Swiss Mondia Competition
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 21
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 32 Times
in
10 Posts
Swiss Mondia Competition
Hi Everyone,
I have three bicycles, one a 1969 Carlton Corsair large frame, one a 1970 Carlton I rebuilt as a teenager, and one a 1970s Swiss Mondia Competition bike.
Found the Mondia in a charity shop and bought it for the price of a family takeaway meal.
Original paint and fittings, it is may favourite ride, and rides silently and precisely. Big smiles every time.
Hope you enjoy the images.
I have three bicycles, one a 1969 Carlton Corsair large frame, one a 1970 Carlton I rebuilt as a teenager, and one a 1970s Swiss Mondia Competition bike.
Found the Mondia in a charity shop and bought it for the price of a family takeaway meal.
Original paint and fittings, it is may favourite ride, and rides silently and precisely. Big smiles every time.
Hope you enjoy the images.
Likes For BikerBrain:
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Oakland, CA
Posts: 3,265
Bikes: '82 Univega Competizione, '72 Motobecane Grand Record, '83 Mercian KOM Touring, '85 Univega Alpina Uno, '76 Eisentraut Limited
Mentioned: 57 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1088 Post(s)
Liked 1,207 Times
in
703 Posts
What a find... And the Suntour Skitter is wild!
One thing -- make sure that stem has enough below to support it. It looks awfully high.
One thing -- make sure that stem has enough below to support it. It looks awfully high.
Last edited by noobinsf; 03-25-21 at 04:09 PM. Reason: typo
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,457
Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones
Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5898 Post(s)
Liked 3,513 Times
in
2,094 Posts
That bike is beautiful and that suntour RD is priceless. Love it.
#4
Senior Member
Gorgeous Mondia! Thanks for sharing the pics.
__________________
I.C.
I.C.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Utah
Posts: 8,742
Bikes: Paletti,Pinarello Monviso,Duell Vienna,Giordana XL Super,Lemond Maillot Juane.& custom,PDG Paramount,Fuji Opus III,Davidson Impulse,Pashley Guv'nor,Evans,Fishlips,Y-Foil,Softride, Tetra Pro, CAAD8 Optimo,
Mentioned: 157 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2340 Post(s)
Liked 5,197 Times
in
1,822 Posts
That's one nice ride!
__________________
Steel is real...and comfy.
Steel is real...and comfy.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Alta California
Posts: 14,353
Mentioned: 417 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3843 Post(s)
Liked 3,404 Times
in
2,218 Posts
-----
thanks very much for sharing this find!
cycle looks to date from about 1974 while rear mech goes back to mid-to-late 1960's; hence all of the ooohs and ahhhs
we had a discussion thread on s similar Mondia with the same paint and transfers and from the same time but kitted with all european fittings here -
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...a-special.html
the owner stated bicycle is Special model
thought you might like to see their machine for comparison with yours...
-----
thanks very much for sharing this find!
cycle looks to date from about 1974 while rear mech goes back to mid-to-late 1960's; hence all of the ooohs and ahhhs
we had a discussion thread on s similar Mondia with the same paint and transfers and from the same time but kitted with all european fittings here -
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...a-special.html
the owner stated bicycle is Special model
thought you might like to see their machine for comparison with yours...
-----
#7
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 21
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 32 Times
in
10 Posts
Thank you so much for your comments and your knowledge. I have a lot to learn!
I am super amateur, but have loved steel bikes since I was a boy and restoring the Carlton with Dad.
Thanks also for the Mondia link - I now see what the small vertical alloy fitment with a hole is just above my rear brake - the fitting point for the Swiss bicycle registration from when it was built (pic 1) You can see the subsequent annual stickers used on the frame upright.
Do you think that the front tyre is likely original? (pic 2) If so I might swap it for daily use to preserve it.
Is the saddle likely original? It is suede, but guess a leather saddle was likely back then? (pic 1)
What type of air pump would the bicycle have originally had? Pic 3 shows the top fitting.
Many thanks in advance......really appreciate any advice you might have.
I am super amateur, but have loved steel bikes since I was a boy and restoring the Carlton with Dad.
Thanks also for the Mondia link - I now see what the small vertical alloy fitment with a hole is just above my rear brake - the fitting point for the Swiss bicycle registration from when it was built (pic 1) You can see the subsequent annual stickers used on the frame upright.
Do you think that the front tyre is likely original? (pic 2) If so I might swap it for daily use to preserve it.
Is the saddle likely original? It is suede, but guess a leather saddle was likely back then? (pic 1)
What type of air pump would the bicycle have originally had? Pic 3 shows the top fitting.
Many thanks in advance......really appreciate any advice you might have.
Last edited by BikerBrain; 03-26-21 at 02:58 AM.
Likes For BikerBrain:
#8
señor miembro
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Pac NW
Posts: 6,659
Bikes: '70s - '80s Campagnolo
Mentioned: 93 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3919 Post(s)
Liked 6,554 Times
in
3,248 Posts
That rear derailleur should be in a museum. Here's an excerpt from Disraeli Gears:
"It is low-normal ... and it had only one spring, which provides both chain tension and operates the parallelogram...
