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N+1: 1979 Medici Pro-Strada

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N+1: 1979 Medici Pro-Strada

Old 04-30-17, 06:43 PM
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N+1: 1979 Medici Pro-Strada

I saw this on my local CL yesterday while proofreading my recently-posted Sparrow ad. I threw it out there on the "Are You Looking?" thread. However, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if I might be able to strike a deal with the seller.

This is what it looked like in the PO's CL ad:



I'd shot him an email commenting on the nice shape of the bike and that I'd shared it on BF C&V. He'd had it listed for awhile, beginning around a grand and slowly bringing it down. He was thinking it was mainly the new funky bar/stem combo, plus upgraded brakes and such that was hurting his chances. He suggested maybe he ought to put it back to original spec.

Well...that's when I asked what kind of deal he could make if I took it off his hands, removed all the new stuff and returned it to him. I could then, of course, feel free to build it up as I wished (my intentions were to re-instate all the old stuff). He made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

I picked it up this morning. Spent the afternoon taking stuff off and putting stuff on. I have his stuff all off and ready to give back to him tomorrow. Hit a snag, tho:



The seller, by his own admission, is not mechanically inclined. Therefore, he always had shops do the work for him. He had the bar/stem replaced at REI and didn't notice that the stem bolt was even missing. He put the parts removed for the new setup in a box and put them in the garage. Not a deal-breaker, but I do now have to source a 3ttt stem so I can cannibalize it for the bolt; I have nothing like this in my spares box. **EDIT** Thanks to @qcpmsame, I have a replacement bolt/expander on the way. Thanks, Bill!

He did, tho. Over the years, he replaced the brakes, bar/stem, seatpost and BB. A nice Miche unit is in there now, but originally it wore an OMAS sealed bearing BB. So I have that, a Campy pump head (bike came with the matching pump, but...oh, let's not go there. Suffice to say I accidentally broke it...) and a beautiful Cinelli Unicanitor with a suede finish. Since I dug out my remaining Concor Supercorsa for this bike, the Cinelli is superfluous. I'll probably list it, the pump head and the OMAS BB (Italian, 112mm spindle it looks like) in the FSOT thread (no more Ebay account for me).

Condition of most everything is fantastic. The wheels have hardly seen any miles - that is to say, the ano is barely marked. Tires are almost new. Components are in super shape with the exception of a loss of chrome/rusting on the FD outer shift plate and the brake lever hoods are tearing at the front.

Note in the pics below the bike is wearing one bit of Campy: a SR seatpost. Well, that was funny, actually. I bought it recently, can't recall what for, and didn't use it. I was all set to pass it along to a friend and Forumite, but had to press it into service as I discovered the Zeus post had a cracked micro-adjust shim/washer. This particular post is not my favorite in any case - adjustment is finicky and it can loosen up while riding (had this issue bitd with the same post on my old Spinella).

Some pics:

















Frame/fork are in super shape. I will get some detail pics of the frame tomorrow - it's raining (again) and I need some sunlight so that this red pops. This frame is identical to the green Medici I had on Diego Garcia (now proudly owned by @qcpmsame), with the exception of the added decals on the seat tube and the lack of "shield" outlining on the head badge decal. All lugs get diamond cutouts, the fork crown has the same recessed triangular engravings and chrome, Campy dropouts, etc.

This is going to be my whatever-the-weather/conditions bike. I will use it for gravel rides (and save the other stuff), iffy, maybe-it'll-rain rides, whatever. It'll be a bike I will not mind "putting away wet", if you get my drift.

I'll post up finished pics as soon as I find/install the missing piece of the puzzle.

If anyone can help with a 3ttt stem bolt or complete stem, please hit me up - thanks!

DD

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Old 04-30-17, 06:49 PM
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Nice purple Medici for sure.

So is the Zeus 2001 stuff what you are taking off and giving back to the seller? I have to assume that must be your stuff that you just put on? To me, 2001 is insanely cool, and also quite rare - at least outside of Spain. If it's original it was probably put on because at the time it was very light.
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Old 04-30-17, 06:51 PM
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Nice. Have a soft spot for Medicis, this one looks loke a good, solid find.
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Old 04-30-17, 06:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Salamandrine
Nice purple Medici for sure.

