veloham

Hello all, I've got a Mondia frame I'm considering restoring. It has been re-sprayed and I'm 99% certain over-sprayed. Any tips on how to investigate the original paintwork? I have seen chrome under a large chip on the chain stay

I'm pretty sure it's a circa 1973 'Super' with a lot of braze-ons added at a later date - probably when repainted.

I'll measure everything and post pictures at some point soon, just wondering what the next step is before I get over-excited.

Thanks!

juvela

Welcome to the forum veloham

If you envision a full resto see if you can find a manufacturer's colour chart for this period. My local Mondia dealer showed me the factory colour chart about 1972. There was a dizzying array of fade/soft-edged two-colour schemes. Might be a challenge to duplicate one of these...

Replacement transfers for this period are readily available.

veloham

Thanks

Yes I am tempted to go down that route, I guess I'll see what the measuring and other investigations lead me to. Unfortunately there seems to be an aggravating lack of documents out there beyond what Robert Broderick has on velo-pages.com already. I'd love to see a colour chart but I don't think it'll happen - if you have any ideas please let me know.

Personally I prefer the more restrained paint jobs I've seen on some Mondias. It looks like the original colour scheme was red or orange and I've seen a bit of chrome already. Not sure how possible (or expensive) it would be to replicate the colour fade on to the chrome. Swiss red seems appropriate!

The lugs are medium point bocama professionals, so not the nervex pros seen on the 'Special'. Hopefully I find some chrome under the paint there too, that will help me get over excited.

juvela

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The fact that it is post/non-"Special" and is constructed with BOCAMA lugs makes it more likely that original finish was a single colour. Careful removal of respray may reveal some additional clues...

Best wishes with your investigations.

3alarmer 

.
...the chrome on most of these has degraded over the years. That's how a lot of them ended up painted over. Rechroming here in California is usually a non-starter due to cost, but may be an option, depending on your location.

veloham

Well after some picking and probably too much scraping it looks like the whole bike was originally chromed (definitely all the places you'd hope - fork crown, head lugs, seatpost, dropouts, bottom of the fork, rear of the stays). There is orange paint on top of the chrome and under the new paint on the frame and fork. It even looks like a bit of black pinstriping around the crown and possibly brush strokes of original paintwork showing through the new paint on the head tube, but that could just be wishful thinking.

I've attached seller's picks from ebay, I don't think I'll be doing much more until the weekend. I'm 99% certain the brake cable guides, guides underneath the bb, chain stay stop and shifter braze-ons are later additions. (The shifters don't even line up on the down tube and there is no hint of orange - I think they will all have to go.) Here are the measurements the seller put in his post:

Dimensions:
55 cm Toptube Center to Center
54cm Seattube Center to Center
56 cm Seattube C-T
118mm headtube
35mm x P1 Bottom bracket thread
1” headset
26,40 mm seatpost
102/122 mm Spacing
Frame weight: 2025 grams + 780 grams (fork)
frame weight - 2025 grams (including shifters Campagnolo & Miche seatpost binder bolt)

He also told me it had Mafac racer brakes when he got it but has sold them separately.

I'm hoping I can use paint striper to remove all the paint, a bit like this one:

Zugzwang: Super-Mondia Special: verchromter Reynolds-Rahmen aus den 70s

which is as close as I can find to mine on the interweb but I think a 74 rather than a 73 (from the serial number and style of fork crown).

Then possibly all I have to pay for is the new paint on top of that?!

This fella's also looks pretty similar, I'm not sure how he knows it's a 63 but I have asked for the serial number

Lightweight Classics: 1963 - Mondia Super Competition

I don't know what makes a Mondia a Super or a Competition or if one or both of those are misnomers and they are the same thing. There are a lot of examples of Specials from 73 and they all have the same fork crown and serial numbers put mine in that year. If anyone can shed further light it would be appreciated. I don't think it's a Cyclo-Cross or Criterium as the dropouts are horizontal and it's not a Special as no nervex lugs and it's not an Amateur as it doesn't have the diamond cut-out in the lugs. But I don't think those are even hard and fast rules!

[Btw there is what looks like a 74 Criterium with original paintwork on Craigslist in LA at the moment REDUCED! 70's Mondia Criterium Racing Frame & Fork]

rootboy 

Green, black and white fade.,....ummmm,mm....

xiaoman1 

Hello, When the new spray was done are you sure that the original paint was totally stripped? If not, start near any of the lugs scrape or sand to see what underneath the new coat....if the original is gone, check the net and paint it what ever you like.
Mondias have some of the nicest paint schemes around.
JM2C's Ben

Jeff Wills

Euro-Asia Imports brought in Mondia framesets in the '70's, and they're still shown in their online catalog. These are more modern tubing, but the paint is similar to what you are describing:

https://www.euroasiaimports.com/prod...-1518p9280.htm
https://www.euroasiaimports.com/prod...-1518p9281.htm

Michael Angelo 

Super Mondia, early 80's vintage.

juvela

Thanks for this post but peechas and links not working.

marius.suiram 

I have a 72...73 Mondia Special. I can show you some pics, maybe it helps you.
Mine is in need of restoration too.

Michael Angelo 

70's Super Mondia, Campagnolo 8 Speed.

Jeff Wills

Interesting. They show up fine for me. I'm using Firefox on Windows 10.

curbtender

Just back from a ride...

