kidadam

I picked up this Marinoni Special for $300 CAD - it seems to be completely original. I purchased it from the original owner who raced in the 1980s in British Columbia. Her brother built the bike for her using components purchased from other race teams. The frame was repainted at one point in time by Marinoni.

I suspect the steel is SL and SP, hoping Marinoni can confirm this week.

It's mostly all Campagnolo except:
Cinelli stem
Suntour Superbe Pro front derailleur and shifters (fantastic)
Shimano 600 crank and hubs
Wolber Super Champion Gentleman 81 wheels
Turbo saddle

When I first saw this bike for sale (which it had been listed for 10 minutes) I immediately wanted to buy it for the frame thinking the rest was a dog. To my surprise the bike was in perfect operating condition and unchanged since its race days other then I suspect the chain, cassette and pedals.

For me, the pace is shockingly fast and when pushing it hard in the corners you can feel rear step out without losing too much control. Its fantastic. I thought about modernizing it but its so fun to ride its not worth changing.

I've been looking for a 54" Marinoni for years and I'm grateful to have found it.

Wileyone 

That's a Beauty. And with the Maple Leaf insets too.

At $300 Cad you got yourself one heck of a deal.

kidadam

I believe looking at the original order for the frame its a 1982 (To the left below the phone number - the shop has since closed). The group was all campagnolo apparently. The frame specs are almost as if the bike was built for me and in the year I was born at that! The steel is SL and before it was repainted looks like it was a light green. Nice to see these records.

If anyone has information around this period of racing please chime in!

kidadam

Thanks!

feesh

That's a smokin' deal! Nice bike.

Wileyone 

Would be nice to see a good pic of the drive side.

T-Mar

First character in the serial number is the year of manufacturer but based on presence of front derailleur it should be no older than 1982, if not modified. I don't see any pump peg of 2nd set of bottle bosses, so likely no newer than circa 1986. Marinoni would often incorporate SP down tubes and chain stays in 54-58cm frames made of SL, so it may not be full SL.

3speedslow

Very nice bike! Love how the yellow tape goes so well with the blue frame. Any idea who made the tape? Do you believe it to be original?

kidadam

It starts with 3 so it must be an 1983. The build was ordered in Nov 1982. I believe your correct about the SP - there is a sound difference in the down tube but it's not stated in the original build. No pump or second bottle bosses. It also says "Road Race Clearances" not sure what that means...

kidadam

I'm not sure but it is really nice leather tape. Seeing Marinoni repainted it I don't think thats original. I suppose its more period correct then original.

T-Mar

That means that the original owner wasn't planning on installing fenders and was planning to use narrow tyres on 700c or tubular wheels. The wheel/tyre to frame clearances could be reduced accordingly.

JamesRL

I hear Mister Marinoni himself is going to try to set a one hour track record for 80 year olds in the Montreal Velodrome.

The shop works differently obviously than it did, but is still going.

kidadam

An 8 speed cassette is on the bike but it won't engage the highest gear. It clicks and holds the on the 7. I'm not sure if thats a derailleur issue or wrong cassette - I haven't messed with it. The original order says 5 speed. This is all I know.

The front derailleur is swift and smooth.

arimajol

Try adjusting the limit screws, which set the limit for how far much range the derailleur has to move.

Drillium Dude 

I have always admired Mr. Marinoni's work. This looks to be a superb earlier example. Nice to see chrome dropout faces in addition to the stay. I would pick one up in a heartbeat if I could find one in my size from the appropriate era. This one looks beautiful. Love the maple leaf pantos!

Pretty sure you just need to do a limit screw adjustment to the RD to get that final cog. For best results, I'd suggest loosening/re-tightening the cables when you do so as they do stretch over time.

DD

Lascauxcaveman 

Even then, with an NR derailleur, that smallest cog may be a reach. I've done 8-speed with an NR, and I think I remember a real reluctance to go onto the small cog, especially when the chain is up on the large ring. Adjusting the axel in the dropouts and adjusting the chain length may make a difference. (Wheel dish, cassette spacing, type of chain, etc.) It's fun to mess around with, though.

Ditto. The only one I've seen in the flesh is the one belonging to @Dfrost and it's pretty stunning. Although the last thing I need is another bike.

Drillium Dude 

Bar tape looks to be Bike Ribbon or similar. I have an un-opened set of that stuff and it looks exactly as what's on the OP's bike. Nice, squishy stuff - and washable. I had it on the green Medici before I broke it down.

I also notice that the driveside rear DO has portacatena drillings. Don't know about the rest of you, but it would be cool to see a larger version of the build sheet.

DD

Sir_Name 

Very neat bike and a great score, congrats! Very nice touch to have the build sheet. More pics please!

kidadam

Yeah I'm struggling with images in these threads - hopefully this is better. I still can't get over how close those measurements are to my own.

Drillium Dude 

^ That's great - much more legible; thank you!

DD