So is the Zeus 2001 stuff what you are taking off and giving back to the seller? To me, 2001 is insanely cool, and also quite rare - at least outside of Spain. If it's original it was probably put on because at the time it was very light.
Oh, no - I'm keeping the Zeus stuff. In fact, that was the major reason for going after this bike. I had an Olmo kitted out with the same stuff bitd and loved it (until it was stolen).

It's the funky bar/stem combo, Shimano dual-pivots and the Thomson seatpost (seen in the below ad photo) that are being returned to him.



DD

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Old 04-30-17, 07:00 PM
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Originally Posted by rccardr
Nice. Have a soft spot for Medicis, this one looks loke a good, solid find.
Agreed. One owner, hardly rode it in either configuration - the frame tells the truth.

I also realized that I have to look around (again) for that special, smaller-diameter brake cable housing, tho. He had Jagwire housings that fit, but they weren't long enough for a conventional drop bar setup and I couldn't re-use them.

Anyone out there have something?

DD
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Old 04-30-17, 07:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Drillium Dude
Oh, no - I'm keeping the Zeus stuff. In fact, that was the major reason for going after this bike. I had an Olmo kitted out with the same stuff bitd and loved it (until it was stolen).

It's the funky bar/stem combo, Shimano dual-pivots and the Thompson seatpost (seen in the below ad photo) that are being returned to him.



DD
Oh my. That poor bike. I must thank you for freeing it from this embarrassment. When I thought about it I realized the Zeus stuff must be what is staying on the bike... drillium and all.


It should do well as an all road bike. My Masi used to go on lots of fire roads and single track.
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Old 04-30-17, 07:12 PM
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Oh, and I almost forgot: he included the original receipts and 1979 Medici brochure in the sale. I'm checking out the details, but one thing jumps out: the Zeus gruppo ran $421.38. That was for derailleurs, pedals, brakeset, hubset, seatpost, gear levers, headset, crankset and OMAS BB.

Cinelli bars (Campione del Mondo): $15.50
Arc en Ciel rims (original build), pair: $24.00
Sedisport chain: $5.50

The frameset was $400 and was purchased in February of 1980. The gruppo was purchased first, the day after Christmas, in 1979.

So cool to have the original documentation!

DD
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Old 04-30-17, 07:13 PM
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Originally Posted by Drillium Dude
snip . . .

This is going to be my whatever-the-weather/conditions bike. I will use it for gravel rides (and save the other stuff), iffy, maybe-it'll-rain rides, whatever. It'll be a bike I will not mind "putting away wet", if you get my drift.

snip . . .
DD
Very cool bike. I'm curious, why use this as a gravel bike? Looks like 23c tires and short reach brakes. Don't get me wrong, I've ridden 25c, 28c and tubulars as well on gravel (tubulars are great for riding offroad) but why not a bike that can take a fatter tire, say a 32c for gravel? This is one area where a fatter tire run at lower pressure makes a difference.
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Old 04-30-17, 07:33 PM
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Originally Posted by bikemig
Very cool bike. I'm curious, why use this as a gravel bike? Looks like 23c tires and short reach brakes. Don't get me wrong, I've ridden 25c, 28c and tubulars as well on gravel (tubulars are great for riding offroad) but why not a bike that can take a fatter tire, say a 32c for gravel? This is one area where a fatter tire run at lower pressure makes a difference.
Well, for one, it surely has clearance for 25c tires, so there's that. I have done 23c on gravel - but! - with modern, Vittoria Open Corsa Evo SCs - and they didn't hold up too well. Of course, they aren't designed for that kind of abuse, but these old-school Contis? They look just right for that kind of stuff. The center ridge is almost 2mm taller than the rest of the tread! Plenty of rubber there.

Plus, the wheelset is lower on the spiffy scale than anything I currently have. And let's face it, the bike was a super deal at $650 (spares included), so it's the least expensive of anything I own. Kinda makes it the default, do anything-go anywhere bike.

