gstein

Believe this is a lesser known Italian bike. Seller asking $350. Has Campy throughout except for Dura Ace brakes.

One issue, dent in down tube above shifters.

I’m tempted but then again any old vintage bike tempts me! Any thoughts?

cyclophilia 

The dent suggests a front end collision.

The components are desirable, mostly Campagnolo with Italian thread headset and bottom bracket.

Does the seller have its original pedals?

bikemig 

Looks like an Atala professional from the 70s that has been repainted. I wouldn't trust that frame so I'd value it as a parts donor. I'd buy it at $250ish for the parts.

cranky old road 

It would be interesting to see if the dent is to one side. Could be from the fork crown whipping around in a spill. The fork does not appear to be bent as one would expect from a front end collision. I think Atala was imported by the Stuyvesant Bike shop in New York where I bought my Raleigh Carlton in 1966 or 67.

randyjawa 

That looks like an Atala Professional. The serial number, stamped on the seat tube will identify vintage. My most recent one was of 1969 vintage...


The OP's frame is damaged and, unless he/she really know what they are doing, difficult to properly repair. The component group, however, is certainly worth more than the asking price. Make an offer for $150.00, due to the damaged frame, and be prepared to go up a bit. I would go to $250, were I there and I would have already bought it.

Anyway, the Atala Pro is one heck of a bike. If you buy it for the components and choose to not use the frame, I will be interested in the fork for my Torpado...

gstein

Offered $250 and the seller said they would sell for that amount. Guess I should have negotiated a lower amount! I plan to go take a look at it and may take a shot for $250.

bikemig 

$250 is a solid deal for the parts group on this bike (especially if the hubs are campy). The S might just balk if you try to lower the price. I would.

Trakhak

That's a classic can opener bend from a front impact to a lugged frame. When a bike takes a front-end hit, any one or any combination of frame, fork, and wheel can show damage. When I ran into a tree on a fast off-road descent on my Cannondale mountain bike sometime in the late '80s, the aluminum frame was undamaged, the wheel was undamaged, the steel fork bent.

juvela

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this is termed the Professional model, top of the line

manufacturer is Cesare Rizzato

Atala main

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atala_(company)

it appears to date from right about 1969-1970; any later and the 3TTT Gran Prix model stem would have been the 3TTT Record model instead

the machine's serial number is located on the right side of the seat tube; the first two numerals indicate the year of manufacture




frame constructed with Prugnat lug pattern 62/d




the frame's bottom bracket shell is Agrati item nr. 005.8057
underside of shell will be marked "23" in two places, this is the nominal frame size expressed in inches




maker's catalogue page of 1971 -



dent -

this appears to have been caused the the end of the brake caliper arm. could be from the bicycle's original Universal model 61 centerpull brakes swinging all the way around or possibly the present D-A set, perhaps in the course of a crash

finish -

this is the original factory finish

value -

an excellent value at stated price

hope you have good fun with it

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gstein

Thanks for all the information, always amazed at the collective knowledge on BF.

One additional component not previously listed. Owner says it has Phil Wood hubs with Mavic tubular rims. Don't know if this devalues or increases the value of the bike.

I plan to take a look at the bike later today.

bikemig 

The phil wood hubs are as valuable as campy. So no real change in the value of the bike.

ramzilla

I had a 1980's something Fuji Del Rey with the exact same bend in the frame. It was a bomb proof bike that I used to loan out & I think Julian hit something and never told me. I refurbished the bike with new grease & parts & gave it away to a friends Son going away to college. As far as I know it's still being used somewhere for transportation. It takes a hell of a lot of force to make a fully lugged steel bike fail & fall apart. That's just a little love bump. Be good. Have fun.

Bianchigirll 

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a road bike, or any bike that the fork didn’t rotate 360 degrees

repechage

the value is in the components and fork possibly.
Chromed frame... crash damage... the economic equation is bad for repair. These were price point bikes way back,

ClydeClydeson

The damage to the frame is definitely from a front-end collision.

It is possible, and shops used to have a tool, to straighten out such damage. It isn't always successful, though. Assume you are buying it for parts only and if the frame can be repaired then it's just a bonus.

juvela

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how do you envision it occurring that there is no deformation whatsoever on the top side of the downtube nor any deformation of the top tube - not even the slightest crazing of paint

note also the several heavy scratches two to three cm below the dent

these may have been caused by same event which caused dent; brake caliper arm swinging around

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gstein

I guess one way to test to see if the dent was caused by the brake caliper is to swing the fork 180 degrees and see if it lines up perfectly with dent.

