eschlwc

this mondia is ... super. yeah, i think it's just about the best bike i ever owned.

it's probably the prettiest bike i've ever had. the first time i saw it, i thought it was red. i went back to buy it and realized it's more of an orange (or burnt orange for you baja oklahoma folks). and the black and white pinstriping is really elegant.

firsts for me ... first campy brakeset! first swiss bike. first cutaway bb shell. first black stem...

and first ird 6-speed freewheel. man, the drivetrain is so smooooth. with its new sram chain and silent freewheel, it's stealthy quiet. everything works flawlessly together. i'm just so impressed.

the bike is full 531 and full campy record except the pedals (kkt pro ace). these were the pedals i rebuilt with new campy lock washers from sdbicyclegarage.com. they turned out great.

the bike sat in my storage closet for about six weeks with its steerer full of atf and acetone. the cinelli stem (with its aluminum bolt and aluminum expander) still wouldn't budge, so i used freeze-off on it, and out it finally came after a good pounding. what a huge relief.

if it were my size, i'm pretty sure it would be the lightest and best feeling bike i've ever had. everything just came together great. too bad it's a size too big or i'd probably sell the davidson and keep this one.

eschlwc

it came with a nice tubular wheelset with campy hubs. but i had some record hubs lying around, so i built some new clinchers for it with my favorite sun m13ii rims and sapim db spokes.





i put fizik tape on all my bikes. the campy hoods were almost shot, so i put dia-compe 204's on it.








love the pinstriping on this bike.



9-hole bb shell cutout






when i saw the craigs ad for it, it had a super record rear derailleur. i thought i could snag that for my davidson and flip this one, getting the rd for free. well, we'll see.


oh, yeah, that's my first super record rear derailleur too. i'll have to upload a new pic of the davidson now.





i'm enjoying this drivetrain so much with the 50t ring (not a 52t i usually use) and the ird freewheel, i may move those over to the davidson too.


thanks, mondia. i think you're super.

jbrianfoto

Sweet, very sweet.

Michael Angelo 

Very nice Super Mondia, looks very similar to mine. Is that one French Thread ?. Both of mine are. Here's my Orange one.




A bit different Fork Crown.

eschlwc

^ that's it! how does yours stack up in your lineup? this one just glides.

and yes, french ... and i assume swiss bb. (i didn't remove the fixed cup.)

Michael Angelo 

Both of mine are French thread. I would say that my Mondia's are are as good or better than my Italian bikes. This one now sports 8 speed C-Record era components.

thinktubes 

Very nice!

That stem is so "Pedro Delgado".

eschlwc

was he a pain in the @$$ too?

the expander is tiny. and it's aluminum as well. after it came unstuck and i built up the bike, i tried to loosen it and again had to rap on the top of the bolt a few times. i hate that.

but it is very cool looking.

Drillium Dude 

Such a beautiful result! I kinda wish I still had my Mondia now.

As for that binder bolt in the stem, tapping the bolt head to loosen the inner cone before removal/adjustment is part for the course. Nothing to worry about.

Btw, your pics were taken at Green Lake, correct?

DD

eschlwc

^ yeah, green lake.

better start riding, jeff, 'cause it's gonna start raining.

88prelude

I love the pin striping done on the fork and TT. Very cool looking bike.

Drillium Dude 

I've been out quite a bit recently, in fact was down on BG all the way to Seward Park just last weekend. But, yeah - it's getting ready to get wet

Centennial Trail this weekend if the weather cooperates!

DD

eschlwc

the chrome on yours looks brand new!

the only thing i don't like about this one is the lack of rear eyelets for a rack.

the previous owner had fenders on it using p-clamps on the front and a nifty fastener in the rear dropout holes for the rear.

Grand Bois

A rack is just what that bike needs.

eschlwc

^ oh, lord. not the eyeroll!

but i hear ya. in seattle, though, people like eyelets for fenders.

i don't ride in the rain, but i need a grocery getter in the stable with a rear rack. eyelets help sell a bike.

i'm using my g.record as my grcery getter. i wish it were full 531 like this mondia. sometimes i remove the rack and take it on a long ride. i much prefer riding it without the rack -- it feels less stiff in the rear that way.

mikemowbz

Wondering: what's "a size too big" for you, exactly?

I probably shouldn't ask.

eschlwc

it's basicslly a 59cm (c-c). the seat tube is a little longer, and the top tube is a little shorter. i can stand over it ok, but the head tube feels too tall. a 57cm is perfect for me.

one thing i've been thinking about is that this bike is probably the tallest i've ever ridden comfortably (or wanted to ride). when i say, "it just glides," i think i'm beginning to understand the benefits of 'french fit.'

mikemowbz

'French fit' is a very suitable way to set up a bike. I typically find it much more comfortable going 'up' a size (up to a point), more so than 'down'. I have a couple favourite bikes with no more than the proverbial 'fistful' of seat post showing, anyways.

I was curious about the exact size, given that it sounded like you might be passing this one on at some point in future.

It *is* a beautiful bike, and I'm sorta 'in the neighbourhood' in the PNW here...but this thread isn't the place to raise such thoughts, I don't think.

Sounds like it'd be a nice fit for me, inferring a ballpark 60cm c-t-c ST/58cm TT (give or take 5mm) based on your comment. I'm 6'3", so a relatively tall HT on a bike in that size range would be a plus...from my POV.

But a broke Canadian with an expired passport oughtn't think too much about such things.

Michael Angelo 

Yours Is Reynolds 531SL which is a light weight version of the 531 tube set. The seat post on mine is 26.8. What's the seat post on yours? My other Mondia is 26.4.

Blue Belly

Those are beautiful bicycles! I agree, Don't put racks on those frames. Buy a cheap Aruuminum frame for your rain/utility rides.

eschlwc

i was wondering about that. thanks for the info. it's a 26.8 seatpost.

but isn't it a mondia super, not a super mondia?

thanks for posting the pics of those beautiful bikes. is there a big difference in the ride of your two mondias?

eww.

with a pretty bike, no one minds seeing it in line at the grocery.

Michael Angelo 

Both feel very nimble and quick. One has C- Record The other has Nuovo Record Group.