SoccerBallXan

Hello bicycle fanatics! I acquired a Giordana Capella today and let me first tell you it is NOT pretty. In fact, it is in one of the worst shapes it could be! However, as long as there is no cracks, I look forward to doing a cheap respray and overall with parts I have lying around.

Does anyone have any more information on this bike? I know that Giordana is still around, but information on their "vintage," stuff is little. A year it was manufactured, and more information on the Capella model would be great! It is a "funny" bike that use to have a bright orange and yellow paint job. Sorry for the awful photos, if they where any better the bike would look worse!!

Serial #: K 400639

SoccerBallXan

With a little more choice Google searching I was able to answer my own question... Wooho! It is a 1991 Capella Crono. Not sure on the tubing still, as I have seen multiple with Oria ML25 designations and one with a "columbus" sticker on the driveside chainstay.

Info:




From Paceline Member Gseiler:

"Giordana / Pegoretti Connection -

Dario was a racer and he fell in love with the Daughter or famed master builder Luigino Milani. Dario began working in the frame builder's shop and demonstrated quite an aptitude for frame building and was soon making a better living building frames than racing them. He was something of a frame building prodigy and got moved to the "Servizio Corsa" part of the frame building group where he specialized in custom builds for professional racers. Like a master tailor, Dario developed a legendary reputation for fit, quality, durability, finish, and most importantly performance based engineered customization . . . what every pro rider would love to have.

Skip ahead a few years . . .

Eventually, Dario was building frames under agreement for a different "Brand" . . . Pinarello. Dario was doing very well with Pinarello, but his reputation got the best of him, and he did some work on the side for long time clients and friends. This work was outside of the scope of his agreement with Pinarello. When Pinarello found out, they cancelled his frame building agreement . . . Dario had just bought a house and was without his primary source of income . . . along comes Giorgio Andretta, owner of Gita Sporting Goods & the clothing brand "Giordana". Dario needs work, Giorgio wants to find a builder with a great reputation and skill set who can build him a line of world class racing bicycles . . . Dario designs and builds the Giordana bikes.

Now Andretta's distribution company is the exclusive US distributor of Pegoretti frames.

Regarding what sort of Columbus Tubing is on the bike . . . If it is early 90's vintage and has a Columbus decal, but does not specify the tube types it is likely a blend of SPX and SLX. The SPX is slightly stouter, and might be used in the down tube. It could be that a straight gauge down tube was used to optimize the strength of the front triangle. If you have access to the tube ends you may be able to stick a finger in and notice whether there is rifling on the inside of the tubes extending from the butted portion. If so, then you know the tubes are butted and the "X" version of either SP or SL.

My bikes from the mid 80s to early 90s were all a mix of SP or straight gauge down tubes and mostly SL or SLX for most other tubes. I ride a 60cm st c-c with a 58.5cm top tube c-c. I would imagine that if this frame is larger, or built for a pro/very competitive rider it would have a mix of stouter SP, SPX or Straight Gauge tubing on the down tube . . . possibly elsewhere. You might be able to contact Gita and they might have a record of what was used in the frameset. Considering Pegoretti's close connections with Columbus, it could be that he was using a "yet to be branded" custom version of some new tubes . . . OR . . . it could be that someone was trying to save a buck in the production process and they used some cheap tubeset . . . not likely, but possible . . ."

jamesdak 

Hope this helps. From the 1991 Catalog. The only one I've been able to find for the period in which they were producing bikes.



The bike frame itself.

The tubing info

unworthy1

Great find, enjoy it! But after Giordana bike sales ramped up Gita needed much more capacity than Dario (RIP) could provide so most of the frames were contractor-built, most widely attributed to Billato. Here's one quote from another forum, might be true, might not:
"These Giordana bikes were built by the Billato Brothers in Italy. Dario Pegoretti help the owner of Gita design these and built the early prototypes. This was confirmed via email with both Gita, Billato, and Dario himself. So stoked about Dario actually responding back"

jamesdak 

Hey, that was me!! I still remember how surprised I was to see a response from Dario. Roberto Billato has been very responsive over the years in replying to my simple questions on their involvement with Giordana. He's active on both the Billato and the Billato Owners facebook page.

Here's another little snippet of info he provided on my last Giordana bike.

jamesdak 

Oh, and Velocals should have most (or all) the artwork to reproduce the decals if you want them. They were able to provide all the decals on my Antares despite not showing them in their online gallery. He even modified them to match the paint on the bike for me.

You headbadge is different from what I got from him so that one I'm not sure about.



Older style headbadge

I think the Giordana is the same and can be done in any color.

rjhammett

My Spica from probably the same year.

jamesdak 

The later ones were sporting yet a 3rd design for the headbadge. Both my mid 90ish XL supers are sporting this one: