dubois, lugs. There is also some confusion because they shared some components, such as the diamond chainstays, the Benotto diamond ones were always more pronounced though, and the De Rosa had a flattened bit for the inner chainring clearance.

Seat stay caps are also pure De Rosa on the team bikes but without the stamping, although many team bikes did have the stamping it was just painted over. They didn’t have the heart in the flat fork crown either.

In short, the team bikes, and therefor the bike at the start of a Sunday in hell, are not Benotto. They are pure De Rosa, built by De Rosa, with different components than the Benotto 3000. The only thing they have in common is Columbus SL tubing. This practice carried on into the early 80s bikes when Moser team bikes were also De Rosa built.

So if you’re offered a bike that claims to be a “de Rosa built benotto” it’s absolute rubbish. And bike from the 70s through early 80s that has a benotto fork, benotto seat stay caps and investment cast lugs is a benotto built by contract staff, if it’s a 3000 probably in Italy as few were produced in Mexico due to the quality control issues. If you have a “Benotto” with a flat fork crown, pressed (thinner than cast) lugs, and either no seat stay caps of under the pain De Rosa, then it’s a de Rosa built frame. But chances are you’ll know that already as it will have De Rosa decals on it.

There’s no such thing as a de Rosa built benotto.