Dennis Stover asked:
>Would any of you Masi experts out there happen to know any information
>about a Masi with a serial number of 028? The only stampings on the BB is
>028, MC65 and +GF+. Who might have made it? What is the approximate date
of
>manufacture?
I have it's sister/brother/cousin: number 034, MC65. Brian Baylis has estimated it's origin in late '74 or early '75, and he's also aware of MC65 number 026. Mine is champagne and has the box fork crown.
I'd REALLY like to accurately know the frame angles of other large Masi frames of this era. My attempt to measure the head angle on 034 indicated a frighteningly steep 75.8 degrees, and fork rake of about 5.5 cm. Could those measurements be correct? Yes, I do ride this bike very frequently (2,000 miles so far, 120 miles last weekend, 200 miles next weekend), and I've gotten used to the quick steering, but I'm having a second fork made with less rake to improve stability to the extent possible.
Masi's reputation for quick/twitchy steering has been previously described on this forum, but something about the combination of BB drop, chainstay/wheelbase length, weight distribution, etc. seems to work better than my measurements would imply.
Looking through Mark Bulgier's collection of Masi catalogs shows that fork rake was reduced in later California bikes, and perhaps the head angle was also reduced.
I remember my '72 Italian 60 cm Masi GC as being reassuringly stable, but perhaps that was the enhanced reflexes of my youth. Or did Italian Masis use different geometry?
David Frost
Seattle, WA