1980 Saba. So why does it say "Alpina"? Read on...
Another bike found in London during my two-year tour in the mid-90s, this was in pretty bad shape paint-wise. Had it refinished in flo-orange by Condor Cycles, but they were unable to source decals. For a number of years it was built up in my now-familiar Campy fashion, but the lack of logos was irritating. While negotiating a repaint of a small Atala frame (for the ex), I was gifted some Alpine (the Washington, DC shop) decals from the painter, who used to work for Alpine. For the fun of it, around the same time, I'd been filing away on the Saba, thinning the lug spoons/points and modding the rear dropouts when I had an inspiration: since I couldn't find the correct decals, I'd make up my own using the Alpine set as a template. Bob Freeman at Elliott Bay Bicycles did the artwork for me, and I drewed all the Saba identification cues from the frame; then EBB painted it and affixed the new decals.
That's right: this bike is a fraud
I've used it as my drillium test bike. Last year I finally decided to mount up some tubulars and ride it a bit, although if I'm being honest it's a tad too small. It is, however, my second-longest serving bike (after the Colnago Mexico) and I've had a hand in modifying not only the parts but also the frame; my hands are pretty dirty from playing with this bike over the years. It also sports some interesting and uncommon components: a milled-head Campy NR seatpost by the late Jon Williams (he also milled the Cinelli 1A stem), Campy titanium BB (second generation) and Super Record pedals, a drilled/milled Portacatena system, and a Record crankarm pair with Mexico treatment - even the spider arms have been heavily profiled.
DD