Chrome mystery bike??
 

Saw this locally at a garage sale. Light superficial rust (except above BB).
It had a Cambio Rino RD, FD, seatpost and (badly worn) and ripped seat as well as the over-size seat post clamp.
Shifters are Dura Ace (so presumably an upgrade or exchange)
Brake levers are Dia-Compe 154 and brakes are low end Dia Compe.
Bars were Cyclo Man Starting and I think stem is also Cyclo Man, though not sure.
Cranks are Sugino Maxy and the chainwheels are Sugino Superbe

It has stars on the seat stays at the seat post and on the forks. The bottom is cut out and there is no visible serial number on the BB. The bar tape is a weirdo faux-leather and the lever hoods are part of the bar tape!.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4dfd96fd7b.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b94706b0ed.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e621d13de8.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5a058eaf2a.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...72dbb7fd3e.jpg


Still not sure if the rust will come off of the BB and if not I expect it would be hard or art least very expensive to try to restore.

Does anyone recognize the frame???

Just rechecked and found a number "54" on the seat post, on the drive side, just below the lug. Unsure if this is a serial number or frame size. Frame seems closer to 56 or 58cm depending on if measurement taken from C-C or top of BB.

Can't help with the identification, alas, but congrats on the find! The parts I can see in the pics should clean up well.

Handlebar one-zie is something often found on certain Motobecanes usually not high-end and around 1980-ish era...BUT I think I see a hint of a distinctive cut-out in one headlug (how about a close-up?) that if I read it right indicates something not French but from Giovanni Losa, very Italian...also very nice!

Parts are cleaning up fine. I think tomorrow morning will be a polishing detail for both parts and frame. I did a quick buff of the forks with aluminum foil and almost every spot of rust vanished!

The green on the seat tube is grease but the green on the lugs was paint and I wonder if lugs were highlighted that way??? I think they might look very nice highlighted with green.

I thought that Losa put in V shaped cut-outs on the BB???

I was just going to strip it for parts but.....the more I stare at it, the more I like it! Even the kick stand was made in Italy and, unbelievably the chain stays weren't crushed under the stand clamp and there was only rust spots there. It would never fit but so far it's a fun little side trip.
Somebody has got to know the frame**********

Ps Sorry for the sideways shots - for some reason they won't rotate for me

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ceef53ca15.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b0b74f9eb5.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f6b4f703b6.jpg

Correct that Losa USUALLY had more cutouts and your BB shell is much more "plain vanilla" but nevertheless: check out this pic from one on the CR site for Losa (it's a Magni frame)...he did a LOT of contract building so your mystery "3-star" may be one of the many hou

Magni by Losa detail courtesy Classic Rendezvous site: Italian marques
se-brands or low volume marques but I bet it came out of the Losa shop, or maybe one of his workers swiped some headlugs! ;)
Also a chance this frame was "cromovelato" covered in transparent lacquer over chrome.https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...75a99c5fdc.png

Unworthy1

I think you are right. The more I look the more I see it. I found several paint spots that were missed when paint was stripped to tell that it was originally a medium blue (if there is such a color?). Do you know if the Losa bikes only had a sticker or did they have an actual head badge?

The only issue now is that the center cable guide was snapped off. I think I will contact the local frame builder and see how much grief a replacement would cause. If it can be done with minimal damage, I'd replace the cable guide and if replacement isn't chrome I'd simply paint that carefully.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...279428d7a1.jpg

As a side not it polishes up so well I can't photo in the sun and will photo tonight in the house.

I might just buy a set of Cambio Rino shifters and keep the Dura Ace as it might look better that way. Also I may keep the drilled crankset as I think they are cool
Lastly, it originally had tubular as the rear wheel was a Fiamme. I haven't got to the hub yet so don't know what it was. I have a set of Ambrosio rims so may move hubs over and have a matching set.

Well Losa built for many brands so when it was a Cinelli I'm sure those had head badges but other marques would not...still no idea what brand used 3 stars, it's not one I've seen before. For my money I would not sweat the broken off cable guide (much), I mean Colnago only used 2. But 3 offers more support so rather than have one brazed-on (this WILL destroy the chrome in the braze area, that has to go for the solder to stick) I'd just use a clamp-on guide in that place after VERY careful Dremel-off of the remains. This is one case where "drewing" is allowed! :)

I wonder if the BB could be Olmo (which would support the idea it's an Italian frame)? I know that there were variations of the Olmo lugs and the ovals look very similar.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cd5da91753.jpghttp://www.peterbrueggeman.com/cr/ca...mo-ssn-bb4.jpg

LOTS of brands used a BB shell with oval slots like that (mostly 2 slots, sometimes 3) and AFAIK Olmo was only one but they did not produce the BB shells. Most likely it's a well-known Italian brand (like Emilio Bozzi) but I think @juvela might be the guy who knows.

@WGB Is the bottom bracket Italian threaded? I must have missed it, if you said what thread the BB is.

