Identification Required Please...

VmanF3

Firstly, may I apologise for the shocking picture, I work on a ship - space is tight! Another apology for the vehicle in the picture not conforming to 'The Rules'.

I'm trying to identify this bike I purchased in Barcelona - it's around 2000/2001. It has AluSL on the top tube, with Pro World Racing Series along the top. Carbon Lapierre forks, Campag gears, (Daytona) Campag Brakes and Shimano Ultegra Crank. ITM Bars, Ritchie Stem, Mavic Cosmos wheels. Any ideas or thoughts? It looks remarkably like the FDJeux team bikes (apart from a few graphics) from 2003. It has a sticker about conforming with some rules 2001. I would really appreciate some help, as it's a cracker of a bike to ride and I'm really pleased with it, but would just like to know more about it.

Thanks in advance...

Iamnot Wiggins

LaPierre AluSL by any chance?

Ben6899

Easiest University Challenge picture round... EVER!

kingstonian

At least we know you will have nice shiny teeth, with that tube of Colgate in the background......

VmanF3

I realize that's probably the name of it, but with pish poor internet connection I cannot research anything about it. I was wondering if anyone had any info on them? Decent machine, price point? I assume this is a bit of a mishmash of parts now....is it worth bringing home with me, or are they two a penny and should I just leave it at the airport and spend the excess baggage charge on a something else!

I do appreciate the help...

Ben6899

How does it ride?

VmanF3

Ben6899 wrote:

How does it ride?

Rides ok, just seems a great little bike that would be good to keep as a spare. Climbs ok, pretty light. Feels like a short wheel base, but I've nothing to compare it to on here. Brakes are the opposite way round to what I'm used to as well.

I bought it for 300 euros and it will cost me about 150 dollars to pay the extra back.

Curious to it's original point in the brand at the time - bog standard or was it fair to middlin'?

It has a reasonable name on it for Brand Whorage, but in reality is it worth just buying a cheapo BTWin from Decathlon for 400 quid rather than give myself the hassle of striping it down to ship home with me...

VmanF3

Shameless 'bump' but since I've been back in the uk, I still cannot find much about these bikes - I found a couple for sale in France, with limited information. Even had a very vague reply from Lapierre, which didn't shed much light on things...

So, one last time before I let this run off into the mists of time....

I know it's an Alu-Sl. Just don't know much more. I'm assuming it's a bit of a 'Frankenbike' now.....

Looking forward to getting back onboard to ride the wee beasty again!

Anyone?

VmanF3

Apologies for the pedals....they'll be the first thing to go when I get back....

ddraver

I'm really rather struggling to understand what you want to know to be honest...

rayjay

2003 Baden Cooke's bike, [scandium]...could not find anything that looks like your bike, i.e. same paint job.

VmanF3

ddraver wrote:

I'm really rather struggling to understand what you want to know to be honest...

Original place in product range/ original spec / original cost reviews even! Just a bit more than I already do know. The photo of the FDJ bike above is also the only other one(bar one for sale in France) that I've seen.

MountainMonster

If you bought it cheap and enjoy the bike, keep it. If you don't enjoy it, ditch it. Who cares what its value is?

ddraver

i think you re best bet may be to find out at what level Campag Daytona was specced. Not sure anything else will tell you much, plus as you say it looks like its been used adn upgraded quite a bit

VmanF3

MountainMonster wrote:

If you bought it cheap and enjoy the bike, keep it. If you don't enjoy it, ditch it. Who cares what its value is?

I take your point, I'm just curious though.

triboy222

Looks a bit like the Scott aluminium scandium bikes that one team used about that time. AFD was it?

VmanF3

Definately LaPierre, and the precursor to the FDJ bikes from 2003, same frame essentially with different graphics. One of the reasons I'm curious about it, is that if that's the case (which Lapierre confirmed in their very vague email), then it must have been a pretty reasonable bike in its day, especially if TDF teams were using them.

I could not believe Lapierre could not supply details from the frame number from only 13 years ago!

ddraver

In fairness to LaPierre almost no one else is interested in this stuff...I'm still not really sure why you are. if you ve been had, what can you do about it?

VmanF3

ddraver wrote:

In fairness to LaPierre almost no one else is interested in this stuff...I'm still not really sure why you are. if you ve been had, what can you do about it?

Are you on drugs? I'm just interested to find out a bit more about a bike I own - wtf is wrong with that? I have never thought I've been had?! Curiosity, that's it! Apologies if you don't give a sh1t about things you own. Jesus - this is a cycling forum isn't it?

What a curious response.

ugo.santalucia

VmanF3 wrote:

ddraver wrote:

In fairness to LaPierre almost no one else is interested in this stuff...I'm still not really sure why you are. if you ve been had, what can you do about it?

Are you on drugs? I'm just interested to find out a bit more about a bike I own - wtf is wrong with that? I have never thought I've been had?! Curiosity, that's it! Apologies if you don't give a sh1t about things you own. Jesus - this is a cycling forum isn't it?

What a curious response.

I would send you a warning for your langauge, but to be honest your answer is fair enough...

Let's remember for the future huh?

Moonbiker

When I google I found this looks the same?

