Spécialités T.A. bottle cage

The one and only.

The only bottle cage I wanted to ride and race with: Spécialités T.A. chrome plated steel.

Doesn’t come apart, doesn’t twist, provides the right and stable tension to retain the bottle, good quality chrome, doesn’t break.

Did you ever race in hot summer weather without feed zones, no support cars, cobblestones? One thing you don’t want is loosing your bottle or bottle cage.

So, forget about all plastic and aluminium, Tacx, Elite, even the aluminium T.A. or steel lookalikes.

Cannondale M2000

Mountainbike restauration coming up.

New fork, respray, decals, parts in mint condition, ...

So, it looks like it will be ridable again pretty soon.

Bottecchia Mod. SCIC

One bike I’ve been dreaming of since I started roadracing in 1979: Bottecchia.

Team bike of Giuseppe Saronni’s SCIC-Bottecchia team, but also the bike of junior racer Teun van Vliet, at that time one of the leading Dutch junior racers.

Since I started to collect old bike stuff, I’ve been looking for such a Bottecchia, but I never had the chance to buy one. But if you stay patient, you will always find that what you’re looking for. Better: even before this Bottecchia arrived at my home, I found a second one. I still regret that I didn’t also buy that one, because it was 1 cm larger and a better fit.

Columbus SL tubing, fully chrome plated front fork and rear stays, the characteristic seat cluster...

Bottecchia, made by Carnielli. Lot of rubbish, but a few gems.

Frame and fork: Bottecchia Mod. SCIC, Columbus SL

Head set: Campagnolo Super Record

Cranks: Campagnolo Record 170 mm

Bottom Bracket set: Campagnolo Record

Rear derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record

Front derailleur: Campagnolo Record, braze-on

Shifting lever: Simplex retrofriction

Brakes: Campagnolo Record

Hubs: Campagnolo Record

Rims: Mavic MA40

Tyres: Challenge Strada Pro Open 25 mm

Sprockets: Maillard 6 spd

Chain: KMC B1 Narrow Silver

Pedals: Campagnolo Record

Toeclips: Christophe steel, size L

Toe straps: Alfredo Binda

Saddle: Selle San Marco Concor Supercorsa Confort

Seat Post: Campagnolo Record, 27.2 mm

Stem: Cinelli 1A

Handlebars: Cinelli Campione del Mondo 66-44 (44 cm center to center)

Brake levers: Campagnolo Super Record

Bar tape: Bike Ribbon white

Geliano Columbus MultiShape (MS)

I love odd bicycle stuff. And France has a lot of odd things to offer.

My preference is not the typical Peugeot, Motobecane, Simplex, Huret, Ideale, Singer or Herse, but I love Mecacycle, Polchlopek, Geliano, Follis, Sablière, Cyfac and Maxi Sports.

Geliano is the brand name of retailer / wholesaler Duret from the French Loire area.

Nice and good quality Geliano frames stand out because of the way these frames were manufactured and painted. There are many lugless / fillet brazed Geliano frames, using special tubing and frame building details. 

Most frames bear a special paint finish, usually very colourful with special “star” effects and other spacials. You like it or not, but it’s not dull or middle of the road.

My Geliano has it all.

Lugless, very rare Columbus MS / MultiShape tubing and a very special paintjob.

I can’t say that the colour combination is beautiful, but it’s certainly Geliano-like, beautiful in ugliness...

I’ve topped the bike off with all failed Campagnolo parts that I could find:

Croce d’Aune with “delta”-brakes, Syncro shifting levers and even SGR pedals.

Simply my best bike...

Jan Janssen Max Prestige

I’m a fan of Columbus Max tubing and I feel some sympathy for the Janssen brothers, so I couldn’t resist when I good friend offered me this frame.

Unfortunately, it’s not a lugless Max frame (leaving even more space to demonstrate the skills and ideas of a frame builder), but it’s still beautiful. Jan Janssen doesn’t build frames, but frame are purchased in Belgium, France, Japan and probably Italy. 

This Max Presige is a “Jubilee” frame to cetebrate the 25th anniversary of Jan Janssen’s Tour de France victory of 1968.

Of course you can argue about the components. The frame I got was originally meant for a Dutch amateur racing team and these team bikes were equipped with Sachs components.

I assembled the bike with a wild mixture no period incorrect Campagnolo parts, 2x10 speed Ergopower.

Ergopower and 1st Generation Cosmics are really from the 1990s.

It’s a pain in the neck with the 1st generation Mavic Cosmic wheels, maybe I have to change something sooner or later.

The Concor Profil saddle on the picture has already been replaced by a Turbo Special.

Frame and fork: Jan Janssen Max Prestige, Columbus Max.

Head set: Campagnolo C Record

Cranks: Campagnolo Record 172.5 mm

Bottom Bracket set: Campagnolo

Rear derailleur: Campagnolo Record

Front derailleur: Campagnolo Record, braze-on

Shifting lever: Campagnolo Record 10 Ultra Ergopower

Brakes: Campagnolo Record

Hubs: Mavic Cosmic

Rims: Mavic Cosmic

Tyres: Vredestein Fortezza Senso Superiore 25 mm

Sprockets: Shimano

Chain: KMC e10

Pedals: Campagnolo Pro Fit

Saddle: Selle Italia Turbo Special (updated 2019)

Seat Post: Campagnolo Chorus, 27.2 mm

Stem: Cinelli XA

Handlebars: Cinelli Campione del Mondo 66-42 (42 cm center to center)

Brake levers: Campagnolo Record 10 Ultra Ergopower

Bar tape: White

Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra

Very slowly this Eddy Merckx progressed and was finally finished.

I’ve acquired the Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra frame kit from Columbus SLX tubing late 2016 and got is re-sprayed in April 2017.

Now it’s more or less ready (bike are never finished), incl. Campagnolo parts, some pantographed bits (stem, brake levers, chainring) and Eddy Merckx Podio pedals and shoes.

Okay, the simple Campagnolo shifting levers will be replaced by a pair of Simplex retrofriction levers at a certain moment (update 12. May, 2021: done!) and I may please those people who complain about the too modern bare tape by swapping it for e.g. white Bike Ribbon.

I’m please with the outcome, although it’s not fully period correct (frame, fork crown, decals) and not as colourful as for example the frames with Telekom, Stuttgart, Motorola or Domex paint schemes.

Frame and fork: Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra, Columbus SLX, 58 cm centre - centre.

Head set: Campagnolo Super Record

Cranks: Campagnolo Record Strada, 170 mm, 52/42T

Bottom Bracket set: Campagnolo Record, 36x24.

Rear derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record

Front derailleur: Campagnolo Nuovo Record, braze-on

Shifting lever: (update 12. May, 2021) Simplex retrofriction

Brakes: Campagnolo Record

Hubs: Mavic 500 RD

Rims: Mavic GP4, 32H

Tyres: Vittoria Corsa SC 25 mm tubular

Sprockets: Sachs multiple freewheel

Chain: KMC B1 Narrow Silver

Pedals: Eddy Merckx Podio

Saddle: Selle Italia Turbo

Seat Post: Campagnolo Record, 27.2 mm

Stem: Cinelli 1R, 13 cm

Handlebars: Cinelli Campione del Mondo, 66-44, 44 cm center - center

Brake levers: Campagnolo Record

Bar tape: White

Fugazzi Air Dea saddle

Several years ago I posted something about the Campagnolo Electa saddle.

A real collectors item.

How about this one?

Fugazzi Air Dea.

I don’t know the exact story, but at least it’s curious.