Also, it's got a freewheel with better gearing than anything else I own, too.

Lastly, it's been waiting since December of 1979 to be taken out and given a good caning. I'm here to fix that

DD
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Old 04-30-17, 07:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Drillium Dude
Well, for one, it surely has clearance for 25c tires, so there's that. I have done 23c on gravel - but! - with modern, Vittoria Open Corsa Evo SCs - and they didn't hold up too well. Of course, they aren't designed for that kind of abuse, but these old-school Contis? They look just right for that kind of stuff. The center ridge is almost 2mm taller than the rest of the tread! Plenty of rubber there.

Plus, the wheelset is lower on the spiffy scale than anything I currently have. And let's face it, the bike was a super deal at $650 (spares included), so it's the least expensive of anything I own. Kinda makes it the default, do anything-go anywhere bike.

Also, it's got a freewheel with better gearing than anything else I own, too.

Lastly, it's been waiting since December of 1979 to be taken out and given a good caning. I'm here to fix that

DD

Will this work for you?




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Old 04-30-17, 07:53 PM
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Originally Posted by bikemig
Very cool bike. I'm curious, why use this as a gravel bike? Looks like 23c tires and short reach brakes. Don't get me wrong, I've ridden 25c, 28c and tubulars as well on gravel (tubulars are great for riding offroad) but why not a bike that can take a fatter tire, say a 32c for gravel? This is one area where a fatter tire run at lower pressure makes a difference.
FWIW 23c tires weren't used at the time this bike was made, not sure they even existed. 25c for normal roads and 28c for rough roads and/or dirt were pretty much standard. Yeah, tubulars. Most people would have been on sew ups in 79. Sometimes fatter than 28 tires could be fitted even on road racing bikes. Some people liked those fat sew ups. My 78 Masi can run 32c tires, but I think the chainstays are a touch longer than the ones on that Medici.

I found 28 was a good compromise tire size for mixed surface rides. For example, if you are going out for a ~100 miler with maybe 30 on dirt roads, it isn't that much fun to be on slow tires for the 70 on asphalt. Of course if you aren't concerned with going fast it doesn't really matter if you run fatter tires. And as someone will soon point out, fat light tires are something that exist now and didn't used to. (with the exception of campionato del mondos, etc...)
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Old 04-30-17, 07:59 PM
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Further perusal shows the original pair of wheels (Zeus hubs, Super Champion Arc en Ciel tubulars) was disassembled and rebuilt with the current Mavic Open 4CD rim pair (re-using the original hubs) in June of 1995. Labor was $80, rims were $80 for the pair, Continental Super Sport tires (erroneously noted as 25c) were $16.99 each and the 72 spokes cost a total of $21.60.

The freewheel, btw, is an Ultra 6 Winner, with a 24t bailout ($22.47). It's a freewheel I've not tried before since I tend to stick with Regina's chain and freewheel offerings. The drivetrain is very quiet and positive in action on the stand.

DD

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Old 04-30-17, 08:04 PM
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Originally Posted by sloar
Will this work for you?




Hmmm...that appears to be a later stem. I'm not sure if the bolts/expander cones are specific to each model stem. Since Cinelli used two different diameter bolts (steel smaller diameter, alloy fatter), I'm leery of going with a later stem - and of course I don't have a bolt to compare with!

I very much appreciate the offer, tho. I will be taking a look in the bins at Recycled Cycles tomorrow, too, just to cover all my locally-available bases.

DD
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Old 04-30-17, 08:17 PM
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Medicis just don't get the economic elevation, solid bikes, sordid history.

Applause for getting the owner to deal.
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Old 05-01-17, 03:11 AM
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DD,
email sent on an expander bolt for the 3t stem. If it is the same I can zap it your way, just so that this beauty can get rolling quickly.

It looks great with the Zeus components installed. Thst is one nice looking bike there. That head emblem is the same as mine, no border like the later shield edition. All the logos and graphics seem identical to the 78 edition.

Make sure you enter the serial number and pertinent information in the Medici Registry. https://irideamedici.files.wordpress...nks-sorted.pdf

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Old 05-01-17, 06:42 AM
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Dating the S/N?

