I've bought and old frame, now what....?

carl_p
carl_p Posts: 989
edited April 2009 in Workshop
Well I've been thinking about it for a while and I managed to pick up a 1999 Olmo Dedacciai steel frame off Ebay for £40. It's Italian handbuilt, a few nicks and scratches, one small dent (which will be covered by the chain ring) but is in good nick bearing in mind it's 10 years old.

http://s605.photobucket.com/albums/tt13 ... G_0598.jpg

Looking to build it up and I would prefer a double change ring if possible rather than go the usual fixed option. I reckon I could make this look quite nice, but what groupset would you suggest? How do I know they will fit and work? Would modern Shimano groupset fit? I would prefer STI shifters rather than down tube.

The rear drop-outs measure 130mm so it should be ok for a modern hub?
The headset measures 1 inch, so presumably I will need an equivalent handlebar stem?

It comes with a Campagnolo BB which has 36 X 24F stamped on it but no idea what that means. Will that need replacing to take 2 chain rings, or Shimano ?

Any help or advice would be appreciated.
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Comments

  • gundersen
    gundersen Posts: 586
    edited April 2009
    OLMO bikes are nice to ride.

    36X24 means it has an italian BB. If it is ok then use it ( looks like Campagnolo - which means you will need a Campagnolo chainset) or if you want Shimano then you need italian BB.

    All modern parts will fit it, so put what you want on it.

    Like you said you have a 1" fork. You will need a 1" stem, or you can use a ahead converter and a ahead stem.

    So go for it.

    - I can't see the dent in the rear fork
    - The tube profile behind the BB is normal.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    The frame is relatively modern, you have to go back to the 40s and 50s where there few 'international' standards for bike components - The BB is Italian threaded, but parts are readily available. Best solution for a handlebar stem is to fit an Ahead adaptor - fits inside the fork column and you can choose any stem and handlebar. Apart from needing downtube cable stops to allow you to use integrated shifter, there's few things you need to do to accommodate a modern groupset.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • VinceEager
    VinceEager Posts: 247
    I thought that old frames were only popular because the horizontal drop outs allowed for cheap and trendy diy fixed wheel / single speed set ups. if you dont want this, and are not embarking on a restoration project, what is the attraction of an old frame?

    no criticism btw, am just wondering. do older frames have qualities that modern frames lack?
    I've never riden a steel frame
    ...the bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon...
  • synchronicity
    synchronicity Posts: 1,415
    That looks like a nice frame.

    The dent is normal... it's there to create more clearance between the r.h.s. chainstay and the inner chainring.

    Yes, you'll need an Italian threaded BB. Careful, because modern campy cranks more often than not come with English threaded BBs. Yes an external bearing BB will fit, provided it has Italian threads.

    Personally I'd look at getting a threadless carbon fork, to improve the handling and make it a bit lighter... That also means a threadless 1" headset. Most threadless stems these days are oversized... but will include an adapter for 1" forks, so you can pretty much get any modern handlebar to fit. That can be a pricey route though...

    Of course if you want to keep the original theme and you choose not to do that, you'll need a 1" quill-type stem because what you have there is an older threaded headset. Practically all of them (the stems) will be built for 25.4mm handlebars (oversized 31.8mm bars appeared much later down the track)

    Yes any modern road hubset will work with 130mm rear dropout spacing. Any front wheel should be fine as they are all 100mm between dropouts...

    I didn't see it before, but you already have an Italian BB installed. A shimano crankset technicall won't fit [well] because one uses a JIS square taper and the other is ISO... any double chainring campy crank with a square taper should work (assuming the spipndle length is correct).

    Any modern shifters will work but you will need to find cable stops that mount onto the original shifter bosses... possibly get your LBS to help you with this?

