Just recently I believe Brian said that he had seen bikes, maybe Masi, clear coated for bike show purposes only to show the lugs, tubes and brazing. The frame is nice and just about my size, but just closed a deal for Masi today that appears to be in very good condition.
Mark, in very chilly WV, Poore
>From: "Bingham, Wayne R." <WBINGHAM@imf.org>
>To: "Feeken, Dirk" <dirk.feeken@sap.com>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>Subject: RE: [CR]italian Masi frame
>Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 09:46:51 -0400
>
>
> >>>>>Can somebody help me dating an italian Masi Prestige frame?
>http://home.t-online.de/home/dirk.feeken/Masi/masi.html
>It is a Prestige but has two special features I haven't seen before. It
>is not painted silver but covered with clear coat, so the bare metal and
>the silver of the brazing is clearly visible. Very nice. It has also
>"aero" lever braze ons and the cables run through the tubes of the frame
>with nicely brazed on outlets. Looks like the frame at the bw picture of
>Faliero Masi at the CR Masi italy page. The numbers at the BB shell are
>FT55 822 55 is the size. Does "FT" stand for the builder and is 822
>specifying "second frame of 1982" like at american Masis?
>Dirk<<<<
>
>Dirk and listees -
>Since we're playing the Masi dating game ------- my Italian built
>Prestige has PN55 and the number 764 stamped in the BB shell. I'd also
>like to know if the three digit number signifies the build date. I had
>suspected that my frame was a '75, based on frame details and
>components, but it could certainly be a '76 instead. Besides the fact
>that the 55 is size, does anyone have the key to the rest of the
>letter/number scheme?
>
>Wayne Bingham
>Falls Church, VA