> My local bike shop, Montrose Bike Shop, was an importer of Casati
> bikes. I once stopped by (it's on the way to some great riding up
> Angeles Crest to Mt. Wilson) and Mr. Casati was paying a visit. He
> commented that he thought my Confente was nicely made, which I
> thought was nice of him to say so. A real gentleman!
Thanks for the extra reference, Chuck. I suppose this is true of anyone with a bike or just frameset that's as high in the popularity pantheon as Masi, Cinelli, and so forth, but I'd sure like to know more about the company that made the bike I'm so fond of. What's available online about Casati is pretty meager, and as Vincente Saraco has indicated to me offlist, the current "customer service" types at Casati in Monza don't have much interest in responding to questions about older bikes.
That said, they made some nice bikes. Try these two examples:
http://www.raydobbins.com/
Hope list member Ray Dobbins won't mind my use of the pointer, but this bike's just a gem. It's just beyond the timeline, but the frameset bears a lot of similarities to the one I've got that is purported to be On Topic. My frame's pantographing isn't quite as fancy -- less going on at the fork crown, and nothing on the topside of the bottom bracket -- as shown here. My frameset's chromed bits don't have the golden hue. I note that the downtube shift levers are in a more aero position than mine. And I don't have any of the pantographed components with which this frame is built up. Wish I did! If you like this bike, though, and are a considerably smaller rider, take a peek at...
also known as current eBay item # 7143669991. I'm not the seller, don't know them, and have never been in the Southern Hemisphere. If it were cheaper, I'd have a go at it just to strip the panto components. Oh, here's another idea: Nobody bid, and then I'll email them a lowball offer for just the components. Really appreciate all you folks cooperating on this.
When I've finally got my frame built up, albeit with some wildly too modern components, I'll find a place to post some pix. We'll see if you can spot the horrendously mislaid decal....
Dan Kehew Davis (convinced it's the center of the bicycling universe) California