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Desperately Seeking a Frameset

10/20/2014

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Picture
this query came in from a reader:

Comment
I am looking for an 80s era Colnago frame set that I can build up over time. 60-62cm frame.

I sent him a suggestion and then he replied with a more specific query:

Thank you for getting back to me. I have just started looking for a vintage frame. Its hard to describe exactly what I'm looking for. I'll know it when I see it, not too picky. The brands I am interested in are:

Colnago
Lemond
Ciocc
Bianchi
Marinoni
Merckx
Concord
Bottecchia
Panasonic
Mielle
Moser
Fluer
Pinarello

That frame you have is nice, I would need to strip it and give it a brighter paint job. My budget is definitely less than $500. I'm looking in the 200-300 range.

Lets keep in touch,


To which I replied:

There's quite a leap from Miele to Merckx. They are not usually mentioned in the same search.

With patience, you might find a decent frame in the $200-300 range, but highly unlikely a top brand like Colnago, Pinarello, Merckx.

I think you have to refine your search.
Cat 1. Colnago, PInarello, Merckx (good condition: $500, VGC $700+)

Cat2. Conorde (but beware, only a few are their top frames), Ciocc, Bianchi (ditto - they made masses of frames, good and mediocre), Bottechia (ditto), Moser,

Cat 3. Marinoni, Lemond, Miele (A), Panasonic

Cat 4: Miele (B - they made a lot of entry level frames)

I've never heard of Fluer. Who are / were they?

By the way, what would you look at that would tell you a frame was high quality or not?

And FYI (and IMHO), unless a frame is absolutely unrideable or trashed, beware of stripping and repainting a classic frame. It makes it prettier to look at for a little while but it wrecks the collector's value.
Repaints kill the value of a frame.
Do you want wall art or a "rider"?

Peter

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    Peter Stock, bike tour designer, cyclist and amateur road bike collector/dealer. Learning as he goes.

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