ayerzee59

Hi, I have a Benotto but can't identify the actual model and date of the bike, your thoughts and comments would be appreciated.
I have only owned the bike for one year the previous owner approx. 15 years. The bike may well have been resprayed at some time but I am not sure, the bearings to the head set have been replaced apart from that I know very little except what I have read on the net.

The usual Benotto wording are on the frame at the top of the seat stay and on the bb, the only other marks are the numbers "13" on the bb.

Please see the photos which I hope to attach but my IT skills are pretty low

Thanks

Ayerzee

SJX426 

I am no Benotto expert. It looks like you have a frankenbike of parts. The RD looks to me like a Victory. The crank is a record of SR/NR vintage. I have never seen that head set. The Point is that the component's won't help you.

Next is the frame features. Here are some items you can learn about.

The fork crown looks older as it is not a unicrown. Don't know if Benotto ever used a unicrown but if they did, when did they start using one and on which models.

Cable routing. Some models used braze-on cable retainers like yours, others were in the frame or clamped. Same question set. This also applies to the derailleur cable routing, over or under the bottom bracket with or without clamp on guides

The bb shell - whose is it and which one

Tubing - Can you find spiral ridges in the tubing? look in the steerer, ST, DT. Does the Steerer have a dove impressed on it? What is the outside diameter of the tubes? What is the size of the seat post?

What are the angles of the head tube and seat tube along with c-t-c dimensions of the seat tube and top tube?

How much does it weigh?

Report back and you might get some responses and at least narrow it down.

Bianchigirll 

Welcome to the forums!! Nice looking bike.

Personally I would too concerned about having a "Franken BIke", a lot of members here seem to pooh pooh bikes that don't have a complete matching groupset but back in the '80s when this was built iut was common to mixed up parts like those Weimeman brakes with a Campagnolo drive train. I would suspect some parts were replaced over the years though, but as long as your happy with the ride who cares what parts are on it.

Do I see regular hexnuts on the brakes? That would likely make it earlier than a '85ish model.

exxongraftek

Don't let the "purists" on here get you down - in my day we racers were usually on a tight budget and we built our bikes as best we could. And this one has a lot going for it.
First generation Cinelli 1/Record stem - hard to find, expensive. Cinelli 65 bars - ditto. Engraved Campy logo seatpost - ditto.
Campy platform pedals are a nice uncommon item, but not as valuable - but that crank looks really sweet!

That frame might be a respray but it looks like a nice job if it is. I think BG has the date about right - it may be even earlier.

ayerzee59

Thank you for your help and comments to date,


To answer a few of the easier questions from SJX426 I can confirm the following:

T tube diameter 25.5mm - ctc 545mm

D tube & S tube 28.6mm centre crank to centre top tube 525mm

Weight is 8.6 kilos (19lb.)

seat post 27.1mm dia. (I realise this seems to indicate the tubing is thin but I measured it twice)

rootboy 

Heh. I don't see any "purists, poo-poo-ing anything about your bike. Just mentioning that it has a mixture of components, which can make it difficult to identify or date accurately. The term Frankenbike isn't an insult. Just a description.
"In my day" we waited until there was some actual evidence of an infringement before invoking the "back in my day" clause.

Nice bike. You might check the Benotto page on the Classic Rendezvous site to see if there is anything similar there.