Casati Monza

This lovely old late 1980's girl has been through many incarnations over the intervening years, from tri bike, to road racer to training hack. Way back in the mid-nineties ex-owner Big Mike Grey gave her tattered Italian dress a fresh coat of Ross Bee goodness, so the finish isn't original nor are any of the parts. In her latest iteration I've given her a life as my fat tyre roadie for inclement weather and/or gravé riding excursions. The components are a mélange of old and new bits I had scattered around the Batcave, which have all added up to create a really nice riding bike with a loving reference to an earlier era...

The patented "tuning fork" seat stay caps create a notable point of difference for the crowded frame market of the day.



The pantographed bottom bracket shell and Mavic sealed b/b. The colour detailing in the pantographs was done by me using Humbrol model enamels, probably on Cycle Services work time.



The Cinelli X/A stem is shimmed with the traditional Coke can to enable me to use the 3ttt handlebars - for some reason my collection doesn't contain any Cinelli road 'bars or 3ttt stems!



My modern Turbo saddle sits atop a Campagnolo Record seatpost.



Yes, Campagnolo. Mmmmmm.



Speaking of which, the Bianchi engraved chainring doesn't really go with the frame but it sure suits the Super Record cranks.





My battered old Campagnolo Record Look-made pedal bears the scars of several unscheduled dismounts and hard corners.



The Super Record rear derailleur has had a hard life too...



This poor abused specimen was the original rear derailleur off my beautiful custom TI Raleigh.



I knocked the wheels up a year or so ago - modern Campag Mirage hubs on Mavic Open Pro rims, laced up with Sapim Race spokes and good old brass nipples, set up with 9 sprockets.



Funny old downtube gear levers - shifting gears with these was an art of both timing and precision, and changing gears while standing was damn near impossible. However, after many years of riding with today's standard brake/shift levers I found it surprisingly easy to reacquaint myself with this antiquated method of gear selection.



The headset is a threaded Campagnolo Record one that I managed to cobble together from three different munted ones!



And here she is, my Casati Monza.



Thanks for reading, Oli