Colnago Arabesque - building up a neo retro classic.............

[j44ke]

Do you guys really bother looking at that area for marks ? One stupid chain drop while removing a wheel and there are marks anyway.

Good mechanics never want to deform the machined bits that are required to install and remove a part. It isn’t a cosmetic concern. It’s best practices for the longevity of the part.

[open roader]

Do you guys really bother looking at that area for marks ? One stupid chain drop while removing a wheel and there are marks anyway.

I look there when I've spent AU$50 to have a pair of BB cups polished. I also look there when a $40 genuine Campag tool fails to do what it should.

I think I've actually fitted / re-fitted 19 pairs of Ultra Torque cups....maybe 20 pairs, all with the same Campag steel cup tool. I place a latex glove over the BB cup lugs before I fit the tool over the top, this does help it from slipping back off, however, there is still way too much free play in that tool. Maybe only the 2nd or 3rd time Campag has annoyed me in 17 years............

[open roader]

Last of the polished pretty bits now fitted to Cinelli Giro de Italia bars. Potenza shifters with the brake levers polished and panto'd again by Chris Howard of Cyclo Retro. White hoods for this build.

** BTW the saddle is an older Specialized Romin Evo nice and worn in and comfy........... the original saddle was a Specialized Power saddle.

OK, no more pics or updates for a while as I search for a white cable kit for this build.

Left-shifter-fitted-email.jpg

Right-shifter-fitted-email.jpg

[sk_tle]

Good mechanics never want to deform the machined bits that are required to install and remove a part. It isn’t a cosmetic concern. It’s best practices for the longevity of the part.

I know a lot of bb tools are not perfect but here we are talking surface scratching, not deformation. Being a tool that you slide into, there will always be a bit of friction upon insertion and thus possible surface alteration without any impact on the functionality. This regardless of the tolerances and quality of the tool.

[Chik]

the ally tool will be the way to go. hertzian contact theory says that the steel tool, having three times the modulus, will force deformation on the ally part.

ding ding ding!

[Chik]

OK, no more pics or updates for a while as I search for a white cable kit for this build.

White sets from Campag are readily available. Are you looking for another make?

[open roader]

White sets from Campag are readily available. Are you looking for another make?

I'm in Australia - not easy to find right now. The only Campagnolo Ultrashift set in white I can find advertised is currently being moved from warehouse to another as part of a company re-location so it's more than 2 weeks away from my sweaty little hands. Anything I purchase from the US or UK or EU will either take a month to reach my mail box or else express shipping with EMS/DHL/FEDEX etc will double the price of a set of cables.

The hunt continues, I have a couple of WTB's listed in local bike buy/sell forums.

[Chik]

I'm in Australia - not easy to find right now. The only Campagnolo Ultrashift set in white I can find advertised is currently being moved from warehouse to another as part of a company re-location so it's more than 2 weeks away from my sweaty little hands. Anything I purchase from the US or UK or EU will either take a month to reach my mail box or else express shipping with EMS/DHL/FEDEX etc will double the price of a set of cables.

The hunt continues, I have a couple of WTB's listed in local bike buy/sell forums.

Ah, I see. I was chewing the fat with someone rather high up at Campag a couple of months ago, and he made an obvious but perhaps frequently overlooked detail: it's basically impossible to make up for the manufacturing (and sales) disruption caused by a lockdown because it's not as if they can double and triple production to make up for the time lost, clearing the back orders / stock depletion that happened downstream and to meet new demand that's piling up. I guess the availability of white cable sets in some countries is one of the symptoms.

[open roader]

More updates. Chris Howard has completed the 3TTT stem - so skillfully pantographed and polished - now fitted. Thank you Chris - your work speaks volumes.

Arabesque-stem-panto-fitted-email.jpg

Also panto'd a Colnago clover leaf as a stem badge

Stem-badge-email.jpg

Whilst I've been waiting I switched out the original black Potenza pad holders for a set of silver pad holders

Silver-brake-pad-holders-email.jpg

I also opted for a retro styled Tefal chrome finish bidon cage - I initially thought of removing the leather cushioning but it's actually grown on my now.

Tefal-retro-bidon-cage-email.jpg



I have a set of white cables coming to me soon and the wheels for this build are being laced soon so not long before I have something to ride!

[Sascha Roszak]

Very nice...I was considering getting my Record brakes, levers and seat post on my Tommasini done by Chris.