Robvolz 

I’ve been looking for another DeRosa project.

found one of the reissue Molteni team models. I think they made 100 each of a 60s, 70s and 80s bike.

the price was right, especially for fully built.

ridden less than 100 miles, then stored in a damp cellar said the owner.

then I saw the BB.

sigh.

merziac

From what I can see from here, that wouldn't stop me, is there more, worse?

nlerner

Amazing how it causes all of the pics to be out of focus.

RustyJames 

gugie told me one of the strongest bits on a frame is the BB. If it’s cheap enough, roll the dice!!

daka

Notice how the rust monster snuck in along where the derailleur cables rub through the paint. Maybe running cables over the top of the BB, through one of those nice Campagnolo or Huret replaceable guides, wasn't such a dumb idea after all? Progress......

Mr. 66

100 miles and road salt damage, sure.

Bad Lag

What is going on with that non-drive side chain stay in the first picture? Are those just reflections or is the inside of the stay damaged?

reroll

The seller may or may not have bothered to inspect the bottom side of the bottom bracket. I would be disappointed to make such a discovery, but I agree with merziac that the damage is limited and can be dealt with fairly easily, not a serious problem. But also as merziac asks, what other salt damage could there be?

rumrunn6

if it was perfect, it wouldn't be much of a "project", would it?

rumrunn6

looks crushed?

Robvolz 

I look at the orange tires (orange tires?!?) and they have very little wear on them. The brake pads look new. I believe the seller has not ridden this bike much.

delbiker1 

I question that salt caused that corrosion. Just look at where the cables are. IMO, it is not that bad, pretty much just surface rust. However, it is difficult to tell by the blurry pictures.

Robvolz 

You are correct. price reflects bike as if it were purchased new. If the price were to reflect, "its gonna need a paint job soon" that would be more of a project.

or

If it were frame/fork or just frame, that would be fun to build using bike drawer components. Stuff I've squirreled away, or found at swap meets, etc.

TugaDude

I think the photo makes it look that way but my take on it is that is just a typical, crimped chain stay. The reflection in the paint makes it look wonky. Still should be double-checked to make sure!

Robvolz 

I'm no Annie Leibowitz.

Coming from the NW, dad taught me two things about vehicles: Don't buy a car from the coast or the mid west. I'm sure the same applies to bikes and vespas.

Rust scares me. I didn't even see a break in the paint caused by cables where the moisture could have snuck in.

And I do question why not use a plastic campy cable guide. The heart shaped cut-out isn't there to matter. I happened to have one in my pocket when I checked this bike out but the cable hoops/guides wouldn't line up anyway.

I guess that's why God created 3D printing.

I passed.

jethin

I had a bike that I road through slushy, salted roads a few times. It was covered in rust a few months later.

JohnDThompson 

Bottom bracket shells are typically at least 2mm thick. Unless you're riding with the bottom bracket submerged in salt water, it would be decades before rust there became a structural problem.

satbuilder 

If the only blistering you're seeing is what is shown in the photos, I certainly wouldn't be concerned. If the seller is asking top dollar and won't budge on the price, well, that's another issue.

reroll

Front and rear derailleur cables commonly were run over the tops of BBs back when bikes had half- or one-step double chainwheels and 14-28T freewheels but later when gear train components required a higher chain capacity, such as 22T capacity triple cranksets and 12-32/34/36T cassettes, rear derailleurs had to be developed to handle the greater capacity or else the greater capacity would produce serious chain slap onto the top side of chainstays causing problems with rear derailleur shifting cables routed along the top side of the chainstays and part of solving that problem involved a bicycle industry-wide re-routing of shift cables to the underside of BBs and the underside of chainstays.

There are really good cable guides available for the underside of BBs, but they could add a few grams/grammes of extra weight.

gugie 

I'd never heard or thought of that, but it makes sense.

I always thought it was just a lot cheaper to screw in a plastic BB cable guide. I charge a lot more to braze them on the top than drilling and tapping one threaded hole in the bottom and screwing in a 95 cent cable guide.

Schweinhund

I'm wondering the same.

gugie 

Thanks to the OP for posting so many bikes on different threads. It would be interesting to see pics of bikes actually owned by the OP, maybe even some he's ridden. Many of us like to see those bikes out in the wild.

rumrunn6

I'm car shopping right now

my Dad passed away last summer & so many tid-bits of his are echoing these days. it's particularly interesting to go through his books & read his notes in the margins. they are gems

if your Dad is still with you, give him a hug & spend more time with him. it may feel like torture now, but when they are gone, those opportunities are gone. trying to follow my advice with my Mom, these days

tremolo1965

That bottom bracket doesn't look bad to me.

Take a look at the BB shells on the majority of old classic bikes - they often have very little paint left on them at all. No doubt some of that paint came off due to some flaky rust -

I'd scrub it down, wax it, and ride it..

Chris

Robvolz 

We live in the same city. Invite me on a ride. I'll buy the beers. Message me.