I saw this on my local CL yesterday while proofreading my recently-posted Sparrow ad. I threw it out there on the "Are You Looking?" thread. However, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if I might be able to strike a deal with the seller.
This is what it looked like in the PO's CL ad:
I'd shot him an email commenting on the nice shape of the bike and that I'd shared it on BF C&V. He'd had it listed for awhile, beginning around a grand and slowly bringing it down. He was thinking it was mainly the new funky bar/stem combo, plus upgraded brakes and such that was hurting his chances. He suggested maybe he ought to put it back to original spec.
Well...that's when I asked what kind of deal he could make if I took it off his hands, removed all the new stuff and returned it to him. I could then, of course, feel free to build it up as I wished (my intentions were to re-instate all the old stuff). He made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
I picked it up this morning. Spent the afternoon taking stuff off and putting stuff on. I have his stuff all off and ready to give back to him tomorrow.
Hit a snag, tho:
The seller, by his own admission, is not mechanically inclined. Therefore, he always had shops do the work for him. He had the bar/stem replaced at REI and didn't notice that the stem bolt was even missing. He put the parts removed for the new setup in a box and put them in the garage. Not a deal-breaker, but I do now have to source a 3ttt stem so I can cannibalize it for the bolt; I have nothing like this in my spares box.
**EDIT** Thanks to @qcpmsame, I have a replacement bolt/expander on the way. Thanks, Bill!
He did, tho. Over the years, he replaced the brakes, bar/stem, seatpost and BB. A nice Miche unit is in there now, but originally it wore an OMAS sealed bearing BB. So I have that, a Campy pump head (bike came with the matching pump, but...oh, let's not go there. Suffice to say I accidentally broke it...) and a beautiful Cinelli Unicanitor with a suede finish. Since I dug out my remaining Concor Supercorsa for this bike, the Cinelli is superfluous. I'll probably list it, the pump head and the OMAS BB (Italian, 112mm spindle it looks like) in the FSOT thread (no more Ebay account for me).
Condition of most everything is fantastic. The wheels have hardly seen any miles - that is to say, the ano is barely marked. Tires are almost new. Components are in super shape with the exception of a loss of chrome/rusting on the FD outer shift plate and the brake lever hoods are tearing at the front.
Note in the pics below the bike is wearing one bit of Campy: a SR seatpost. Well, that was funny, actually. I bought it recently, can't recall what for, and didn't use it. I was all set to pass it along to a friend and Forumite, but had to press it into service as I discovered the Zeus post had a cracked micro-adjust shim/washer. This particular post is not my favorite in any case - adjustment is finicky and it can loosen up while riding (had this issue bitd with the same post on my old Spinella).
Some pics:
Frame/fork are in super shape. I will get some detail pics of the frame tomorrow - it's raining (again) and I need some sunlight so that this red pops. This frame is identical to the green Medici I had on Diego Garcia (now proudly owned by @
qcpmsame), with the exception of the added decals on the seat tube and the lack of "shield" outlining on the head badge decal. All lugs get diamond cutouts, the fork crown has the same recessed triangular engravings and chrome, Campy dropouts, etc.
This is going to be my whatever-the-weather/conditions bike. I will use it for gravel rides (and save the other stuff), iffy, maybe-it'll-rain rides, whatever. It'll be a bike I will not mind "putting away wet", if you get my drift.
I'll post up finished pics as soon as I find/install the missing piece of the puzzle.
If anyone can help with a 3ttt stem bolt or complete stem, please hit me up - thanks!
DD