Wildwood 

Here's mine; 1981 Super.

veloham

Hello, thanks for all the replies. I did post quite a long message last night with pics and links but I guess still waiting to be approved.

@3alarmer All the little bits I've seen so far look quite sparkly, fingers crossed.

@rootboy bleurch

@xiaoman1 I don't think it was stripped, pretty sure it's an over-spray. Not sure if some was stripped or blasted but everywhere I've looked so far I can find at least chrome and what is hopefully original paint in a lot of places.

@Jeff Wills No definitely not one of those monstrosities, campy drop-outs, bocama lugs, pretty sure Reynolds 531 tubes, wrap-around seat stays with serial number on the left.

@Michael Angelo classy, black will always look good I think. I'm weighing up black, white or red as the main colour. Mrs Veloham thinks white is too feminine but what does she know

@marius.suiram thanks, what serial number is yours please? That's the same fork crown as mine.

@Michael Angelo that is a very nice re-do, I've seen it a few times in my googling

@curbtender looking forward to riding mine in about 6 months! What serial number is yours please?

@Wildwood yep my theory at the moment is mine is an earlier version of that. I think 73 with comparison to other serial numbers and also the fork crown was common on Mondia Specials that year. I haven't seen anything that dis-proves it but neither have I seen anything that proves it! If anyone has a Mondia with nervex fork crown and bocama windowless lugs then please let me know.

curbtender

Mondia Special '175442' Picked up at local garage sale. I'm guessing mid 70's. Campy NR, Mafac Racers, ITM stem, 3t bars, Brooks Pro... Clinchers are Mavic Reflex. The red Pro 4's? Won in a raffle.

Salamandrine 

To elaborate on "careful removal", some 600P wet or dry paper used with soapy water should reveal what is under the overspray. This assumes you definitely will refinish, and that it was actually oversprayed.

I think they're awesome, but those crazy Mondia paint jobs were a bit much for some people at the time. I once had Mondia that had been professionally resprayed in dark blue imron, and I don't think it was more than a few years old at the time.

Also, if you see chrome under paint, it doesn't necessarily mean the bike showed chrome there. It's not unusual for an entire frame to be chromed and only the head lugs and the dropouts left unpainted. However, one tell is that if the chrome is rough underneath like the frame was left sandblasted before chroming, it was intended to be painted.

veloham

curbtender thanks, mine is 182558 (I've asked one of the mods to approve my post with pics). I guess you seen the registry at classic rendevous? Puts yours as 72/73, the closest with pictures and another couple I've seen below:
174757 Mondia Special - 1973
173538 Mondia 173538
175442 yours
175950 Mondia #175950
176838 Super Mondia Special 1972 - speedbicycles.com

Salamandrine I'm going to get sandpaper, maybe a fine wire wool and some paint stripper tomorrow and see what I can find. I'll go easy with the sandpaper and wire wool though, if there is chrome I'd rather strip the paint with the chemical and not damage it.

Chuckk hop Suisse

juvela is this anything to do with you? Mondia Juvela 163475 So far it is the only 'Mondia' I've found with nervex fork crown and bocama lugs.

marius.suiram 

s.n. 176693.
Thanks for reminding me about the bike. It is in the basement for one year or more.
It is time to clean and rebuild it.
Did you see the chart with serial numbers?
Mondia serial number chart

Maxacceleration

My Mondia is much like yours Wildwood. I have that jersey also!

juvela

veloham wrote -

"juvela is this anything to do with you? Mondia Juvela 163475 So far it is the only 'Mondia' I've found with nervex fork crown and bocama lugs."

No, no connection to me, but have looked at that bike previously. AFAIK the Juvela nameplate is a way for the manufacturer to fit more product into a given market. Have seen evidence that our distributors here in California were stockists for both.

When joining the forum had not thought ahead about a name. Faced with a blank to fill in on the registration form picked this partially for its oddity/scarcity. Did have a deceased Juvela frame in me racks at one time.

wrt to seller's specifications - a bb thread of "35 X P1" is given but a headset size of "1" " is also given. Cannot see how this second specification could be correct. Perhaps they lacked a vernier caliper and just measured with a ruler.

Thanks for sharing this project with the forum. Have been enjoying the thread!

veloham

Ok so I've done some sanding and used an 'eco' paint stripper that I am not patient enough to continue with! 2 applications (3 inc. the tester spot) and the top coat was only just starting to soften up and it started raining. I'm going to get some more heavy duty chemicals tomorrow (and try and be a bit more careful, somehow I even managed to get the eco stuff in my mouth - so maybe lucky it wasn't too powerful).

Predictably there was no magical reveal of long lost decals. It looks like the bike was scoured before repainting, I was using 600 grade sandpaper and uncovered some much more aggressive marks. The new blue top coat had a cream undercoat and below that the original paint was bright orange with a dark red undercoat. On most of the easy to access areas there's very little of the original paint left, just some of the dark red undercoat. In the fiddly bits I can still find the bright orange - also found on both the frame and fork. Also hints of the black pin striping around the fork crown and head lugs so all seems original.

Looks like the Mondia team orange, makes me think it might be nice repainted bright orange!

I don't have anything but a ruler but I'm pretty sure the bb is French as is the headset - it has a flat back anyway

juvela

The dark red colour is likely a rust inhibiting primer.