Andy_K 

This bike has been floating around on the local Craigslist for a while now. I'm interested in it primarily for the brakes and levers, but now the price has come down enough that I'm starting to wonder if I could part it out and not lose my shirt.

There are no decals, but the frame details might be sufficient for someone here to be able to identify it.

FWIW, here's a link to the current ad: https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/...451548708.html

Any opinions?

MauriceMoss

Based on the fork crown, seat cluster, serial number and scalloped stay end treatment, I'd say this is an Urago.





Fromt this thread: Forum Tonton Vélo ? Afficher le sujet - URAGO 1973 de Fabien


From this thread: Vélo URAGO 1973 | Forum Velo Retro Course

Andy_K 

That certainly does look like a match. Thanks! I knew this group wouldn't let me down.

juvela

-----

Ding, Ding, Ding!

As soon as I saw the images I thought this as well...then got down to Maurice's post and saw he was there already. During the 1960's there was a constructeur working for Urago called "Brouquie" - have only heard the name and do not know the proper spelling. The silver soldered addition to the crown we see here was one of his signatures. In about 1970 MICMO was able to lure him away to Nantes to make the true team framesets for the Gitane team.

Thank you for sharing this wonderful find. Lugset is of course the Prugnat 62/d.

-----

jimmuller 

Good heavens, that bike is loaded with great stuff! Were I to buy that frame I'd spend way more than that to put those kinds of parts back on it. I'd make a few changes, I suspect, like lower gearing and restringing that front wheel be not radial spoking. Otherwise, that's a zinger at it is, even with the paint blemishes. Would be a great go-fast bike.

FWIW, the ad does say it is Italian.

satbuilder 

Wheel set is worth at least half the seller’s asking price. Nice looking bike.

Andy_K 

The way I read it was that the seller didn't know what it was and was guessing maybe Italian or maybe French. I was pretty sure it was French based on the fish-mouth stay ends, the wrap-around seat stays, and the seatpost size.

non-fixie 

If that were my size I'f probably be on the blower to the seller right now, even from the other side of the pond. Man, that is an awfully nice bike!

VintageRide

If the frame fits you I would definitely look into finding replacement decals for the ones missing, as you will no doubt discover, high end Uragos such as this a few and far between, I currently have a P.Peschi that came from the same city as Urago, Nice. There was speculation that the frames were constructed by Urago as this one shares the same details, mainly a wrap around seat stay and fish mouth ends, in my case it appears to be from most likely the early '60's, it came to me as just a frame with the wheel set so I tried building it up as from the period, more or less.


If you decide to purchase the bike it would be worth spending a reasonable amount on. . Hope you do not mind the image.

bikemig 

That bike is sweet and squarely priced; I'd buy it.

repechage

A size would have been good in the advert.
I like it very much, previously I saw the green bike while surfing around that forum, the green bike I guess is my size...
Might fit the Portland bike... if only I knew the top tube length... and unfortunately hundreds of miles south.

John E

I would replace those radial front spokes with standard 3X. Those hub flanges are not designed for the outward stress imposed by radial spokes.

clubman 

Radial spokes on the NDS rear wheel as well. I don't care for the way those spokes are pulling through the flange either. The one at 11:30 looks bad. Oddly the hub appears to have always been radial, no other marks?

jimmuller 

Hmph. I never noticed the radial spokes on the rear. I guess you (which is to say I) don't notice things that aren't supposed to be there.

Andy_K 

So what are the early warning signs of problems from radial lacing? Cracks above the spoke holes?

Duke7777

Yes, Urago. Possibly 1969, based on the U69 stamped on the dropout, although many of the components look slightly newer. My understanding of the arrowhead tang on the fork crown is that it was a signature feature of the builder Anicet Cattaneo. He often used it on frames he sold as Cattaneos, although this doesn't necessarily mean that he started it, or that other builders for Urago didn't also use it. One thing that puzzles me is the 26.2 seat post. The better Urago frames such as this one typically used butted light gauge Vitus tubing, which would usually take a 26.6 seat post (seat tube ID 26.8 mm). It could be a custom frame where heavier tubing was requested, but that would be odd for a racing frame this size. It could be the seat tube was installed upside down by mistake. In any case, this looks like an excellent bike and a great buy.

merziac

@andy k, all over but the shoutin?

Andy_K 

Yes! Although apparently the guy deleted the ad before I got there to look at the bike. I got an e-mail from my friend Andy A. telling me that the ad was down just as I pulled into the parking lot of the apartment where I had gone to see it. I guess I didn't have a good poker face when I was arranging the meeting.

More pictures and details to follow.

merziac

Huh, that's why I posted, the ad went down. Glad you got it, I looked long and hard at it several times.

Andy_K 

I guess now we'll see how wise this decision was. My wife was surprisingly supportive when I told her I wanted to buy another bike. She was somewhat less positive when I told her I bought it just for the brakes.

I don't have decent lighting anywhere in my house, so no full bike pics tonight.

A few things were as expected, such as 28/28/26 main frame tubes. Other things are surprising, such as "Italy" on the headset locknut (that means Italian threaded, right?), the 22.2mm stem diameter, and the six-speed freewheel with 124mm rear dropout spacing.

The frame is 53cm center-to-top seat tube, 55cm center-to-center top tube.

I'm holding my breath a bit with the pedals because the crank is clearly marked "14x125" and the pedals are clearly marked "9/16" x 20" so I'm hoping they were properly tapped. Can that be forced/hamfisted?





I'm sure someone can tell me what model crank this is. I like the ends on the crank arms.





The lacing on the rear wheel is interesting.







Unicanitor saddle, showing some patina





The biggest disappointment so far is that the headset seems to have some brinelling.

Andy_K 

The other strange thing, which you can kind of tell from one of the pictures from the CL listing, is that it seems to have a modern (splined) cartridge bottom bracket.

obrentharris 

It is a cartridge bottom bracket but not splined. It's square tapered.

The wacky lacing on the rear wheel is something that was popular, at least in my area, in the early seventies. Looks like a tied-and-soldered crows-foot pattern on the drive side and radial on the non-drive side.

I'm curious what the Stronglight experts have to say about that crank arm end. The ones I've seen have been rounded. Maybe, like the unusual lacing, it is a "customization" by someone who wanted to be different.

I will second the admiration expressed by others for the quality of the frame. Another time when I wish someone would hurry up and invent the frame stretcher!
Brent

Andy_K 

Of course. What I meant was that it is the type that requires a splined tool for removal.

Duke7777

A French-threaded Campagnolo SR headset locknut will say Italy on the top, but 25 x 1 France on the underside. I would be surprised if the steering tube is Italian threaded and 22.2 mm ID. If it is, I would wonder whether the steering tube has been replaced.

I've heard it's possible, with grease and patience, to gradually work a 9/16" pedal spindle into a 14 mm crank hole, but hopefully these were properly re-tapped. I've never seen Stronglight 93 cranks with flats on the pedal ends like that. I would guess it was done by hand with a file, but does look quite tidy in the photo.

The newer BB may indicate that the shell has been re-tapped from French to Italian. This can be done quite successfully, and does make finding a replacement BB somewhat easier.

Andy_K 

At last, full bike pics!





Plus a couple more details...

Cinelli stem, is this newer?



Front wheel -- what is this?