"The 1967 SunTour Skitter gets the adjustable pulley cage ... with a few twists of a handy wing-bolt, the tension pulley can be moved to one of three positions giving a maximum capacity of 26, 30 or 34 teeth.., an early ancestor of SunTour’s ‘Quick Cage’ - which allowed you to fit the chain into the derailleur without messing around with extracting a chain rivet."
"It is low-normal ... and it had only one spring, which provides both chain tension and operates the parallelogram...
"The 1967 SunTour Skitter gets the adjustable pulley cage ... with a few twists of a handy wing-bolt, the tension pulley can be moved to one of three positions giving a maximum capacity of 26, 30 or 34 teeth.., an early ancestor of SunTour’s ‘Quick Cage’ - which allowed you to fit the chain into the derailleur without messing around with extracting a chain rivet."
#9
velo-dilettante
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: insane diego, california
Posts: 8,357
Bikes: 85 pinarello treviso steel, 88 nishiki olympic steel. 95 look kg 131 carbon, 11 trek madone 5.2 carbon
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1638 Post(s)
Liked 3,147 Times
in
1,703 Posts
underrated and good value, oops!
#10
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 21
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 32 Times
in
10 Posts
That rear derailleur should be in a museum. Here's an excerpt from Disraeli Gears:
"It is low-normal ... and it had only one spring, which provides both chain tension and operates the parallelogram...
"The 1967 SunTour Skitter gets the adjustable pulley cage ... with a few twists of a handy wing-bolt, the tension pulley can be moved to one of three positions giving a maximum capacity of 26, 30 or 34 teeth.., an early ancestor of SunTour’s ‘Quick Cage’ - which allowed you to fit the chain into the derailleur without messing around with extracting a chain rivet."
"It is low-normal ... and it had only one spring, which provides both chain tension and operates the parallelogram...
"The 1967 SunTour Skitter gets the adjustable pulley cage ... with a few twists of a handy wing-bolt, the tension pulley can be moved to one of three positions giving a maximum capacity of 26, 30 or 34 teeth.., an early ancestor of SunTour’s ‘Quick Cage’ - which allowed you to fit the chain into the derailleur without messing around with extracting a chain rivet."
It is the smoothest and quietest I have ever used. Will look after it carefully thanks to your advice.
Likes For BikerBrain:
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Alta California
Posts: 14,353
Mentioned: 417 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3843 Post(s)
Liked 3,404 Times
in
2,218 Posts
-----
two possibilities come to mind for presence of the Skitter -
a) fitted by a previous owner
b) a case of the factory using up old stock they ran across in the warehouse
---
the pump holder on the frame is an AFA item "I" from France
the diameter of the cup is intended for one of their frame pumps
AFA products come from the Poutrait-Morin firm
they are the manufacturer of Zefal, AFA & Tornade brand frame pumps
here are catalogue pages from 1974, same time as your cycle:
---
dating -
there are fittings on the cycle which carry a date mark/code
one is the Sugino brand chainset
there are markings on the backside of the crank arms:
Date of Manufacture of Bicycle Components can be used to date a bike: component dating
would expect a date near to nineteen and seventy-four
-----
two possibilities come to mind for presence of the Skitter -
a) fitted by a previous owner
b) a case of the factory using up old stock they ran across in the warehouse
---
the pump holder on the frame is an AFA item "I" from France
the diameter of the cup is intended for one of their frame pumps
AFA products come from the Poutrait-Morin firm
they are the manufacturer of Zefal, AFA & Tornade brand frame pumps
here are catalogue pages from 1974, same time as your cycle:
---
dating -
there are fittings on the cycle which carry a date mark/code
one is the Sugino brand chainset
there are markings on the backside of the crank arms:
Date of Manufacture of Bicycle Components can be used to date a bike: component dating
would expect a date near to nineteen and seventy-four
-----
#13
Senior Member
I have 3 Mondias. Great bikes...! Bought my 1st one (a ‘82 Super) in the late 80’s. The other 2, I picked up along the way...
Take a visit on Classic Rendezvous Mondia Page.
There are Registry & Timeline links contained within the site. Lots of info...
Mondia Serial #'s
Mondia Timeline
Take a visit on Classic Rendezvous Mondia Page.
There are Registry & Timeline links contained within the site. Lots of info...
Mondia Serial #'s
Mondia Timeline
Last edited by 1 Lugnut; 03-29-21 at 02:10 PM. Reason: add pic...
Likes For 1 Lugnut:
#14
feros ferio
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us
Posts: 21,823
Bikes: 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo; 1960 Capo Sieger (2); 1962 Carlton Franco Suisse; 1970 Peugeot UO-8; 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia; 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10;
Mentioned: 44 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1400 Post(s)
Liked 1,345 Times
in
849 Posts
That rear derailleur should be in a museum. Here's an excerpt from Disraeli Gears:
"It is low-normal ... and it had only one spring, which provides both chain tension and operates the parallelogram...
