Rick,
I apprciate your response and detailed clarifications. You asked about
the
frame composition (as I stated it was chromoly originally). I might have
jumped the gun on this one. After re=examining the thick lugged frame, I
would hazard to guess Ishwata steel, gas pipe, etc. I took a stab at the
chromoly based on the weight on *feel* of the frame. I've long beein
collecting Raleighs and Meiles, etc. and have had many, many chromoly
frames
to compare against. The head tube has a thick silver band around it
(looks
like it may have been sprayed with a rattle can) where the typical frame
'markers/manufacturing info' is usually stamped. Someone on OldRoads seem
to think that the Juventus line was produced by Bianchi. Any thoughts on
this one? Would a Shimano QR front Ambrosio wheel suggest also another
'component change'? When did Shimano first develop the QR axle system?
Thanks!
Andrew.
in article 1372j90k51n4c1b@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Rick at
rick@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote on 6/14/07 10:13 AM:
> AWN wrote:
>> If it helps, the bike has an Wienmann rear and Ambrosio front
>> wheelset with Michelin ŒFifty¹ tires (they still hold 90psi
>> suprisingly enough!). The downtube shifters, F/R derailleur are
>> campy with Shimano quick releases and ³Balilia² canti brakes. The
>> top tube has ŒChapionne du monde¹ on it, the stem has ITM on one
>> side and ŒMade in Italy¹ on the other (I assume it means the same
>> thing??). The front D has an odd looking metal box-shape attached
to
>> the back of the front cage that clearly identifies it as campy...
>> The rear D has ŒValentino ŒEXTRA¹ Œ stamped into it on one side
and
>> the Campy patent on the other. The pedals say ŒMade in Germany¹
and
>> it¹s fitted with 333 Shimano hubs front and rear. The downtube
>> shifters say ŒBREV INT¹ above the Campy patent stamp in red. Other
>> than the fact that this was sourced from Belgian, German, Italian,
>> US, and likely French parts.....
>>
>> Any ideas? I can¹t find a shred on this one....
>>
>> Thanks again!
>> Andrew.
>>
>>
>>
> Andrew . . . I owned a bike shop from the 1974 through the mid-1990's .
> . . I can't pin down your Juventus, but I have an educated guess based
> on the equipment, about the period it is from . . .
>
> The Campy Valentino equipment was the low end of Campy line in the
> mid-1970's. When Suntour and Shimano started their marketing push into
> the US it was around 1973 (Suntour was successful first, followed by
> Shimano). Fuji bikes were the first Japanese bikes into the US market
> and they used Suntour and Diacompe equipment . . . The European bikes in
> that era were using Simplex, Huret, and on nicer equipment, Campagnolo -
> but the Valentino was the low end of the Campy line. In 1973, bike
> dealers sold literally any 10-speed bike they could get into their
> stores. The list of European bikes is long, most names I've forgotten,
> and most were mediocre at best, at least compared to the entry bikes
> that Fuji was selling. There were scads of French, Italian, German,
> Dutch, English, Spanish and even a few Russian bikes. It's no wonder
> than the Asian bikes took over the entry level US market starting in the
> 1970's because quite simply, they were better bikes. The description of
> the equipment on your Juventus bike clearly puts the bike in the "entry"
> level European group around 1974 or 1975. The Michelin Chevron 50 tires,
> the Valentino derailleurs, the German pedals, the cottered crank all
> suggest that time frame and entry level. Also, the Shimano hubs suggest
> an aftermarket component change. European bikes would probably have had
> Atom or Malliard hubs (if not Campy)
>
> From your first post, I have a question though. Is the frame really
> Cro-moly which was most used by nicer Japanese bikes, or was the frame a
> Reynold tubing which was Manganese -moly?
>
> I know I haven't really answered your question with any specificity, but
> hopefully the info is valuable on some level.
>
> Rick Stein
> http://www.thunderworksinc.com
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