Hey DD!

I picked up a Medici Pro-Strada SLX last year and I built with silver Campy 11 speed stuff. It's a pretty cool bike IMHO. Two tone fade paint job (like they did a lot in the '90s) with a painted to match pump. I was trying to determine the year of manufacture but couldn't determine from the registry. So I contacted Mike Howard, the builder. He hangs out on the Classic Rendezvous list and he was not much help, to me anyway. You may have better luck if you want to contact him to ask any questions.

Do you know the S/N and DOM for yours? This may help in figuring out when mine was made.

Thanks.
Drew
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Old 05-01-17, 06:43 AM
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@Drillium Dude

That's a pretty early one. The seller apparently had dyslexia and stated the s/n as (as I recall) 00127. It's actually, 00217, right? I own 00150 (which just had its fork rechromed) in the same "California Burgundy" color. The decals look the same as well.

Before you strip it of the Zeus components, maybe toss the proper bars, levers, seatpost, etc on it and take some pictures for posterity. That is an unusual setup. You have the paperwork as well, right? I would love to have it in my Medici spreadsheet, especially as your bike has the necessary provenance to indicate when it was first sold.
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Old 05-01-17, 06:56 AM
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Originally Posted by smontanaro
@Drillium Dude

That's a pretty early one. The seller apparently had dyslexia and stated the s/n as (as I recall) 00127. It's actually, 00217, right? I own 00150 (which just had its fork rechromed) in the same "California Burgundy" color. The decals look the same as well.

Before you strip it of the Zeus components, maybe toss the proper bars, levers, seatpost, etc on it and take some pictures for posterity. That is an unusual setup. You have the paperwork as well, right? I would love to have it in my Medici spreadsheet, especially as your bike has the necessary provenance to indicate when it was first sold.
He isn't striping the Zeus stuff off, thankfully!
@smontanaro would you please post a current link for the Medici serial number registry spreadsheet, the one I used is an older link that isn't the place you directed me to. TIA.

Originally Posted by Drillium Dude
Oh, no - I'm keeping the Zeus stuff. In fact, that was the major reason for going after this bike. I had an Olmo kitted out with the same stuff bitd and loved it (until it was stolen).

It's the funky bar/stem combo, Shimano dual-pivots and the Thomson seatpost (seen in the below ad photo) that are being returned to him.



DD

Last edited by qcpmsame; 05-01-17 at 07:03 AM.
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Old 05-01-17, 09:02 AM
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Originally Posted by qcpmsame
He isn't striping the Zeus stuff off, thankfully!
@smontanaro would you please post a current link for the Medici serial number registry spreadsheet, the one I used is an older link that isn't the place you directed me to. TIA.
I guess I read DD's note differently. I thought he was going to keep the Zeus stuff, but not necessarily on this frame.

The Medici s/n spreadsheet is here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing

Let me know if that doesn't work for you. Also, I'd like to know what you tried which didn't work. Google spreadsheet links are ugly, but I didn't think they were supposed to move around.
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Old 05-01-17, 09:23 AM
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Originally Posted by qcpmsame
DD,
email sent on an expander bolt for the 3t stem. If it is the same I can zap it your way, just so that this beauty can get rolling quickly.

It looks great with the Zeus components installed. Thst is one nice looking bike there. That head emblem is the same as mine, no border like the later shield edition. All the logos and graphics seem identical to the 78 edition.

Make sure you enter the serial number and pertinent information in the Medici Registry. https://irideamedici.files.wordpress...nks-sorted.pdf

Bill
Thanks, Bill - I did see your email a few minutes ago. I'll wait to hear back - thanks!

Got a couple more people checking, too. After I drop off the funky bar/stem and brakes back to the seller this morning, I will also be heading down to Recycled Cycles. I need to source that slightly-smaller-diameter brake cable housing required for those tiny top tube guides. Who knows, I may find the stem or bolt there.

