EricAr

C&V, of course. And that's a big if. Not sure I want to jump on the N+1 thing...

No more then $750 or so.

Bikerider007

Market plays a part. Could end up with a nice mid range or a decent higher range. Preferred group and any preferred frame/forkl? Pristine or are you ok with patina? 60's, 70's, 80's?

rccardr 

Bottechia, Atala, Bianchi, Tommasso, some others would be available at that price. Riders, not museum bikes.
Masi, DeRosa, Pinnarello...maybe but they'd likely be more highly patina'd.
Sweet spot is somewhat higher, depends on size and your location...

kunsunoke 

Firstly, budget about $250 more if you want something decent.

Secondly, look for an Italian bike from the mid to late 1980s with Shimano parts, dingy paint and slightly wonky function.

Brands to consider: Tommasini, DeRosa, Rossin, Basso, Guerciotti, Chesini, Ciocc, Fausto Coppi, Francesco Moser, Bottecchia

Bianchi made some nice bikes in that era. The problem is that some were made in Italy (collectible), some others in Japan (less collectible), and others in Taiwan (least collectible). You need to know what you're buying, and even if you do, you can expect to pay an additional $100 for Celeste Blue. They're over-priced right now, thanks to hipsters with trust fund checks.

Olmo was the Schwinn of Italy. They made some nice bikes, but, again, you have to know what you will be buying.

Cinelli bikes tend to be over-priced. They also are worth the money.

I'd start shopping now if you want to pick up an I-tey bike. Start with SearchTempest (clearing house for Craigslist). eBay is usually safer. You may have to walk a potential seller through the shipping process.

toavii

It might help to state where live and what size you ride. People could probably help you out a little more.

For example, in the Minneapolis, MN area, a Tommasini Diamante just came up on CL at your exact budget. It's a 54, doesn't appear to be in pristine shape, and is outfitted with Dura Ace. If that was my size I'd immediately jump on it. I have a Tommasini Super Prestige and have never rode anything better.

The list you've already been given is a good start. $750 is a decent enough budget. The problem is it's the budget that is going to dictate that you need to be aware of exactly what you want, in what size, and have the ability to jump on something that comes available fairly quickly.

iab

Depends. Like @Bikerider007 said.

Wildwood 

If you are unsure of N+1, maybe you should stick with 1 bike, it's a slippery slope that only leads to:
more bikes
more wrenching
more Forum time
more exceeded budgets (for just $200 more...)
more upgrades
more spare components
more storage area required
more Campy & Suntour
more cursing bad weather

I had 1 roadie for 14 years, before N+1 bit me. You can never go back.

RobbieTunes

Ah, a person unsure of N+1 with a $750 budget.

Find one for $500 and then start saving again....

Spaghetti Legs 

$750 is tight if you're shopping eBay. If your local market is good though, you should be able to get a decent bike for that price. Moser, Ciocc, Olmo, Bianchi, are some that spring to mind that sell for little less. Familiarize yourself with the different tube sets, so you know what you're looking for. IME, if you're willing to be patient, I.e., 2 or 3 months, you can find a good price on a good bike.

jet sanchEz

I think $750 is a lot of money for a vintage bike, keep your eye on the "Ebay finds" thread, there is gold posted every day.

John E

I thought that, myself, until a circa 1960 Capo Sieger, in worse shape than mine and without wheels or front derailleur, sold for $2K. I am still in sticker shock (in a good way).

I also have a delightful-but-affordable Bianchi. Look for something with a circa 1980 Tre Tubi frame and possibly with Ofmega or Modolo hubs, cranks, and brakes, which will be much less expensive than a collectible full-Columbus, full-Campag. Reparto Corse offering.

Salamandrine 

Yep. The key for a good deal is picking up whatever deal presents itself. I'd look for an all Campy nuovo or super record bike from the 70s or early 80s. Columbus, reynolds, whatever you find. To me the post Tullio stuff isn't really Campagnolo. (but thats a different subject... ) There are many racing bikes left over from this era, and the typical selling prices are a small fraction of what they cost originally. IOW, you should be able to purchase one for around $750.

