Kommisar89

That's was why I originally bought my 2002 Bianchi Veloce although I never liked the TIG welded construction. At the time though it was not easy either to buy a new lugged frame or find them on eBay as I didn't know as much about how to do that. Today I would probably make a different choice.

I'm not one of those guys either. I was not fast when I was young and I'm not fast now. Maybe on one of those bikes with the electric motor hidden in the bottom bracket...

Steve Whitlatch 

I need one of those. Then I will join crank_addict on the A group ride. Until then, B group is fun. Stupid hills!

rccardr 

Agreed that it's pretty cool that companies like Bottecchia, Masi and Bianchi are making these new bikes that look kinda vintage-y. And I understand why someone would be drawn to them. I know for a fact that the Bianchi, which is a RC designated, hand built frame, is very nicely put together (I have one in storage for my grandson's 16th birthday present- he's almost 3 years old), and expect that the Botty pictured would be stunning in person.

My '88 did actually wind up costing just a smidge more than a quarter of the MSRP of the new bike. Paid what I would consider FMV, the knowledgeable seller was happy with the deal, and then swapped out virtually everything from the Campy CdA/Chorus group on it and replaced it with bits more to my liking and appropriate for where I live and where I ride.

Narhay

Wow, $999. I have no space but im already thinking of ways to get this in the house past the wife...

mongol777

Haha - I am in the same boat. Checking it everyday and hoping they will sold out in my size :-)
Wife is understanding but I just spent most of my budget on All-City Gorilla Monsoon build. So preparing some frames and parts and bits for sale - if everything sells quickly I'd be very tempted.

Ungaro

I purchased the 2017 Bottecchia Leggendaria frameset last summer. Best purchase I've made in a long time. I went with just the frameset, as I still love my Campy Record 10 sp gruppo (2005) - it's the third bike for the gruppo! I must say that the fit and finish is very nice, AND it's made in Italy, unlike the inexspensive Raleigh replica stated earlier. That being said, I bought mine from Steel Vintage Bikes, out of Berlin. They shipped at a cheap cost. They also have complete bikes for $3,267 - which is a darn site better than $3,800.
Plus, they use the better looking Veloce crank.....if that means anything to you.

samisoid

1989-SLX-Athena-Dura-ace

Originally assembled in local bike shop with full Athena group.Gone through some component changes over the years.

botty kayer

So those in the know with Columbus tubing hierarchy, how does Columbus Spirit stack up compared to SLX and TSX? Is it inferior? Superior?

I've just got a old 89 SLX one I'm about to build up, and whilst I praise Bottecchia for making modern versions, I'm hoping to build my version up for a lot cheaper.

Ungaro

Definitely not inferior. Superior? Maybe same net result, just newer and different. With the internal spiral ribbing, SLX was an improvement in strength over SL - particularly important if one is on the heavier side, and/or a powerful beast. As far as I know, Spirit is a newer light weight uber steel tube. Better or superior to SLX? hard to say. I say build up what you've got and don't second guess it. I have the new Spirit tubed Leggendaria, and love it. I don't have the same thing in SLX, so I can't compare.

Rocket-Sauce 

This one is my size, in my neighborhood and a good price. Why am I not jumping all over it????
What is the significance of script vs block letters?

https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/bi...614854975.html

Bottecchia Campagnolo Road Bike Commuter 23 1/2" 60cm frame - $475 (Cambridge nr Harvard/Porter Squares)

Chombi1 

If everything checks out as genuine on that frame, that is a great buy at that price.
BTW, script version is cooler looking than the block letter version, IMO, but I guess I am biased as my Chorus SL Bott has the script lettering on it.....

botty kayer

Thanks for the reply, sounds good. I was not sure if Columbus were using a lesser frame material to make it to a set price point, but it does not sound like it, which is good. You got a pic of yours? I'm also putting 10 speed Campagnolo on mine and can't wait to get out on it in the sunshine, these bikes really dazzle, happy riding

Ungaro

rccardr 

Lascauxcaveman 

Agreed, and the modern Centaur crank is actually retro-looking enough to not jump out too much on such a wildly retro looking chrome and two-tone frame. OTOH, of all the super-ugly 4-arm cranksets out there nowadays, the silver Potenza in the first post is probably the least super ugly.

botty kayer

Thanks for posting Ungaro, I can see a few differences on the frames from the originals, but wow that is still a very pretty bicycle, good work

T-Mar

I don't know if the pricing has changed since the original posting, but I calculate the Raleigh at about 40% the cost of the Bottecchia, not 25%. I think the price difference is justified. Most of it it is in the extensive chrome, which is very expensive these days due the manual preparation and environmental safeguards.

