ridelikeaturtle

I absolutely love the paint, it's a medium pink on the tops of the tubes that fades to silver, with a little bit of metal flake. It does have some scratches, but overall I think it's in "good" condition. The stickers aren't great (but not the worst), though the headtube sticker is quite good. Italian BB is very smooth (surprising). The headset (no branding on it) isn't bad either. The fork is pantographed on the caps. I can't find a serial number anywhere. Recessed brake mounts, looks like a 26.8mm seatpost should fit, 123mm spacing at the back.

I'm guessing it's early 80s (bc of the Aelle). Roughly, what does C&V think it's worth? I feel I got a great deal at 50euro (+shipping). The Dura Ace dt shifters could be worth nearly that much.

3alarmer 

...despite their generally good performance, a Tres Tubi Aelle Italian frame is not especially valuable. I have one or two of them, and I like the road feel. But given values in general for all things old and steel these days, probably not especially valuable. Which, combined with what seems to be some fading of the paint, probably explains your great deal. And it is a good deal, if your size, and you're looking for a rider or a project.

I don't think that paint fade is how it looked when new.

ridelikeaturtle

The paint fade, being uniform on both sides, and darker on top than the sides... would that not be completely impossible to accomplish by accident or neglect?

Sure, it's not SL or SLX (unfortunately). I have an old Gara tubed bike that rides beautifully; I'm expecting this to be similar.

3alarmer 

...painting a fade color scheme is not usually done in that manner. If I had to guess, I'd guess sun fading to a non colorfast pigment. That it appears on both sides is simply an indication that the bike spent some time in the sun in both directions. But it's just a guess. You can tell more certainly by looking under the decals in the lighter, silver areas. But if you like it, why mess with it ?

Edit: maybe you're right. I did find one image on a Google search with an Olmo Sintex with a similar fade. That one is blue.

T-Mar

A 26.8mm post would be correct for an Aelle seat tube . Based on the presence of what appears to be Columbus dropouts, the decal styles and a G. Olmo fork crown, I'm inclined to place this circa 1986-1987. The paint fading around the circumference of the tubes, as opposed to the more traditional along the tube length, is intentional. This style was by some Italian brands such as Olmo and Ciocc around this time. We've seen other Olmo with this style of fade, in other colour combinations (see attached pic). Enjoy your new acquisition.

DMC707

Very neat paint scheme - I love it !

My first nice bike was Aelle --- I felt good enough about its performance that I was compelled to throw a lot of cash at it a couple of years ago when I restored it. I recall the Bicycle Guide article from 25 years ago where they took 5 or 6 identically painted custom frames built up identically with the only difference being the tubing and had a review - the Aelle bike compared favorably to the Columbus MAX tubed bike in performance

plonz 

I’m guessing 85-87 given the decals resemble my San Remo which I’ve also guesstimated to be 85-87.

T-Mar

It looks like your frame has a Columbus Cromor decal. If so, and providing it's OEM, your bicycle isn't any earlier than a 1987 model. Cromor didn't exist in 1985 or 1986. Prior to 1987, Cromor had been called Matrix but Trek launched legal action, as it infringed on their Matrix rims. As a result, Columbus Matrix was renamed Columbus Cromor sometime during the 1987 model year. The Columbus decal layout was revised for the 1988 model year and your frame does not wear the revised version but manufacturers often had old stock to use up, so a 1988 model would also have a relatively high probability.

plonz 

As usual, T-Mar is an impressive source of information in addition to being quite astute. My San Remo does indeed don a Cromor decal. I have no idea if it is OEM but it’s pretty hacked up so I’ll assume it is. I’ll now consider my Olmo, and maybe the OP’s, to be an 87/88 based on this. Thanks!

ridelikeaturtle

OK guys, I'm curious: I'm measuring the fork stem inner diameter, and I'm coming up at 22.0mm . Would this be normal for this fork to use a 22.0mm quill stem? I tried putting a 22.2mm stem (a quill stem adapter I had laying around), and it goes in about an inch or so but does not want to go more... maybe the fork stem just needs a good cleaning, if there's crud buildup in there, and it'd take a 22.2mm stem? What are your thoughts?

TugaDude

Gorgeous restoration. I agree with you about the "blind" test. It confirmed my observation that my best riding bikes aren't the lightest nor the most expensive, but the ones that fit.

plonz 

My initial reaction is it should be a standard 1” steerer which is a 22.2mm quill. That’s what my Olmo has. Then I read this bit online about a couple of oddball steerers to include a French 22.0mm spec. That looks like an Olmo engraving on the fork so I’m thinking it must be 1”. I’d try cleaning and fitting the 1” stem again.

A threadless stem should match the outside diameter of the steer tube; a reducing shim may be employed to match a 1​1⁄8" stem to a 1" steer tube. On the other hand, a quill stem must be sized to match the inner diameter of the steer tube. Thus a quill stem made to fit a 1​1⁄8" steer tube has an outer diameter of 1". For 1" steer tubes the quill diameter is most often ​7⁄8" (22.2 mm) but some older American bicycles used 21.15 mm. Some older French bicycles used 25 mm steer tubes with 22 mm diameter quill stems.[6]

DMC707

Thank you !

ridelikeaturtle

Alright, I've finally gathered up all the bits and put it together. Can't wait to get it on the road beyond a short test spin, but the weather here has been abominable.

If the frame & fork were worth 100eur before, it's gotta be worth 150eur now, right?

OLMO: I Can?t Resist a Beautiful Italian

plonz 

^Well done! A more difficult colorway to work with IMO but your choices bring it all together. Deliberate decision to go hoodless?

jdawginsc 

Some really interesting choices of components. Very eclectic mix! Love it.

ridelikeaturtle

Hoodless, yes - I didn't want to have to consider black or white (pretty sure gum would look odd), and in the end I thought it might all look kinda neat and minimalist to go bare, even matching silver bar tape (which I had on hand).