    Also note you will need a BRAZE ON style front derailleur ... :idea:

    I'd go with campagnolo on this frame. 2009 Veloce is pretty hard to beat, otherwise I'd get an older alloy silver centaur or chorus group on there. :wink: 8)

    The next question is: what's the seatpost diameter?
  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,473
    I agree on the carbon fork. I built up a bike recently on a lovely second hand Mercian 725 frame, which came with a matching steel fork and threaded Record headset, and went for the full cinelli quill stem, cinelli bars etc. for the authentic look. Went to considerable time and trouble buying NOS stuff from the States and paying import duty... Looks stunning but adds a lot of extra weight and to be honest the steel forks are horrible compared to any decent modern carbon fork. As soon as I have the time and money I'll be fixing a modern fork, stem and headset and using the cinelli stuff for interior decoration!
  • carl_p
    carl_p Posts: 989
    Many thanks for the advice so far. The existing Campag BB seems to spin ok so I think I'll go down that route in terms of crankset. I'm not familiar with the Campag 'hierarchy' of specifications. What would be regarded as entry level up to say mid price? Would any STI shifter work, or would they need to be Campag also? A daft question but do I sort the cranks and gearing first before I get the wheels?

    Sorry, but what exactly is a BRAZE ON style front derailleur?

    I've been Googling other Olmo restorations and prefer the authentic look for the stem and seat post best and after all I already have a modern bike so I want my Olmo to look different. What recommendations would you have for a 1 inch quil stem?

    It will need a 26mm seatpost. Will modern saddles fit ok?
    Specialized Venge S Works
    Cannondale Synapse
    Enigma Etape
    Genesis Flyer Single Speed


    Turn the corner, rub my eyes and hope the world will last...
  • balthazar
    balthazar Posts: 1,565
    Carl_P wrote:
    Many thanks for the advice so far. The existing Campag BB seems to spin ok so I think I'll go down that route in terms of crankset. I'm not familiar with the Campag 'hierarchy' of specifications. What would be regarded as entry level up to say mid price? Would any STI shifter work, or would they need to be Campag also? A daft question but do I sort the cranks and gearing first before I get the wheels?

    Sorry, but what exactly is a BRAZE ON style front derailleur?

    I've been Googling other Olmo restorations and prefer the authentic look for the stem and seat post best and after all I already have a modern bike so I want my Olmo to look different. What recommendations would you have for a 1 inch quil stem?

    It will need a 26mm seatpost. Will modern saddles fit ok?

    Veloce or Centaur are the mid range Campag gears. Athena was nestled in there a few years ago. The stylish silver stuff from any groupset is getting expensive on ebay these days, however. If you're piecing the bits together, then get what you can - it's all nicely made regardless of designation.

    Braze on derailleurs attach to a (brazed on) tab on the frame, as opposed to ordinary ones which wrap around the seatpost. They are obviously different from one another, and common especially from Campag.

    I agree that you should keep the original forks. A Cinelli swan neck stem is the obvious fitment, they were everywhere once so can't be hard to find. Assorted designs with or without concealed clamp bolts. Nitto make (probably better quality) visually identical versions.

    Modern saddles will fit fine. It's not that old!

    Edit - missed some of your questions.. shifters need to be Campag. over the years, "Ergopower" (Campag's name for combined brake/gear levers) have been 8, 9, and 10 speed. They must be the correct ones for the cassette. There are countless configurations, but I'm not the best person to advise on which work and which don't.

    Have a look at http://www.campyonly.com/
  • synchronicity
    synchronicity Posts: 1,415
    Yes you'll need to choose either a campag or shimano/sram drivetrain before you choose the wheelset because the rear wheel freehub splines are different in either case. Basically the two types of cassettes are different and not compatible.


    So you're after nice quill stems eh?
    These three all have a hidden bolt underneath the handlebar... for that svelte look. 8)

    Dura Ace:
    dastem.jpg

    Cinelli Grammo Titanium ($$$)
    vint-cinelli-grammo-130mm.jpg

    Cinelli XA model:
    CN3921.JPG