"The 1967 SunTour Skitter gets the adjustable pulley cage ... with a few twists of a handy wing-bolt, the tension pulley can be moved to one of three positions giving a maximum capacity of 26, 30 or 34 teeth.., an early ancestor of SunTour’s ‘Quick Cage’ - which allowed you to fit the chain into the derailleur without messing around with extracting a chain rivet."
"It is low-normal ... and it had only one spring, which provides both chain tension and operates the parallelogram...
"The 1967 SunTour Skitter gets the adjustable pulley cage ... with a few twists of a handy wing-bolt, the tension pulley can be moved to one of three positions giving a maximum capacity of 26, 30 or 34 teeth.., an early ancestor of SunTour’s ‘Quick Cage’ - which allowed you to fit the chain into the derailleur without messing around with extracting a chain rivet."
__________________
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
Likes For John E:
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Maryland, USA
Posts: 2,481
Bikes: Drysdale/Gitane/Zeus/Masi/Falcon/Palo Alto/Raleigh/Legnano
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1001 Post(s)
Liked 679 Times
in
422 Posts
A whole lot of pump goodness in that attachment. I need to look that over carefully. There's a Zefal Competition in my garage that I thought was "blown" 20 years ago, I need to examine it carefully and decide if it can be resurrected.
__________________
Larry:1958 Drysdale, 1961 Gitane Gran Sport, 1974 Zeus track, 1988 Masi Gran Corsa, 1974 Falcon, 1980 Palo Alto, 1973 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1974 Legnano. Susan: 1976 Windsor Profesional.
Larry:1958 Drysdale, 1961 Gitane Gran Sport, 1974 Zeus track, 1988 Masi Gran Corsa, 1974 Falcon, 1980 Palo Alto, 1973 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1974 Legnano. Susan: 1976 Windsor Profesional.
#16
señor miembro
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Pac NW
Posts: 6,659
Bikes: '70s - '80s Campagnolo
Mentioned: 93 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3919 Post(s)
Liked 6,554 Times
in
3,248 Posts
#17
señor miembro
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Pac NW
Posts: 6,659
Bikes: '70s - '80s Campagnolo
Mentioned: 93 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3919 Post(s)
Liked 6,554 Times
in
3,248 Posts
#18
Senior Member
Likes For 1 Lugnut:
#19
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 8
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
A similar Mondia.
Hi, I have just registered for Bike Forums because I saw this Mondia Bike.
I have in this last week also bought a Mondia and it looks very similar.
Even the Suntour Skitter derailleur which I can confirm runs very smoothly.
I have in this last week also bought a Mondia and it looks very similar.
Even the Suntour Skitter derailleur which I can confirm runs very smoothly.
#20
Veteran, Pacifist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 13,381
Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?
Mentioned: 284 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3919 Post(s)
Liked 4,888 Times
in
2,255 Posts
__________________
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
#21
Veteran, Pacifist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Seattle area
Posts: 13,381
Bikes: Bikes??? Thought this was social media?!?
Mentioned: 284 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3919 Post(s)
Liked 4,888 Times
in
2,255 Posts
Hey @1 Lugnut,
what color do you call your Mondia Super w/ 531SL?
what color do you call your Mondia Super w/ 531SL?
__________________
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
#22
Senior Member
If you go to the Mondia page (linked above) & run through the Timeline, it lists the detail changes throughout the years of production. The footnotes below are very detailed, but difficult to read if you have poor eyesight?
Also: On the Registry page, you can approximate your bike’s DOB by the serial #’s/yr by what’s been posted, although somewhat sketchy? Kinda like trying to date Gibson's guitars made in the 60’s...lol
Only difference I can see on yours' compared to mine is the lack of 'chrome' on the seat/chain stays & nutted brakes.
Does yours' have 'Super" written on the HT Badge?
What color do you call your Mondia Super w/ 531SL?
Same Bike...?
Last edited by 1 Lugnut; 03-29-21 at 04:02 PM.
#23
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 8
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Hi BikerBrain, My Mondia has a very similar look to yours. It is metallic silver with red pinstripping and very little chrome compared to other Mondias. I also have Suntour Skitter and Spirt drivetrain with Wienmann brakes like yours. The bike was sold to me as being very original and because of this similarity I think its's true. The lugs on my Mondia are a different design and the seat lug has 73 on the top but I don't know if that is a date stamp.
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Alta California
Posts: 14,353
Mentioned: 417 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3843 Post(s)
Liked 3,404 Times
in
2,218 Posts
Hi BikerBrain, My Mondia has a very similar look to yours. It is metallic silver with red pinstripping and very little chrome compared to other Mondias. I also have Suntour Skitter and Spirt drivetrain with Wienmann brakes like yours. The bike was sold to me as being very original and because of this similarity I think its's true. The lugs on my Mondia are a different design and the seat lug has 73 on the top but I don't know if that is a date stamp.
the 73 marking on the seat lug was placed there by the lug manufacturer
it indicates the angle in degrees between the lug's socket for the seat tube and its socket for the top tube
-----
#25
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 8
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Thanks juvela, that makes sense and now I realise how obvious it is. At least now I know my bike has 73° seat lug and 60° head lug.
Thanks.
Thanks.