I went back to my Flickr to check the old Medici album from DG. I thought I'd forgotten what the decals looked like. Now I know what it is: the shield surround on yours is in black, so it's pretty hard to make out against that dark green. In addition, I had forgotten what kind of band decals were on yours - I see they're the World's rainbow stripes.

Now I'm confused. Which is earlier? The photos in the 1979 brochure show pics of completed frames hung up on a wall and the seat tube bands are the star type (which I have on mine). So at least we know in 1979 that was what was going on the frames.

Going by my lower SN, and the fact it was surely bought in late 1979, I am now wondering if yours is a little later (your serial is 200 units down the road from mine).

Always fun to do a little sleuthing on stuff like this, huh?

Skip posted another link below that works. I just took a cursory glance at it. I'll probably insert my info tonight.

DD

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Old 05-01-17, 09:31 AM
  #21  
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Originally Posted by drewellison
Hey DD!

I picked up a Medici Pro-Strada SLX last year and I built with silver Campy 11 speed stuff. It's a pretty cool bike IMHO. Two tone fade paint job (like they did a lot in the '90s) with a painted to match pump. I was trying to determine the year of manufacture but couldn't determine from the registry. So I contacted Mike Howard, the builder. He hangs out on the Classic Rendezvous list and he was not much help, to me anyway. You may have better luck if you want to contact him to ask any questions.

Do you know the S/N and DOM for yours? This may help in figuring out when mine was made.

Thanks.
Drew
58 (frame size) and 0217 are stamped on my BB shell. Since I have the original paperwork, I know that the frame was built and on the shop floor in Seattle ready to be sold in December 1979. The frame could have been produced between 1978 and 1979, in my estimation. Closest I can get without knowledge of Medici's numbering scheme.

Just for giggles, I'd also like to know when they stopped the diamond cutouts in the three lugs. Apparently this was an early feature - but how early?

DD

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Old 05-01-17, 09:41 AM
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Originally Posted by smontanaro
@Drillium Dude

That's a pretty early one. The seller apparently had dyslexia and stated the s/n as (as I recall) 00127. It's actually, 00217, right? I own 00150 (which just had its fork rechromed) in the same "California Burgundy" color. The decals look the same as well.

Before you strip it of the Zeus components, maybe toss the proper bars, levers, seatpost, etc on it and take some pictures for posterity. That is an unusual setup. You have the paperwork as well, right? I would love to have it in my Medici spreadsheet, especially as your bike has the necessary provenance to indicate when it was first sold.
Skip, I agree it's early, but I'm wondering how early. Serial is indeed 0217. It's certainly possible the frame could've hung in the shop for a year or more before being purchased by the seller in December 1979. Oh, and perusing the back of the 1979 brochure, under Paint and Finishing, there's this:

"Decals are head and seat tube logo, star bands and down tube identification"

That describes my decal set to a T. Interestingly, although the green one that Bill now owns had a mostly-intact Columbus decal at the top of the seat tube, mine has none - nor does it appear it ever had one. There's no trace at all, which is funny considering the condition of the paint and decals.

It's funny, the green one was acquired from Ebay, from a seller here in WA and of course that's where I got this one, too. I wonder if WA was a hot market for them out of the gate?

Not to worry, I've only removed the components the seller replaced to attempt to get a comfortable riding position. After I sort the stem problem and locate smaller-diameter brake housing, the bike will be back in (almost) original condition. I'm keeping the Cinelli Unicanitor off (I prefer Concors), but that's pretty much it.

DD

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Old 05-01-17, 09:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Drillium Dude
58 (frame size) and 0217 are stamped on my BB shell. Since I have the original paperwork, I know that the frame was built and on the shop floor in Seattle ready to be sold in December 1979. The frame could have been produced between 1977 and 1979, in my estimation. Closest I can get without knowledge of Medici's numbering scheme.

Just for giggles, I'd also like to know when they stopped the diamond cutouts in the three lugs. Apparently this was an early feature - but how early?

