Joeyflowers

Well shopping at one of my favorite thrift stores I saw a beautiful red Italian with chrome forks and stays that I just had to have. $40 and I brought her home. I'm a newbie so I need 10 posts before I can post any photographs. But this is what I've got. She's a Benotto with internal cabling and oval tubes. The BB has the heart cut out with an eye stamped in it. And then following numbers 5073 and B360 stamped on the other end. The front fork has a campy dropout but the rear dropouts have no markings at all. But here's the really weird thing. The component set is white Shimano sante which actually looks fantastic with the white Benotto lettering. I just thought it strange to have a Shimano group set like that. I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of that from Benotto? I'd love to find out if those components are original. If they aren't I'd love to get the bike back to original even though I love the way it looks. Right now I can't wait to clean her up and give her a ride. As soon as I get 10 posts I'd like to post some pictures of her. Any advice I would greatly appreciate. Thanks in advance!

machinist42

You are welcome, in advance, to post photos to your Album, and no doubt some kind soul will provide you with "Picture Assistance" and post them to this thread!

(Create an Album in the Gallery section of this site, I checked, and if you'd even tried to upload to this thread, the pics would have been sutomatically saved by The System, and they'd have displayed in the "Most Recent" feed. So give it a try with a Drive Side photograph?)

T-Mar

Too many pics for a full photo assist. Here's the photo album: https://www.bikeforums.net/g/user/544567

Based on the top mount shift levers, I'd say the frame is too old for OEM full group Santé, which had it's debut for the 1988 model year. However, it's one of baragins of the year at that price, to the point where I'd be worried that somebody had pawned a stolen bicycle.

machinist42

francophile 

The forward rake on the fork is concerning. Granted, the wheels alone are worth more than what you paid, so replacement fork is probably in order.

I'd be carefully inspecting the top tube and the downtube where they meet the head tube (and their lugs) to look for cracks, wrinkles, bulges or other signs of accident. Saying this not because of the forward fork rake, but because of the lack of paint on the top tube; flaking sections of paint in that first couple inches can be the result of a forward impact and could explain the (potential) replacement fork on it.

Joeyflowers

Thanks for the assistance!

SoccerBallXan

I believe the fork rake issue is due to photo angles. Fine bicycle with a fine groupo. However, I think I’ve got the perfectly pantographed benotto group that your bike is just screaming for.

Awesome bike lad!

bluehills3149

Nice score. Years ago I found an old beat up Benotto frame on the street and converted to a single speed beater. This looks much better. And is that a "moots" seatpost - ie titanium?

Gary Fountain

Top of the range Benotto 5000 - a rare bike. A great find. So many unusual features and a really nice bike to ride. I found that the bottom bracket on these Benotto 5000's is a little lower than your average frame from that era placing you a little closer to the road. Perhaps that design feature complements the 'aero' design of these frames?

I think this frame does deserve a careful consideration of it's build if you are planning to keep it. I think it deserves a high end component set and, personally, that would be a Campagnolo old Super Record gruppo. Still, Shimano Sante is nice too. But, it is yours and it is your call as to what you do with it. I would guess that it's a circa. 1983 build??? I also think - from memory - that Cyclemondo produces a decal set appropriate to this frame?

Benotto was an Italian frame builder that went to Mexico after a marriage (I think). He produced many frames in Mexico and was a sort of Schwinn of Mexico. His Mexican frames have a have a dubious reputation of developing cracks but I've never seen actual evidence of that. There is also a widely accepted story that he had his high end frames built in Italy - who knows? All I know is that the Benotto 5000 is a great frame with many exceptional frame features for the era. I consider the Benotto 5000's to be very desirable.

Best wishes, Gary.

I don't like showing a bike I don't own anymore but here's on for your reference:

Joeyflowers

You guessed it bluehills that is a moots titanium seat post. It came with the $40 deal. Unbelievable!! Right?

Thanks Gary for the info. Putting a Campagnolo Super Record group set was exactly what I was thinking. I'm definitely going to keep it for a while and enjoy riding her. I'm looking around for a set now. I found a guy in Atlanta selling a bike that's got a whole C-record group set and hubs, Cenilli bars & stem, and Campy Omega rims for $500. But I'd love to find a Super Record group. I doubt I'll find another $40 treasure but you never know.

Bianchigirll 

Nice find

Gary Fountain

A C-Record gruppo with Cinelli would be nice for that price but the older Super Record is a great aim to have. I once found a 1954 Bianchi that I bought for $80 and I had to force the previous owner to take that amount for the bike. It was unrecognisable as a Bianchi though. I think your $40 Benotto 'trumps' my bargain find. Best of luck.

Century Bob

Hi guys, first post here. I`ve been lurking but came out of hiding as this bike is what got me started on vintage. I`m in the under 10 post club so I don't know how to get a pic posted. I just got my 5000 Turbo this summer.Took me 2 months to find someone to bring it from Monterey Mexico to the states for shipping. Its very clean early production original /pearl white/ Campag SR. I was told that ones with an "I" stamped in the bottom bracket were Italian built. DeRosa classics on Instagram claims the 3000 and 5000 were built by DeRosa. What a score you got! From a value standpoint Campy seems the only option.