[CR]Early 80s Benotto Modelo 800

(Example: Racing:Beryl Burton)

To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Randy Farnsworth" <lists@randyfarnsworth.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 12:53:14 -0600
Subject: [CR]Early 80s Benotto Modelo 800

I have a Benotto Modelo 800 that I assume is from the early 80s. I bought it in 1986, and it was a few years old at the time. How can I tell if this is anything worth keeping? It does have a "Made in Italy" sticker on it, but I don't know if it's really from Italy or if it's a later Mexican bike. It appears to have mostly original parts, including a cool leather seat, but I think the rear derailler and shift levers may be aftermarket. Can anyone give me some clues about what to look for? I'm new on this list and new to the idea of classic road bikes.

The bike has an interesting history: A guy from Brazil came here to Utah to attend Brigham Young University, and he either bought the bike here or brought it with him from Brazil. Then he went to Taiwan to work and took the bike there with him. While there, he chose to go on an LDS church mission back in Brazil. So he left the bike in Taiwan with a friend of his. That friend was only about 5 feet tall, so he couldn't ride this tall bike. Then in 1986, I ended up in Taiwan and met this guy with the bike. I bought it from him for $100, took it apart and tried to fit it into a large suitcase. It all fit but the frame, which I took on the plane as a carryon (try doing that nowadays!), stopped in Hawaii for a while, then ended up back in Utah. So this bike has literally been around the world quite a bit! It's just sat in my garage for the past 15 years, because I'm into mountain biking now (I know, I know -- those big, heavy, mass- produced things with all kinds of wires and cables all over them). So I guess it's time to sell it or restore it, but I don't know if it's a classic or a clunker.

Randy Farnsworth
Northern Utah, Near the Lake
Benotto Modelo 800