Regarding Spirit versus SLX and TSX, the former is made from a higher strength alloy and employs thinner walls. Consequently, it is significantly lighter. To compensate for the loss in rigidity due to the lighter gauges, the tubes are oversize. This is likely one of the reasons for the lack of lug cutouts. Most steel frames are TIG welded these days and the lug selection for Spirit's oversize tubes is relatively limited. Producing dedicated lugs with cutouts would have led to a price increase. Similarly, the absence of internal rear brake cable routing in favour of external cable stops, is almost certainly another cost concession to keep the target price down.

On a side note, it's great to see Kommisar89 back, after a long absence from the forums.

rccardr 

Ungaro

Hiro11

I'm looking to buy a new road bike this spring (bonus comes through in Mar). No racing, mainly group rides with friends. I'm considering going with a modern aero disc bike but the aesthetics of bikes from back when I was racing just appeal to me more. Chromed lugs and rear triangle, external cabling, BSA BB, 27.2 seatpost, quill stem... this Bottecchia has all the things I prefer. It helps that I absolutely love the look of this bike, Bottechia's were some of the best looking frames back in the 80s IMO. Steel Vintage Bikes is quoting me $2,705 shipped for a Leggendaria with a Potenza build. Since I'm looking at $5K aero bikes, I'd love to save some money and get something I like better. SVB's build is different than the standard build Bottecchia is offering: no-name seat post, stem and bars, Khamsin wheels, SSM Regal saddle.

Has anyone ridden this bike? The geometry looks pretty classic, how does it ride? Anything you'd change? If I were to go with this bike, I'd have budget to swap the stem and bars for retro-modern Cinelli stuff and put some skinwall Vittorias on there. The wheels might need an upgrade as well. This bike speaks to my heart, I can't help it. I put in about 6k road miles a year and one other road bike, so this bike would be used a lot. Is this a stupid decision, should I just get something modern?

microcord

Either (A) what Chombi1 said:

Or (B) for less than [what I'd guess is] the price of a new Bottecchia frame, I could have a frame made to order, just for me. Designed for disk brakes if I wanted them. Designed for my weight, painted according to my (perhaps dubious) taste in colours, and with the decals as subtle or gaudy as I liked.

eja_ bottecchia

Ungaro

Yes, I have ridden and continue to ride the new one. See my posts above. What did I change? I changed the flexy Deda stem. It's not good quality and does not feel secure out of the saddle, so, don't worry about the seat post and stem. SVB is a good firm to work with - I have had good luck with them, and they do offer great pricing.

Now, for all those claiming that you should save money and get an original frames, theres that to consider, HOWEVER....does the vintage frameset have 130mm spacing? No, it will be 126mm. Do you want to "cold set" the rear and take that chance? That's up to you. How solid is the vintage frameset? In other words, how ragged out is it? Do you know who rode it, and how many miles were logged on it? Then there's "yeah, but the new Columbus tubing isn't as good as SL or SLX....uh huh.. yeah, well, just check out the specs on Spirit tubing and get back with me on that.

I'm loving my new Leggendaria, and can go head to head with guys on carbon under bikes, frustrating the hell out of them because I'm on a "heavy steel" number. It's you that you have to satisfy, nobody else.

eja_ bottecchia

Ungaro

1989 did you say? I'm sorry, I use the Eroica standards of pre-1987, but that's me. Would love to see a picture of your Colnago - I had considered one of those as well. Regarding the ride feel of the Colnago, could it be the different geometry? Colnagos are famous for the "low and long" nature of the frames. Truly, the only way of comparing the steel tubes is to get a CV version and an identical new one and compare side to side. BTW, why didn't you just get a CV Colnago?

There are more than a few reasons that cause someone to buy a new "classic" over an older one (witness your Colnago). Myself, I have a 1971 Raleigh Pro Mk III and a 1971 Raleigh Pro Track. I like gears to much to make the Pro Track my daily rider (and usually save it for winter fixed gear work), and the Mk III has been in my family since 1972 and racked up countless miles. I've also worn out more than a couple of frames, so when I make a comment about knowing the provenance of vintage frames, it comes from a perspective of realizing what someone expects to do with said frame. I've you want a CV for your main ride, it's nice to get a low mileage one. Myself, I picked up a questionable Bianchi CDI frame (less fork) for nothing, with the goal of making it my Eroica bike, and therefore saving my Mk III from the abuses of travel and gravel roads, because, well, that Mk III has sentimental value.

Another thing to consider when counseling someone to buy CV over new is frame size - can they get one that they need, when they want it? Of course, it's like anything - the moment you pull the trigger on something, dozens of options come out of the wood work (thank you, Mr. Murphy). In late spring of 2017, I saw zero CV Bottechias on the market. Now, one crops up every so often. One is currently offered in my size, but for $899, plus shipping. Well, I paid $1,250 delivered for my new one with zero miles on it, and for me it made sense at the time and still does.

YMMV