*&%$)@#^$!!!

jiangshi

I should have seen that! The Sugino fixed cup is stuck in the frame and it's clearly marked "36 mm X 24 tpi". I just measured width and it's 69.77 so 70mm and that makes it Italian.
IIRC you don't turn Italian fixed cups to the right and if that is true I have been reefing on it the wrong way?

Malvern Star?

Superior Italian is right hand threaded on both sides. Lefty loosy-righty tighty.


Losa made a lot of contract bikes, it could be one of his, or his shops, or something else entirely. I have two Losa built Cinelli's, he built a damn nice frame.

The three stars should be distinctive, but nothing definitive turns up in an English language search. I would try an Italian language search if I knew how ;)

Nope

I emailed Juvela. Hopefully he or maybe someone in Italy pops in to the thread. I asked on Framebuilders and they said not worth it to try and add a new guide. Suggested I take off the other two so it matches but that is a big step. I believe that I will go with little dremel work and try a single clamp on guide.

I checked just now and rear hub is Rino with a Fiamme rim so if I rebuild I need a Rino front hub and Fiamme rim and of course shifters.

Someone that can use the Italian search functions with great results is @MauriceMoss, maybe he can be tempted to look for something Italian that used 3 stars as a mark.

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@WGB

Read thread at launch but have little to contribute.

Lugset appears BOCAMA Competition 78 with cutout Nr. R3.

Shell looks like it may be Fischer.

No ideas as to maker.

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@unworthy1 -

Magni badge belongs to Chiorda.

This of course does not mean frame you posted is not a contract build.

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Dating -

thinking 1978-79

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Like everyone else, shall read avidly the ID presented by Maurice...:)

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I am out for supper but realized I forgot to add that rear spacing is 124. I looked at the inside of the steerer tube but am not familiar with "rifling" so don't know how to tell what kind of steel tubing it has.

Ps I emailed Maurice. Hope he has an idea. Interesting mystery....

I don't recognize the embossing but the OP's location, apparent time frame, Italian threading and Cambio Rino components, all suggest a possible relation to the ill fated and short lived Gardin-Radaelli venture that produced the Cambio Rino and Gardin brands in Canada.

This could be a high grade frame with cost concessions or a mid-range fame. Here's a picture of the helical ridges in a Columbus steerer tube.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1cef1fecda.jpg

T-Mar - forks do not have the rifling (helical ridges)

Juvela - the brakes are lower end Dia Compe marked 500 5583 09 79 which I believe means made (stamped) September 1979. RD is Rino type 1 which Velo Base says is late 1970's. The FD has three holes which Velo base says is 1980's but Velo Base used "N/A" a lot to describe Cambio Rino parts which suggests guesswork on their part.

The cranks are drilled Sugino Maxy which just might have been installed for the cool look factor and as a cost concession because drilled Italian crank wheels were probably a lot more money.

I was wrong on the paint as it's also on the brake pads, suggesting either an accident or an attempt to spray bomb which was then mostly removed. So I guess it was originally a chromed frame.

I get that cost concessions were made here, either just with some of the components or with both frame and components.

Question left is: Was the frame made with concessions? I see the three star lugs which look nice and seem to be quality items and yet it doesn't have the the rifling (helical ridges) of higher quality tubing and so I simply don't know. If it was made by an Italian firm, wouldn't they have marked it some how???

Did you share the seat post size (diameter)? That will be a good clue but with lack of rifling in the steerer and some of the other details I am inclined to think it's a chrome-plated "budget" model which is to say a FLASHY frame but not top price-point, nor one of the super familiar brands that Losa may have built for, so....might be a frame that includes some Falck tubing in the mix, including the steerer (fairly commonplace to save a few lira), if the seatpost is 27.2 then possibly a "tre-tubi" with SL in main tubes, if smaller (26.8) then possibly Aelle.

Seatpost is very scuffed and best I got was 26.16, so I'd say diameter is actually 26.2mm. Post is a Cambio Rino semi fluted post.

Bar stem is 22.2mm diameter.

26.2mm is a very small post, down in hi-tensile territory., unless the post is under size and the cinch slot is noticeable pinched. Regardless, the lack of the proprietary Columbus steerer.er tube would indcate tretubi SL at beset. Either way, it would be considered mid-range at best.

Tom
Thank you as aa always I am grateful for everyone's help. I was guessing that maybe a good amateur framebuilder bought the lugs and BB shell and built it but guess I'll never know. Puzzle that Cambio Rino was the choice for components.

It's a nice frame (would be nicer with a matching Rino front hub on an Ambrosio rim) but at $40 Canadian not bad at all. I didn't have a reasonable set of 700c rims so kept the Rino rear (which is tubular) and added a set of 27s. Since the 27s fit easily I would guess that is how it started life.

I guess I'll try a kijiji listing or take it to the C&V show in Brantford next month.

Ps will photo and post when done because even if it's low budget its nice to look at.