Stemming..

For some time I had considered the last ever produced Campa headset in combination an old-fashioned Panto stem, but these are unfit for the modern 31,8 mm compact handlebars, and the more profiled and sizeable stems of today really look great as well, especially with appropriate marking and decoration. Here I was fortunate with the Colnago stem from Hungary, described earlier. The black would fit with the paintwork around the head tube, upper fork area and both the seat post and wheels. The mounting was a nice job and rather easy. The inner fork star flanged nut was perfectly in place and I needed just two of the four remaining spacer rings. The sloping cap to be combined with the already present and new to add bushing, which had a slanting bore allowing the stem to be placed pointing upward or more horizontally, was an easy fit. The horizontal option was the best choice in both handlebar position and appearance. 

Fork and Torque..

One of the most satisfying exercises was the replacement of the headset using the Cyclus tools for driving out and pressing in the bearing cups. Good tooling really does it all. Pushing the upper bearing ring downward over the edge of the fork shaft only succeeds if executed completely straight and horizontally, so I used a stem cap which was left over from Tecnos 1. After it was pushed down over the edge, the Birzman crown race fixing ring and tube did the rest. The most challenging of all the parts to fit however, was the bottom bracket - crank combination, especially because this was Campagnolo Ultra Torque, which was totally new to me. Ingenious as it might be, I personally feel that 2 half axles held together with a bolt seems a bit insecure, compared to a crankshaft in 1 piece. But I’m no technician of course.  I chose the ”Inferior” installation method using Loctite, considering the special tool for flattening the bottom bracket shell too large an investment at this stage. I must admit I was a bit nervous here. My greatest concern was possible play on the shaft after mounting. With previous generations of bottom brackets, the desired tightness of the bearings on the crankshaft could be reached by loosening or tighten the bearing housing, but with the pre-assembled bearings on the Ultra Torque, there is no such possibility. The bottom bracket cups need to be mounted first, tightened, and after fixation, the 2 crank units have to be placed outside-inward and fastened together with a special bolt. At 42 Nm to be precise. Meaning everything needs a perfect fit with no possibility for adjustment. There is the crinkle thrust washer which compensates for the variation in bottom bracket shell widths found on various framesets, but I was somehow still worried that this would not entirely prevent play on the axle. So I was pretty much relieved to find a tight and perfectly balanced, smooth running crankshaft 48 Loctite drying hours later. The major challenges were completed now..

Parts to cling to..

From the start of the project, I had the intention of keeping only the bare frame and selling everything else in order to have some financial compensation to support the purchase of the new still to acquire components and wheels. So I initially advertised on marketplace showing a picture of the complete bike mentioning all parts were for sale except the frame. And that seemed to work out well, as soon there was a bid which was higher than what I had paid for the whole bike in the first place. I did not wait too long to accept the offer, informing the bidder I would come back once all parts were available. But once they were, the bidder withdrew the offer. I was a bit disappointed, but not really surprised. Welcome to Marketplace. There's a lot of impulsive bidding and you're only sure once the money is received. Although in my general experience, most people are fair. I then decided to offer the parts available as loose, as a complete group, or otherwise, to the wish of the potential buyers. There was interest for sure, for all the parts, but against unfair offers in my opinion. The thing was that I had cleaned and refurbished all the parts thoroughly, noting the good condition they still were in and I was really impressed by the high quality and superb engineering of this Dura Ace generation. Also, the 3T stem and handlebar were something special. Although the whole group and wheels were nearly sold for an offer that may not have been too bad after all, considering current standards, I finally decided to keep everything. Not only due to the relatively low proceeds, but mostly because I had started to like the parts. Just as a collection, but also with the idea that they might be used in possible future bike restorations. Bike tinkering had meanwhile started to become a really nice pastime..

Stem and Bar..

