mharri24

Hey all. I'm new around here, and generally uneducated about vintage bikes. I have many many miles on the road, but never been into collecting or even digging into history on bikes and the sport. I recently dug out what I believe to be a 1963 Masi Special from a house I purchased (California). I knew it was "special" enough to not throw it in the dumpster with the rest of the hoarded items cluttering the house, but really am not sure what I actually have here. I believe it is a 1963 Masi Special; some of my research online indicates that only a handful of these may have been imported from Italy. Seems to have a fair amount of original components on it. Clearly the saddle and I believe rear derailleur are replacements. It is in pretty rough shape as you can see in the pictures, but I would love any insight on verifying what it is and any takes on what it could be worth. I am not a collector and if it is super special would feel good about it being with someone who could restore it and enjoy it for what it is. If it is super duper rare I'd be interested in paying to have it restored and maybe have this be the start of a collection journey. Thanks in advance! Sorry if these are too many pictures or if I'm missing any.

mharri24

A few additional pics

juvela

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you've really got something there!

immensely valuable, >2k

front and rear gear mechs not original although period correct
original gear mechs would have been Campag Record, front & rear

wheel rims not original, although hubs may be

stem & bar set probably not original, original stem for date given would likely have been a 3TTT Gran Prix first generation, original 3TTT Gran Prix bar would not have been marked "Legnano"

extension brake levers not original


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mharri24

Thanks for the feedback! I especially liked the "immensely valuable" part . I'm going to have my wife read that after her telling me to throw that old bike I brought back in the garbage so many times.

I thought the same on the brake levers and bars but really am in the dark on this stuff.

juvela

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reminiscnet of all those personal accounts about the young man going off to college and when he comes home for a visit finds his mom has thrown out his collection of "all those silly old comic books" or "goofy baseball cards"

you could post the bike & story in an ongoing thread we have here at the forum "saved from the dump"


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zukahn1 

I would agree this one is something special and worth some money I could see $1500 or so as is to the right buyer. The dating and model you gave seem correct.

Kabuki12

Thank you for sharing your find and NOT throwing it in the dumpster! If you’re not into restoring the bike sell it on to someone who will bring it back to life. Restoring or refurbishing a bike is not that difficult if you are mechanically inclined. This bike is worth the effort and would clean up nicely for its age.

VtwinVince

This is pretty cool. Reminds me of my cousin's Masi, he was a top ranked amateur in the '70's. When he moved to Germany, the bike was left in my aunt's garage. I asked my cousin about it, and she said they had tossed it in the dumpster after my aunt died. D'oh!!!!

repechage

A definitely not in the toss category.
a big thank you to the person who left it behind.
you did spot quality.

wheels are probably only partly correct, original hubs and the rims are Wrong. 27”, should be 700c - slightly smaller diameter ( about 4 mm smaller radius) why the rear brake pads are poorly adjusted. Bike originally would have had tubular rims and tires, aka sew-ups.

wipe it off, don’t hose it off.
decision time.
if it fits, correct it and have a terrific bike after a full service. Are you 5’-11” or so?
Or, sell it off and let the enthusiastic buyer restore and it preserve it.

the lugs are Nervex pro, Masi used those for about a year, a bit more. Paint is in trouble but not hopeless, chrome is very weathered, beyond mere patina. To some ready for a complete restoration, for others a correct mechanical goofiness, preserve and ride.

bikemig 

Very nice find. It will be expensive to have someone rehab it as it needs a fair amount of work. This is the kind of bike a collector who is able to do his or her own work would enjoy fixing up to ride, though. It's worth money but $1500 may be optimistic given condition and parts. On the other hand, it's old, high quality, and rare and that does kick up the value so ask for top dollar and be patient.

SwimmerMike 

I agree with the assessment of "not in the toss category" and that it is a rare and "special". But in this market, and in the current condition, I think it will be tough to get top dollar. I'm a big fan of taking "distressed" bikes and fixing them up. But I can't imagine paying $1500 hundred for it knowing the amount of money it would cost to bring it back to its original glory.

mpetry912 

As is probably 2000 bucks for the right person. despite the corrosion and patina, it's all there and unmolested.

/markp

SwimmerMike 

I had never seen one of these before, in looking into them I saw there's a complete (all the right parts) and very nicely restored one, albeit slightly smaller, for 2300 Euros (~$2500) for sale in Florence Italy right now at BikesRetro. There was also a frame that appeared original and in great condition. There is also a frame/fork at Bike Recyclery for $2400 that also looks to be restored.

plonz 

This one is far outside my purview but as I scrolled through the pictures, I was thinking to myself “this thing’s got to be worth a couple of grand”. Nice find!

obrentharris 

Great save!
If that were a bit taller I would happily give you $1,500 for it. Alas, Masi Specials in a 60cm size are rare. (non-existant?)
Brent

iab

$1000 if you want it sold in 1-4 weeks.
$1500 if you want it sold in 6-12 weeks
$2000 if you want it sold in 6-12 months.

Could go quicker, finding the right person at the right time is mostly luck.

roadcrankr

Great project for somebody. Hard to ignore all the rust. Needs a look-see inside the tubing.
Signs of a kickstand planted on there, at some point. You can see some dings to go with the rust.
If a '63, the cranks appear as 144 BCD. Hubs do not come from '63, either.
A quality re-chrome and re-paint runs over $1k. Finding period-correct components would cost a fortune.

rando_couche

That crankset looks like 151mm to me.

roadcrankr

I based my judgement on the "closed C" on the shield logo and dustcap.
My eyesight not as sharp in my old age! lol A quick measure by the OP will solve it.

ign1te

Markets may be different, but in my European mind I find 2000 $ very hard to believe. Condition is quite poor and without any tubing decasl. Some campag components but not a full set. In my local market I'd expect interest at 200 $ not 2000$ .

Doug Fattic 

Let me place this Masi in American context. In the 60's this was a custom top-of-the-line frame one could not get in the US unless they bought a Schwinn Paramount. Only kids rode bicycles in the US before 1970. The 1st day a teenager got his new car driver's license was the last day he rode his bicycle. Then suddenly bicycling became popular for adults. Getting a Masi was a big deal in the early 70's. Faliero Masi came up with his "Gran Criterium" model that was exceptionally popular because of its nice features. He was convinced to start making them in the US around 1973. 2 that were involved with this enterprise later became famous in their own right, Baylis and Confente. So there are probably more collectors in the US wanting a Masi than most other brands. It is the bike they dreamed of getting when they got into cycling. As a result, this older model will be a very rare and desirable bike in the US. Probably not so much in Europe where this kind of bike from the 60's was/is much more common.

I think most of the parts are original to its first owner except the seat and rims. In that era, it was common to buy a frame and then equip it with whatever parts one could afford.

mharri24

This is great info - thanks for the feedback! I'm 6'1" so probably could make this work. Leaning towards letting it go to someone who could appreciate it a bit more!

mharri24

I found that same frame, definitely in restored condition. I saw one or two more in instagram posts or little articles that seemed to be full restores and were priced a bit higher. All of the info I found makes it seem like a really cool/rare bike which is really fun to think about the history behind it!

mharri24

One of the sources that helped me conclude this is a '63 said that it is possible only about ~25 of these bikes were imported into the US. I think this is in line with Doug's insight into the value here in the states. Pretty cool either way!

mharri24

This is great insight, thanks! If I decide to sell it hopefully I get lucky with the right buyer