Another Rossin in the Family

No sooner has the new owner of my last Rossin emailed me to say thanks for a great buy, i find myself having brought another one.

this bad boy will be parted out for the groupset (Campagnolo C Record) and the frame and forks will go under the hammer on eBay.

Watch this space for updates on the grouppo and more photos when she turns up on the door step.

Dont start something you cant finish Glenn :)

Colnago Master 1988

This is where it all started, approx 3 yrs ago I was talking with a mate about a box of 2 bikes he had bid on on trademe, no photo's no questions answered he bid on it blind for a stupid amount of money (stuff all I suspect) anyway 2mths later a box arrives and he opens it up to find this....

...a 1988 Colnago Master full C-Record group set with Deltas and Omega wheel set....only problem is...wrong frame size, mate put it on eBay you will make truck loads out of it, no Glenn i want you to buy it....and so a monster was born, one trip to eBay lead to another and another then to google to find more treats for my new family member.....and now well you have seen the blog and if you know anything about retro steel and Campagnolo you know it don't come cheap!!!


So I started to collect everything i needed to rebuild this beauty to NOS standard, I even got Mystery to strip the bike down to the frame (he almost rang to say he couldn't do it as it still had all the original Campagnolo grease in the headset and bottom bracket) i wish he had, i would have said stop, how I am in too minds what to do with her, the paint needs work on the left hand side as she was mistreated by the original owner, we all know you cant paint one side and not the other so its off to the paint shop for a new dress and some new decals clear coat and a rebuild by the master....Mystery Morrison.

I still think this is "the" nicest bike I have ever ridden, smooth, comfortable, and solid, heavy as hell but what a ride!!!

I know she will look amazing once finished but I am almost scared to send her to the paint shop for fear of a low grade finish, i guess its like sending your children to school on there first day, glad to see them go but you miss em all the same... I say I guess cos I haven't had to do it yet!


So I have a box of gold (C-Record grouppo) setting under the bed and the frame in the office against the wall waiting and wondering when is the right time to do this, always something else comes up, the NOS Merckx, the Rossin, the Hiatchi Merckx, now the Montello, all of which are the same sort of projects, strip down rebuild/paint, still none of them are "the first" and we all know you never forget your first :)

I know that one day soon I will just have to do it and get it done, its a crime to have such a Master piece lying around in parts and not getting the full pampering its deserves but at the same time you cant be too careful can you...its a bad world out there........

Campagnolo Delta Brakes

Ever since i started riding in 1988 I always wanted a set of these beauties, until my coach and sponsor, Brain Lambert of Lambert Cycles in Masterton told me how much they cost, like all good bike shop owners they came at a price hahaha. Being all of 14 and at school I didn't even dream of asking the old man to cough up for something that would slow me down!!! eating pies from the bakery he managed would do that at a fraction of the price.

Some 20yrs later and I have had 3 sets and still hold onto the best set of all, Campagnolo C-Record Delta's attached to my Master piece, 1988 Colnago Master full C-Record groupset.

The first set I managed to acquire off trademe for a few hundred bucks a couple yrs back NOS Croce d Aune, levers cables the works the only thing missing was the box, DAM IT!!! If the box had of come with them i would never have sold them (for a tidy profit I might add), i no i no i should never have sold them but I was` racing at the time and needed the cash to buy my BT track bike, hey they are almost retro now, my one weighed as much as the Colnago so it almost counts.

Anyway the Colnago had the next set as mentioned above and then when i found another set of CdA's on eBay for a bargain I just had to have them for the Rossin Ghibli in the post below. The Delta's on the Rossin came from the South of France, the Record on the Colnago are from Wellington NZ, god knows where the NOS CdA's came from but they ended up in the States which is where the Rossin is heading.

They may not have ever been the best stopping brakes and they were always considered pretty heavy but mate aren't they just the best looking bicycle component ever made!!!! I will NEVER sell the Colnago so the Record Deltas are here to stay.

I live in hope that one day sometime in a far off world that Campagnolo will re release the C-Record groupset for an anniversary, the house will be mortgaged in a second!!!

WANTED!!! REWARD OFFERED!!

Rossin Ghibli SLX 1988

Rossin Ghibli with Cmpagnolo Croce d Aune.

this bike is now winging its way to the US to a new owner, after picking this bike up on trademe with a mixture of Campagnolo CdA and SR components I spent some time (and $$$) on kitting her out with a CdA grouppo (minus the headset). Delta's came from the south of France, Cranks from the US, rear mech from dirty ol Inver's (Invercargill,NZ), Rolls saddle from Denton Park,Christchurch (what a find that was!) Just found out from the perivous owner the frame was purchased in DENMARK in 1988 when on his Euro holiday, this is one well travelled bike and now heading to the US.

This is a sweet bike to ride, smooth and comfy, weighs a ton but find me a 80's steel bike that doesn't!

As you can see this bike would go well with any 80's fluoro cycling outfit, bright green, yellow and a dash of pink (italian styling must have had the day off when they did this colour scheme).

I didnt bother with touching up the frame, adds character and all that, turns out this bike was raced in the 1988 Tour of Southland by the original owner. After riding this bike up a very small hill i feel very sorry for the guy, having done Southland a few times myself i know those climbs and how hard they are even on a bike that weighs in at 7kg let alone one that weighs in more than twice that!!!

I do feel a little sad to see the Croce d Aune walk out the door though, the rear mech really is a work of engnieering art!!! the bridge arm that is only found CdA is pretty cool as are the Deltas.

Still better to spread the love for steel the world over, plus letting this bike go has allowed me to take on other projects and complete some long over due ones ( the Merckx above included).

thanks for watching :)