The other thought I am having is to have my brother fix the frame. He owns his own auto body and frame shop and would imagine this repair would on the difficulty scale "2 hammers out of a possible 10". Might be a good learning experience for me as well to have him show me how to fix it using his knowledge, tools and equipment. He's located in another state but will likely be going there post-covid (figures crossed) sometime this summer.

If I do have him repair the bike, should I keep the original paint or have him repaint it? I know some say don't update the paint job, but if my brother were to paint it I would keep the same paint scheme and will almost guarantee it will look as close to original as possible (as he can match frame paint and mix the exact colors as the original bike). Given there appears to be no decals (or maybe a small one or two) I wouldn't have to worry about adding any decals...thoughts?

Looking at the bike in about an hour.

xiaoman1 

The paint damage near the shifter appears to be from the brake but the on underneath has me puzzled as well. The dosen't appear to be any damage on the TT and even if the fork happened to rotate the brake would hit the side of the tube (typical), not underneath the TT.....
May not front end or brake but something else?
In any event, I would see how it rides and if all is well enjoy it....I wish at 50 or so years, I had the wear that your bike has.
Best, Ben

bikemig 

This paint is not original (the bike has been repainted). So if you can repair the frame and you believe it is safe, go ahead and paint it.

gstein

Well I picked up the bike. Gentleman used to own a bike shop and apparently this bike was one of many that he owned. He just wanted to get rid of some bikes so was nice enough to lower the price a little more.

Appears to be a 1967 based on the information provided previously. See picture.

Hubs look nice and are smooth and dent doesn’t look as bad in person...think I just bought a project bike!

Needs some serious cleaning but think it will clean up nice. And since the paint is not original then I won’t feel bad about repainting it I go that route.

randyjawa 

The top tube is also bent, as can be seen by the paint cracks in the pictures. Too bad. Make sure, when and if you buy the bike, that you ask the seller for the original wheel set. My guess is that there is a set of Campy high flange hubs laced to a set of sew-up wheels stashed away. He will likely throw them in, if so. The bike appears to be of 1967 vintage. Mine was a 1969.

ClydeClydeson

As randyjawa pointed out, there is damage to the paint on the top suggesting some deformation there. I don't exactly understand the mechanism that causes it, but this is 100% typical of a frame damaged frm a front end collision - obviously 'wrinkled' underside of the downtube with less obvious damage to the top tube. Usually, but not always, you can feel a wrinkle in the underside of the top tube behind the lug.

A brake is very unlikely to cause such damage because brakes, especially old single-pivot calipers, would pivot on their mounting bolt before causing damage to the steel frame. THe missing paint a few cm behind the damage is much more characteristic of damage from a brake caliper.

Anyhoo, it may be possible to repair the damage - I worked on one bike where the owner liked to have a little drinkypoo before riding, and had crashed and caued the same damage to his old steel bike multiple times, and had it repaired multiple times. My guess is that the steel is weaker after each crash/repair cycle, but the guy kept riding it.

The guy eventually died in a helicopter crash.

So, gstein , if you decide to repair that frame, it is likely it will be perfectly fine to ride, but be very careful when riding in helicopters.

xiaoman1 

Yes, the new photos do indicate a bit of a collision.....I need to revise my earlier statement....
I hope it still tracks well, it is a nice looking ride.
Best, Ben

unterhausen

I have to say that the location of the dent is a bit concerning. Usually they are further back, in my experience. This one is right by the lug tip, meaning that it's more likely to crack. Not sure how much you are going to ride it though.

I assume it came with Universal brakes, so the previous owner replaced those with something that will stop the bike.

gstein

I can verify that the brakes did not create the dent. When I swing the fork 180 degrees the brakes (even if the original 61s were installed) do not line up with the dent.

I’ve started to breakdown the bike and I’m pleasantly surprised at the overall condition of the components. The Phil Wood hubs cleaned up very nice with no signs of rust and they spin smoothly. The only rust I could find on the bike was on the TT cable clips but steel wool took care of that. Was interesting that of the three cable clips, one was Campagnolo the other two were Shimano. Guess a few must had been lost along the way.