DD
Medici had no numbering scheme. It was just sequential within each model. So, for example, in my spreadsheet, I list Pro-Pist PP004. I have no idea when it was built (or whether the "PP" prefix is even part of the s/n), nor when it might have been built in relation to your Pro-Strada frame or mine. Yours was apparently the 217th Pro-Strada built, mine the 150th. A guy over on CR (not Mike Howard) has the old Medici build book. I got my build date/destination info from him: "Delivered 10/08/1979 to Adams Ave Cyclery" (I hesitate to publicize his full info, so as not to tick him off when a boatload of queries come flooding in...)

With our two bikes being so close together, it might be instructive to compare them in tedious detail to see how - if at all - they differ. Like mine, yours appears to have the Confente cable guides. Mike said when frames came back for repaint those were often replaced. They have slightly smaller diameter than what you typically see, so sourcing brake cable housing can be a bit of a challenge. Even though I found some old stuff, when I installed it, the Confente guides still shave off a little bit of the plastic cover.
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Old 05-01-17, 10:18 AM
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Originally Posted by smontanaro
Medici had no numbering scheme. It was just sequential within each model. So, for example, in my spreadsheet, I list Pro-Pist PP004. I have no idea when it was built (or whether the "PP" prefix is even part of the s/n), nor when it might have been built in relation to your Pro-Strada frame or mine. Yours was apparently the 217th Pro-Strada built, mine the 150th. A guy over on CR (not Mike Howard) has the old Medici build book. I got my build date/destination info from him: "Delivered 10/08/1979 to Adams Ave Cyclery" (I hesitate to publicize his full info, so as not to tick him off when a boatload of queries come flooding in...)

With our two bikes being so close together, it might be instructive to compare them in tedious detail to see how - if at all - they differ. Like mine, yours appears to have the Confente cable guides. Mike said when frames came back for repaint those were often replaced. They have slightly smaller diameter than what you typically see, so sourcing brake cable housing can be a bit of a challenge. Even though I found some old stuff, when I installed it, the Confente guides still shave off a little bit of the plastic cover.
I will get good detail pics of the frame details once I can get the bar secured and get the bike out in the sunlight. Of course, it would be nice if the rainclouds would depart so there could be some sunlight

Yup, I have the Confente guides and I tried running a Campy grey housing through one of them; no dice. At least I know that Jagwire housing will fit, as that was what was on the bike. It was cut for the funky bar setup and ended up being too short when I did a cursory check with the drop bar in place.

I see what you mean about the numbering - I'd forgotten they did track frames as well. So you have a pretty early one! And I'm guessing that Bill's green one is from 1980 or so. That might be around the time they changed the lion decal by giving it the shield surround and put the rainbow bands on the seat tube. Later still, stars were added to the down tube decals.

What I know right now:

Decals are lion (no shield) on head tube and seat tube, Medici (no stars) on down tube and star bands above and below the lion on the seat tube. No tubing decal, or any indication there was one. Cutouts in all three lugs, Haden fork crown, Campy 1010b dropouts (driveside is Portacatena-drilled). Top of BB shell gear cable guides, brazed on shift lever posts. Fork steerer has the rifling, so pretty sure it's Columbus SL.

One thing in the brochure that perplexes me: under frame details, the dropouts are described as "Rexart slotted, investment cast". There's also a note describing the dropouts as "cross-grooved". I wonder if this was something they were working on that never made it out of the prototype stage?

DD

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Old 05-01-17, 10:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Drillium Dude
One thing in the brochure that perplexes me: under frame details, the dropouts are described as "Rexart slotted, investment cast". There's also a note describing the dropouts as "cross-grooved". I wonder if this was something they were working on that never made it out of the prototype stage?
Mike Howard would be the best guy to ask about that. As I understand it, use of the Rexart dropouts was minimal. Maybe there were production delays or they weren't strong enough? Someone over on the Classic Rendezvous list probably has either a Medici with the Rexart dropouts or a sample of them. I've never seen a Medici frame with them. All that are identified in my spreadsheet show Campagnolo. OTOH, looking through old emails, @bibliobob's Counterfente might have Rexart dropouts.

Here's a Flickr album showing John Pergolizzi's Confente 012:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/261050...7629978889162/

Note the Rexart slotted dropouts and the Portacatena system.
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