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate ... 6bih%3D673

See the first roads one missing wheels

ddraver

VmanF3 wrote:

ddraver wrote:

In fairness to LaPierre almost no one else is interested in this stuff...I'm still not really sure why you are. if you ve been had, what can you do about it?

Are you on drugs? I'm just interested to find out a bit more about a bike I own - wtf is wrong with that? I have never thought I've been had?! Curiosity, that's it! Apologies if you don't give a sh1t about things you own. Jesus - this is a cycling forum isn't it?

What a curious response.

It's an aluminium frame with wheels and an Italian groupset from somewhere in the 90s - there, that's as much as I know about my bike and I built it up myself...If you can't find it on google then neither will the rest of us. I doubt there is a single bike company in the world that could tell you the details of a bike they sold in the 90s. Why would they keep that information?

The harsh reality is that there is nothing special about it, it's the cycling equivalent of a 10 year old 1.2l hatchback.

The only reason I can think that you are so desperate to know is that you want to be told you ve bought a classic bike that's worth thousands or if the guy that sold it to you saw you coming.

Just go ride the flipping thing and stop worrying about it.

VmanF3

ddraver wrote:

VmanF3 wrote:

ddraver wrote:

In fairness to LaPierre almost no one else is interested in this stuff...I'm still not really sure why you are. if you ve been had, what can you do about it?

Are you on drugs? I'm just interested to find out a bit more about a bike I own - wtf is wrong with that? I have never thought I've been had?! Curiosity, that's it! Apologies if you don't give a sh1t about things you own. Jesus - this is a cycling forum isn't it?

What a curious response.

It's an aluminium frame with wheels and an Italian groupset from somewhere in the 90s - there, that's as much as I know about my bike and I built it up myself...If you can't find it on google then neither will the rest of us. I doubt there is a single bike company in the world that could tell you the details of a bike they sold in the 90s. Why would they keep that information?

The harsh reality is that there is nothing special about it, it's the cycling equivalent of a 10 year old 1.2l hatchback.

The only reason I can think that you are so desperate to know is that you want to be told you ve bought a classic bike that's worth thousands or if the guy that sold it to you saw you coming.

Just go ride the flipping thing and stop worrying about it.

So you're suggesting that everyone on here only obtains their knowledge of cycling and bikes from google searches that's quite insulting. I was hoping that someone may have had one similar or the same so that they could have told me what the original set up of the bike was, how it fitted within a product line, and how much it cost originally.

It's no harsh reality that it's nothing special, I bought it from a bike shop in Barcelona, quite obviously if it was some amazing set of wheels that was worth a fortune, it wouldn't have cost me 300euros. The guy that sold to me was a really pleasant chap, who let me have it for a weekend whilst I was there for no charge as a test ride - far from seeing me coming - that's a level of trust I have never experienced anywhere else.

I'm sorry that you don't make it a point of interest to find out about your bikes, whether you built them or not, that's your choice I guess. Next time you purchase a bike, be sure not to pay any attention to components that go onto it.

Please don't worry about me riding it, first time will be in Singapore, then around the rest of SE Asia, before moving on to Hawaii, the West Coast US, East Coast US, Iceland, Russia and then the Med.

By the way, Raleigh gave me full details of a bike I had bought that was made in 1983.

ddraver

I do you a deal. If someon comes up with some genuine antiques roadshow stuff, I ll PayPal you the price of a beer in your current location (offer excludes Scandanavia). If not, you ll return the favour. Give it 2 weeks lets say?

VmanF3

ddraver wrote:

I do you a deal. If someon comes up with some genuine antiques roadshow stuff, I ll PayPal you the price of a beer in your current location (offer excludes Scandanavia). If not, you ll return the favour. Give it 2 weeks lets say?

Are you being obtuse on purpose? I have no idea at all what your problem is? Oh hang on, just spotted it - over 11k posts. Now I get it.

ddraver

Nope - fair offer...up for it?

(hint - insulting the people most likely to help you won't help)

VmanF3

I have no idea at all what your beef is. Weird.

ddraver

Take that as no then? Boooo

gpreeves

ddraver wrote:

i think you re best bet may be to find out at what level Campag Daytona was specced. Not sure anything else will tell you much, plus as you say it looks like its been used adn upgraded quite a bit

To get this back on track...

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t/378670/campagnolo-daytona

I found this discussion about Daytona components, it seems they're the same level in the Campag hierarchy as Centaur and were last used around 2001. It's not top-end equipment, but still decent enough.

For what it's worth, I like to know a bit about the provenance of my bikes too. I'd much rather have something a bit older/quirkier that means something to me than an equally priced modern more generic offering.

ugo.santalucia

Yes, Daytona became Centaur after Rolex threatened Campagnolo to sue them over the use of the name... they probably had to pay royalties to the US racing track themselves... or something equally nonsensical

I suggest you two stop bickering, you are arguing about nothing, I am in a spring cleaning mood and can easily give you some time to reflect if you go on...

nathancom

Your best bet is to try and find so old catalogues, perhaps try retrobike forums. It really isn't that interesting a bike though, a middling groupset on an aluminium frame from a mass market manufacturer. Still like you say, it can be interesting to know the background to your bike. I think you would get more pleasure of that kind from older steel frames though as there were lots of small scale bike builders and even some now defunct tube manufacturers, eg Miyata.