Concorde Astore

[NeilM]

I fancied another road bike, just to tinker with, something a little older than my 90's Raleigh.

I found this Astore frame and forks, in Belgium, on the bay and got it for a good price. I have just finished building it up... well, with the exception of the pedals, and I'm pretty sure it mid to late 80's.

I know that the bike is nothing particularly special, better than gas pipe, but not boutique or exotic. What I don't know anything about, is the paint scheme. I saw that one almost identical to mine sold on London Fixie not too long ago, but just wondered if anyone knew anything about the red, white and blue colours. The red and blue colours are painted over the white base.

The frame is Columbus Aelle R.

It was originally supplied by a shop in Ghent that are still in business.

Any info would be great.

 

[saarf]

team america colours?
one was listed here
http://www.lfgss.com/thread75931.html

 

[NeilM]

I think that was the one I saw listed, but I couldn't get the photo's to work.

I was going to build mine up with Shimano Tricolor 600, pinched off my Raleigh, and then changed my mind and went all modern. However, things can always change.

The Columbus sticker on mine is incomplete, but it is definitely Aelle R not SL

Looks like it could be something to do with Gianni Motta Pro Team, but I'm not growing a moustache like John Eustice, not for anything!




Whyyyy Emm Cee A, it's fun to stay at the Whyyy Emm Cee A yay.....

 

[swinger76]

love the american colors wow so jealous

 

[NeilM]

Thanks swinger, I just thought it looked a little out of the ordinary.

The colours must have something to do with the American team(s), as the picture of John Eustice on London Fixie, has him with a Gianni Motta bike. Not too much of a surprise as the team were part sponsored by Gianni Motta.

Goodness knows where / how / when Concorde got involved. :roll:

It is a nice looking bike though, and as soon as it stops raining, I'm pinching the pedals off my son's fixie and taking it for a shakedown run.

Now, where to get a stars and stripes jersey?

 

[foz]

I quite like it, but the masking between red and white looks pretty bad - are you sure it's original paint, or might somebody have taken an originally all white concorde and added the red and blue on top?

 

[NeilM]

I quite like it, but the masking between red and white looks pretty bad - are you sure it's original paint, or might somebody have taken an originally all white concorde and added the red and blue on top?

I'm not really sure of anything, and you're right the red/white borders are not the prettiest ever, but the blue / white and the stars are all clean, plus the decals look pretty original and have been applied after painting.

It may be something that the shop did, or possibly a factory 'replica' (rather like many of the other manufacturers have done over the years) especially as the bike Saarf linked to was Columbus SL and my frame is Aelle R.

Once I get some decent pictures, I'll e-mail the shop that originally supplied the frame (or bike) and see if they can shed any light.

 

[otherself]

Columbus Aelle-R was a butted version of the plain gauge Aelle. It appeard in the late 70's and ceased production 10 years later. It is an 80's tubeset.

 

[NeilM]

Re: Concorde Astore - Can anybody tell me about my bike?

I have had a long wait for some dry weather and the chance to really try the Astore out, but tonight I got the chance.

I managed just a smidge under 25k and took in a route I know pretty well, which gave me the chance to compare the Astore to my 853.

First off, Aelle R takes a lot more of the sting out of some of the poor road surfaces we have round here, but at the same time I did not feel any flexibility in the frame when I was climbing or accelerating and standing in the pedals. I can certainly see why Concorde used to market the Astore as their all day bike (sportive in modern parlance), as the whole ride is just a little less on edge than my Raleigh.

As far as the running gear is concerned, the SRAM set up worked exactly the way I expected, although the double tap levers took a little consideration on the first couple of downshifts.

So, in short, I am chuffed with the Astore, and reckon I got an absolute bargain.

Fitted with front and rear lights and the obligatory Garmin Edge.