The handlebar was the easiest of all choices. I had immediately been very happy with the FSA Vero Compact 44mm on my new Wilier, had Tecnos 1 equipped with it as well, so Tecnos 2 would be having FSA number 3. A perfectly well designed handlebar in simple aluminum, very convenient, comfortable and affordable. The stem had to be searched for however. I wanted it black showing the Colnago logo. Not easy to find new, but I finally ran into an advertisement in Hungary, where I had found the seat post at the same time; https://www.velossimo.hu/ which proved to have quite a range of new Colnago parts.

Dealing was easy via the webshop and delivery fast. The stem set had 2 bushings and 2 stem caps, of which the plain straight cap found its place on Tecnos 1. There also was a sloping cap to be combined with the other bushing, which had an oblique bored shank allowing the stem to be placed horizontally, or pointing upward. In my case, horizontal was the choice. An ingenious system. I had the bare metal bolts on the handlebar clamp replaced with black.  What was left to look out for were handlebar tape and caps. So that was it.. I had all the major parts now.

Be seated..

Beyond reach..

Of all the parts I had to search for, the saddle and seatpost proved to be the most difficult to find. Although I had never sat on one, the craftmanship of Selle Italia or San Marco seemed the right choice. So those were the only brands I focused on, preferring to find new old stock in the same generation of the bike itself. I was very excited to soon spot a new San Marco saddle on Marketplace in almost exactly the same blue as the frame: The Mapei color scheme. A rich mixture of blue with supportive sub-colours. It would be the perfect fit. But it was going to cost so it turned out right away. High offers were already made and needed to be surpassed. I made one attempt, as I was keen to get this magnificent piece, but failed. The seller was patient and obviously aware of the value and exclusivity of this rarely seen item and expected to be paid dearly. 

As much as I wanted it; my budget also had its boundary. 

Can you believe it..?

I had meanwhile decided that the seat post needed to be black, and the seat blue, or a mixture of black and blue. Which was not easy as I was to find out. It took over 2 months of searching before I finally succeeded. In a way that was both totally unexpected and unbelievable. At a certain point in my search I somehow ran into a picture of a blue Selle seat for sale in a bike shop in the centre of Naples Italy. It was an outlet offer costing..…..EUR.19,90 (!) And online purchasing turned out to be possible, be it in the old-fashioned way by sending e-mails vice-versa. Shipping charges were small using the cheapest postal option which after all took just 7 days which is still quite fast. The saddle was an XO-Gel, brand new, in a rather similar color setting, fitting the bike perfectly. A true treasure. Amazing.. The still original box in which it was packed and shipped was already worn, probably from having it pulled from and placed back on the shelve over and over again for many years. 

But no seat without a post of course. And there things were not getting easier. Because I wanted a carbon seatpost, preferably Campagnolo, and preferably new old stock. But with a steel bike frame from the nineties, this means a 27,2mm diameter which is simply not available. At least not as new old stock; used only... N.o.s, Campagnolo and 27,2mm? Yes, but in alu only. Carbon, Campagnolo and new; Yes.. but in 32,4mm only.  So going for used after all then? The annoying thing is that almost all used seatposts have wear that is immediately visible. Mostly from adjusting, and / or too tight fastening. All parts were new so I could not make an exception, especially not for the eye-catching seat post. Ok.. so no Campa then? Alright.. I simply started searching for a carbon Colnago seatpost. And found one immediately, brand new, in Hungary.

But it was Holiday time and I decided to just drop the whole bike part affair for 2 weeks and see how things would stand after I had returned. Which turned out to be favorable. As Ebay now showed a new advertisement for a brand new Campa Chorus Carbon seatpost n.o.s., available in Denmark. At a cost, but I had searched so long and the seat had been so cheap that I decided to take it. As well as the one from Hungary. I had 2 bikes after all.. And Hungary had more to offer so it turned-out, as I had one more challenge left after the saddle business would be handeled. The fully black Colnago seatpost had a better match with the black mounting brackets of the new seat on the current Tecnos, so the Chorus ended on Tecnos 1, replacing the 36 cm (!) long Aluminium FSA seatpost with a carbon look, which was of course a real fine improvement.

