I thought I might confuse things a bit more about Mateo's Masi...
First of all I meant to measure it this morning, but it was "one of those days",...and in the end, I never got to it...tomorrow for sure, and I'll let everyone know.
This is an Italian GC built in '74, but it's been "upgraded" braze-on-wise, so the spacing,, if 126, may have been changed too. I think Mateo showed the frame to Alberto, and asked about the braze-ons, too bad he didn't ask about the spacing...
I remember seeing Raleigh Pro's w/6spd in '72/'73? ...my opinion is that an Italian "pro" level bike in '74 would more likely than not have been set-up w/6 spd. Back then, it often seems to have taken several years for changes to have gotten to the US and really taken hold.
As best as I can recall, I changed my race bike and wheels from 5 to 6 in '74 or '75....went to ultra 7 in '81 or so. I changed a "bunch" of my old bikes and wheels back to what they were originally about 3yrs. ago...
Ed Litton at home (after a long day) in El Cerrito, CA