DMC707

I saw a nice Moser with early 90's Shimano 105 on ebay for $450 BIN. Even with shipping, that still seemed like a deal

i recently went on a tear buying up mid range Italian framesets to build up. Example- i have a CroMor Bottecchia procured for $200 and an Aelle tubed DeBernardi for $100.
I bought 2 donor bikes that are not my size , (a 56c cannondale with a 9 speed 105 brifter group was $225, and a Univega with a 9 speed Campy Veloce group was $200)

So either one i will have built up as fun to ride scoots with modern group convenience but a look that pleases me for 5-$600 - and thats with having to source Italian bottom brackets, seatposts and Cinelli cockpit components on ebay

I wont make any money on these bikes, as complete Aelle and CroMor bikes can be had often enough for $500 and less, - but for me, these are fun projects

John E

Thank you. I forgot to mention Bianchi color in my post. Mine looks fabulous with its rare anthracite / metallic charcoal paint and gold Bianchi decals, but I am sure this is less appealing to many buyers than its equivalent in Celeste. (I do have a Celeste colored Bianchi Reparto Corse water bottle. )

tmh657

^This. I wasn't looking for another bike but found something that meets the criteria so N+(some number) occurred and I could not stop it. When a frame pops up in your size at a low price you just buy it.

Also look at daily lister: Dailylister - Search Craigslist, Oodle, Kijiji, eBayClassifieds and others nationwide. Find: de rosa

italianbiker

Also a great place to look is here in the are you looking for one of these thread, eBay and CL finds. Im sure many of us purchased bikes and forgot to thank the poster. But, you can find a great deal on the thread.

I came across some very nice Bianchi's in the last month for under 500.00.

Falcon3

For a budget like that, I'd go faux Italian and get a Medici Pro Strada- all the Italian engineering and look but about half the price. They're generally all high end Campy as well. Not exactly what you asked for, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

dim

a tip .....

log into ebay italy .... search on their site and ask the seller if he will ship to the US

you will pay a bit extra for shipping, plus possibly pay some import duties, but at the end of the day the total price will be cheaper

RobbieTunes

One whose mother is far away.

rgver

A Craigslist search should bring up a lot of bikes in your budget. With a little patience you should be able to get something from almost any name you want. I've had 2 Pinarellos and a Tomassini among others for far less than your budget, all in very good condition, though needing a clean and tune up.

tarwheel 

Make a list of Italian brands and then start searching for them in your size on Craigslist, eBay. You are unlikely to find one of the marque brands -- eg, Colnago, Cinelli, De Rosa, Tommasini -- for that price in decent condition, although it's not impossible. Your odds improve greatly if you broaden your search to lesser known brands or those lacking "star" recognition, such as Gios, De Bernardi, Moser, Guerciotti and many others. I was able to buy a new-old-stock De Bernardi frame, fork and headset for $400 from an eBay auction that didn't attract any bidders. I emailed the seller and it was a bikeshop within 100 miles of where I live, and they offered it to me for that price, no haggling involved. My De Bernardi apparently was one of the top-of-the-line steel lugged frames at one time but had hung in the shop unsold for many years and they just wanted to unload it.

Drillium Dude 

As far as frames lacking "star" recognition, here's a fairly comprehensive list to get you started:

Atala
Basso
Battaglin
Benotto
Bertoni
Boeris
Bottechia
Casati
Chiorda
Ciocc
Denti
Faggin
Gianni Motta
Gios Torino
Grandis
Legnano
Moser
Olmo
Palleti
Romani
Rossin
Scapin
Somec
Tomi
Torpado
Villa
Viner
Zanella

While by no means a comprehensive list, this should get you started. You can find information on almost all of these (and others) here: CR Main

DD

vincent_r

Allegro is swiss... which doesn't mean they couldn't do amazing bikes.

ptempel

Try some different searches with SearchTempest: Search all of Craigslist nationwide & more and All of Craigslist Also try non brand search terms like 56cm (if that's your size), the next size close to it, same thing in inches, etc. Personally, I wouldn't limit myself to Italian models. Found a nice early 1990's Concorde for less than your price complete, for example. But I guess some Italian makes have a certain sex appeal? My friend still has an old 80's Simoncini. They are also another good brand that were probably using Columbus SL and SLX.

Drillium Dude 

You're exactly right - fixed. Thanks for the heads-up

DD