Hello everyone!
I got really lucky and got a whole box with a complete Campagnolo Nuovo Record/Super Record groupset (I don't know which is which aside from the rear derailleur being a Nuovo) for only 150 USD (in the current exchange rate)
I want to get a good 80s road bike frame but it's hard to tell what is good and is meh from just searching around. I like the rossin bikes and they don't cost an arm and a leg like the Colnago and De Rosa ones (although they look super sweet)
Or should I grab a modern vintage I spired frame and slap all these parts on it. The other problem is I live in Japan and bikes my size are extremely rare so I'll have to play blood money to import from abroad!
Any thoughts
by peachfuzzmcgee
4 Comments
Wanted to add that although you can’t see it, it includes hubs, headset, and bb too!
I hope the bottom bracket isn’t Italian threaded, because then you’ll be limited to Italian frames which mostly are high end..
If it isn’t (or you can opt to slap a BSA bb in case), why not try scouting through used yards for Japanese frames like Bridgestone? It’s a bit of a mismatch tho since they use Shimano lol.
Anyway, shops like Corsa corsa in tokyo could help but they’re on the expensive side.
Rossin all the way those things are so sick
Good/Bad is a long and winding road. Many times we will covet after internet trophies only to realize that they’re best left as metaphysical desires.
Tubing type and geometry and the resulting ride quality have many interconnected principles. Don’t go into this expecting to find nirvana with your first frame. I recommend going with stiffer tubing vs flexier at your height and for your first vintage road frame. Columbus SP/TSX, Tange 2 or Champion 2, Reynolds 531st or 531cs, Miyata…to name a few.
Are there not tons of high quality 80s/90s japanese made road bikes in Japan? I am not aware of the market over there.
Beware of road frames only fitting 25mm tires at most, some can’t go beyond 23mm. Final note, those brakes look to me like they might be standard reach (aka ~47-59mm). By the time the 80s rolled around, road bikes were pretty much all short reach (aka 39-49mm). Finding a high quality race bike from the 70s in Japan for a reasonable price is…probably highly unlikely. The next option would be an 80s sport touring bike, which solves the issue of brake reach as well as tubing type; most sport touring bikes are made of slightly thicker tubing and thus less flexy.