1986 Colnago Factory Tour (and bonus Modolo)

The VCR has been fired up and the eyetv has been running for the past week in an attempt to get rid of some old tapes (making room for more bikes, I guess). I found this gem this evening that some of us collectors will appreciate. Aired during 1986 Giro d'Italia coverage, GGP took a look inside the factory/shop in Cambiago, Italy.

While posting this, the "next up" video is quite awesome as well, with a look at an old Milan trade show and a trip to the Modolo offices! Bonus...

Tommasini Marble (Marmo) Paint Dating

Time for a little Tommasini timeline update. This should help in dating certain frames and I hope it's useful to someone out there. With few catalogues out there from this long-time builder, articles like these should be preserved or translated for collectors. This from the August 1987 issue of La Bicicletta, page 89.

The Tommasini Paint

It's difficult to know if the many types of paint jobs on our frames are born from the demands of the market or from the intense fantasy of someone, conditioning users and builders in a kind of infighting in the search and making of beautiful things, but also of incredibly bizarre things. The question, naturally, remains open.

The latest novelty is offered by Irio Tommasini, a builder that has always treated his paint jobs with elegance and class. Tommasini calls his latest creation "marbleized", the result of a peculiar procedure that leaves the characteristic of veined marble of an impressive effect. The resulting color is more alive and glossy, but also more graceful, as if it were being seen through a lens or in transparent.

The Tommasini "marbled" frames were debuted at the New York trade show. The favorable reaction convinced the Tuscan builder to insist on this type of finish to which we interrupted by asking about the technical details. How many times does it get treated in the oven? Is the transparency obtained with a final layer of clear coat? But Tommasini remained entrenched behind his "top secret"... which is not uncommon even in the cycling world.

--- So there we have it. Tommasini marbled frames made their debut in 1987.

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Another Magniflex Blue Diamante Got Away

Another dream frame just got away. With a Pelà-made Wolhauser in the stand and a bunch of other projects littering the garage, and with a bone-dry PayPal account, this 56 cm Diamante in Magniflex Blue ended up going cheap. Originally posted at $1000 (already not a terrible price on this rarity), I got an update saying the seller had dropped to $750! In the time it took me to email him about payment, it was gone.

Seems that these are coming online more and more. Maybe not as rare as I'm thinking. This was just too good of a deal to pass on, but alas, it wasn't meant to be!

edit: upon further review, this appears to be the frame from the complete bike I posted earlier! My eBay experience is that it's far easier to find a buyer of a $1000 rare frameset than it is to find someone at $2500 for the complete bike.

yet another edit: bike forums actually confirmed it's the same bike AND that it is/was actually a 57! Now I don't feel so bad!

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Ti Updates for the Tommasini Fire

Some eBay shopping has led me to a couple of Chinese vendors with cheap shipping of some lovely Ti bolts (remember the days of updating to expensive ti bolts?). The company is called Risk (of course) and their rainbow anodized ti bolts now adorn Linda.

It's down to 20.5 lbs with the goal of hitting 20 even with a new carbon seatpost and Prologo saddle (a nice winter project).

Here are a few photos...

Ti quick releases saved 40 grams off of a set of already light ones.

The stem got full treatment... 6 bolts of ti goodness!

Center lock rotor means 4 bottle cage bolts. Heavily modified front der mount as well.