I was told it was a friend/roommate who cheated with his girl in the 70s and my father chased the guy away and the bike was left, lol. He has dementia now so I can’t get the details. He was living near the SF bay area back then, silly hippies. Anyway he put it up above the garage for decades and didn’t ride. I think my teen brother put on tacky grip tape in the 80s and might have used it briefly, he’s long gone now but I assume it went back up there till I found it this weekend.
I’m a stroke survivor in Sacramento and rode and raced MTB but I ride a recumbent trike now and would fall over on this. Thank you for the information. I still don’t have an exact date or know if it was all original parts or a mishmash, even back then.
The consensus sounds like clean to up and don’t restore but it would be a enjoyable project for someone instead of the trash. I think I’ll have my 10yo clean it up good and put in on marketplace. She wouldn’t know how to ride a road bike well and already has a MTB. I wouldn’t want to convert it to flat bars or anything.
David_Buzzard on
Get a 3M green scouring pad and some WD-40 and give it a good wipe. That will clean up all the rest and grime. It should be a beautiful bike.
n0_use_for_a_name on
I personally love the thrill of the hunt in trying to find out when a bike was manufactured.
A better pic of the rear derailleur might help date it.
At a glance and without much detail I’d say 60s. It’s got some of the parts and vibe my old Legnano has
C-loIo on
I would use warm/hot water and dawn dish soap on the whole thing, and if you wanted to make the chrome or polished metal pop more you could use copper or brass wool, even 00 steel wool would probably be safe. You can also use balled up aluminum foil but it’s a little more inconsistent because it doesn’t have a uniform surface.
zilog88 on
I am by no means an expert on Italian vintage bikes, but I’d say it is Benotto’s solid upper tier bike from the (end) 60ies, judging by the components.
FD – campa gran sport from 60ies, RD – Nuovo record v2 (60ies) or v3 (70ies), Brakes – Universal Mod. 61 – since ’61.
allezsf on
Sell it like that. Let the new buyer decide what to do with it. Your best intentions to clean it may ruin it. I sold an early 70’s Colnago that looked like that, the buyer was happy that I did not attempt to “clean it up”.
Oldgatorwrestler on
If you want to sell it, I’ll buy it.
JulianFR1 on
You should sell it like that. It will not decrease the value, and a proper collector will know how to clean it without damaging. It’s a middle end Benotto from the late 60s, so already +50 years old and very delicate. The only thing you should do is to take multiple pictures and put an ad on craigslist. The main picture should be of the bike against a clear/white wall, levelled and from the drive side. In this condition I think you can ask for around 400 to 650usd. Nice find 🙂
okko_powell on
Please be particularly careful with the clamps on the top tube. they might be very fragile. But it would probably be best to give it to someone who knows what they’re doing before something breaks when you try to clean it. Finding a bike like this as a garage find is the holy grail for vintage road bike enthusiasts. In this untouched state collectors might be more excited than over the cleaned version
Lower_Wall_638 on
I never saw one from Italy. Benotto were made in Mexico for a long time.
unclejoel on
What a looker!
structuralist_jazz on
Wow!
Independence_1991 on
Wow!!!
DavesDogma on
I would not let a 10 year old child clean it, unless she has a solid history refurbishing bikes.
thoan71 on
Cool discovery!
Illustrious_Onion805 on
why are people attracted to this bike?
is it pretty much like old fenders and telecasters people drool all over, guitar wise?
thegree2112 on
🤓 have fun with your new project
LanceFree on
Oooh, it has quick-release.
Grumpy1976 on
That lugged frame neck is beautiful.
Dino-sd on
Google vintage bike shop plus your location. Call them and ask what they would buy it for, much easier than dealing with people on Craigslist
20 Comments
I was told it was a friend/roommate who cheated with his girl in the 70s and my father chased the guy away and the bike was left, lol. He has dementia now so I can’t get the details. He was living near the SF bay area back then, silly hippies. Anyway he put it up above the garage for decades and didn’t ride. I think my teen brother put on tacky grip tape in the 80s and might have used it briefly, he’s long gone now but I assume it went back up there till I found it this weekend.
I’m a stroke survivor in Sacramento and rode and raced MTB but I ride a recumbent trike now and would fall over on this. Thank you for the information. I still don’t have an exact date or know if it was all original parts or a mishmash, even back then.
The consensus sounds like clean to up and don’t restore but it would be a enjoyable project for someone instead of the trash. I think I’ll have my 10yo clean it up good and put in on marketplace. She wouldn’t know how to ride a road bike well and already has a MTB. I wouldn’t want to convert it to flat bars or anything.
Get a 3M green scouring pad and some WD-40 and give it a good wipe. That will clean up all the rest and grime. It should be a beautiful bike.
I personally love the thrill of the hunt in trying to find out when a bike was manufactured.
A better pic of the rear derailleur might help date it.
Here’s a write up from someone working to restore one of those bikes on how to identify the year of manufacture: [https://machiine.com/2015/benotto-bicycle-restoration-how-to-identify-a-vintage-benotto-bike-frames-year-and-model-part-2/](https://machiine.com/2015/benotto-bicycle-restoration-how-to-identify-a-vintage-benotto-bike-frames-year-and-model-part-2/)
At a glance and without much detail I’d say 60s. It’s got some of the parts and vibe my old Legnano has
I would use warm/hot water and dawn dish soap on the whole thing, and if you wanted to make the chrome or polished metal pop more you could use copper or brass wool, even 00 steel wool would probably be safe. You can also use balled up aluminum foil but it’s a little more inconsistent because it doesn’t have a uniform surface.
I am by no means an expert on Italian vintage bikes, but I’d say it is Benotto’s solid upper tier bike from the (end) 60ies, judging by the components.
FD – campa gran sport from 60ies, RD – Nuovo record v2 (60ies) or v3 (70ies), Brakes – Universal Mod. 61 – since ’61.
Sell it like that. Let the new buyer decide what to do with it. Your best intentions to clean it may ruin it. I sold an early 70’s Colnago that looked like that, the buyer was happy that I did not attempt to “clean it up”.
If you want to sell it, I’ll buy it.
You should sell it like that. It will not decrease the value, and a proper collector will know how to clean it without damaging. It’s a middle end Benotto from the late 60s, so already +50 years old and very delicate. The only thing you should do is to take multiple pictures and put an ad on craigslist. The main picture should be of the bike against a clear/white wall, levelled and from the drive side. In this condition I think you can ask for around 400 to 650usd. Nice find 🙂
Please be particularly careful with the clamps on the top tube. they might be very fragile. But it would probably be best to give it to someone who knows what they’re doing before something breaks when you try to clean it. Finding a bike like this as a garage find is the holy grail for vintage road bike enthusiasts. In this untouched state collectors might be more excited than over the cleaned version
I never saw one from Italy. Benotto were made in Mexico for a long time.
What a looker!
Wow!
Wow!!!
I would not let a 10 year old child clean it, unless she has a solid history refurbishing bikes.
Cool discovery!
why are people attracted to this bike?
is it pretty much like old fenders and telecasters people drool all over, guitar wise?
🤓 have fun with your new project
Oooh, it has quick-release.
That lugged frame neck is beautiful.
Google vintage bike shop plus your location. Call them and ask what they would buy it for, much easier than dealing with people on Craigslist