Ted wrote:
Those Martano rims you bought are first class and as any Masi owner knows, are "the ones" for Masi. What you paid for those rims is of no one's business.
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Just to clarify my previous post on this subject, and to corroborate what Matt G. posted earlier... the handful of Carlsbad Masis--and italian-made Masi GCs--I have seen and owned, that were original, from the factory, had the *other* Martano rims, with the other sticker. It may be that the sticker difference denotes a weight difference (I believe Brian Baylis posted about this some time ago)... but it does also seem to be the case that the "bowtie" sticker was a later sticker, and the "truncated pyramid" was an earlier sticker..
I can't say I've ever seen a pair of grooved-sidewall Martanos on an original Masi, but that doesn't mean there weren't any installed as such.. Matt's right, those Martanos are super-cool, no matter what they might have come on.
In any event, it does appear, from the evidence I've seen so far, that the correct rims for a Masi made in 1974 and before would be the *other* Martanos. The ones with the other sticker. Not the ones recently sold on ebay. But, who knows? Maybe the Carlsbad factory ran out of the Martanos with the truncated-pyramid sticker, and started using the bowtie-sticker rims. It could well be that *both* rims are correct for pre-1974 Masis, but I have my doubts about that.
Be nice to know just when Masi went to Martanos. According to a couple of stories I've heard from reliable sources, Masi had a habit of stiffing his suppliers, and so had to keep using different equipment on the bikes. Campagnolo was constant I suppose (where else was Masi going to go for a derailleur? Italian bias being what it is?), but the rims did change. Before Martano it seems Masi used Fiammes as an OEM. But not by the late 60s.
And I don't say this to be elitist, or snobby, or anything else. I'm simply interested in the truth of the matter. And the truth, as far as I can gather, is that the "bowtie"-stickered Martanos were not OEM on Masis made 1974 and before. I'm sure someone here, including Baylis, can clarify this. As for what came on Masis OEM after 1974? I dunno. They would have used up the Martanos on hand, then used, well, whatever they used. Including bowtie Martanos, but not before 1975, so it seems, anyway.
Charles "pathetic geek" Andrews
SoCal