Give me a brake..

Jewellery almost..

Although the modern dual pivoted calipers are more advanced and superior in the output of brake power, to my personal opinion the Campagnolo Monoplanar is the perfect example of enginerical style and beauty. The ratio and mutual dimensions of the levers and pinch arms, the angle under which they are placed, as well as the size and shape in which the material is forged, are a true form of art.

Better design versus better engineering..

The pointed bolts on both the central axle and inner cable fixture on the lower arm, in combination with the robust mounting area of the brake pads seem to create both dynamics and harmony. They were present on Tecnos one, and for sure would be on Tecnos two as well. But here I was unlucky, but with a happy ending after all. I had spotted a new old stock Chorus set, still in the original box, on the German E-bay. The price was high and my initial counteroffer was turned down. Further extended search led to no satisfying alternatives and upon returning to the advertisement to close the deal, it was gone.

I was heavily disappointed and severely regretted my natural Dutch bargaining habit. 

No Monoplanars in the desired condition were to be found for quite some time, until luck knocked on my door again. Rather close to home on Marketplace. A set of Athenas. Used, but in seemingly nice condition and for a reasonable price. Upon receipt, they turned out to be close to new and I was a happy man again. All mechanical parts were available now. Seat and seatpost plus stem and handlebar were the last challenges.

Wheels....

Shamal..!

In racing bike Technics, the frame and wheels are the paramount factors. Now that the fame was there, wheels would be the next challenge. My newly purchased full carbon Wilier Izoard from 2014 was equipped with FFWD 40 mm carbon wheels which had been a completely new experience for me. Being familiar with these fantastic wheels meanwhile made it clear that the phenomenon of carbon whiz is the ultimate wheel experience. In fact, the previous Tecnos restoration had originated from these wheels. Ever since the moment I owned them, I imagined the black red-white colored rims would also perfectly fit with my similarly colored old Tecnos one day, which in the end proved to be the case. I had meanwhile found a similar set in 60 mm with Shimano 11 speed hub, in great condition, to easily replace them on the Wilier. So carbon for sure ? Not yet. Upon starting my wheel quest I soon came across a very neat set of the famous Campagnolo Shamal wheels which' seller I immediately visited to see the fit. In terms of style, there surely was a match, but I finally waived the idea as plain black carbon would be more soothing to the already richly colored frame and the old 8 speed hub would surely have made things complicated as well.

8 speed only..

 So yes.. plain and sober black Carbon from now on. New Old Stock had my preference, but that proved not easy, and neither was plain and sober black itself. A great deal of the wheels available had white or colored decals which I had to avoid. Then I found a set of fairly new Reynolds wheels in my own area which confirmed my idea about the soothing effect of single black against the rich color outset of the frame. But I noted clearly visible traces of removed decals, so that was a no-go. Although not too abundantly available still, I did have the advantage of rim braked wheels being on their return, which made pricing attractive. The real interesting wheel-sets, next to new and without brake wear, were still far from cheap however, so it would again be a matter of time. And there was far more to look after meanwhile. But then suddenly the wheels came around. On Marketplace.

The backbone...

A set of new old stock Forza's in plain black.  Forza wheels were unknown to me and turned out to be exclusively manufactured for Ridley bikes. They looked great in the advertisement. A unique feature was the hub, as it was compatible with both Shimano & Campa 10 and 11 speed. The price was very interesting as well, so I decided to have a look. It was a 160km drive eastward to the town of Almelo where upon arrival I turned out to enter the home of cyclist Ms Janny Kleinjan. Well known for her 3 World Championships Time-rial for Masters and many other titles and victories. I was welcomed in the bike workshop overloaded with trophy cabinets and top-of-the-bill racing and time trial bikes. The wheels were 100% new, competition racing wheels, ultra-light with carbon brake rims, and a great combination with the frame as expected. We closed the deal and on my way back I knew I was well on my way now...