I have a couple of questions regarding this frame.
Is this frame a Masi or a Confente?
What build details link it directly to Mario's hand?
If it is a Masi...was this a joint effort at the Masi plant or a special project completed only by Mario?
Nick Zatezalo Atlanta,Ga.
-----Forwarded Message-----
>From: The Maaslands <TheMaaslands@comcast.net>
>Sent: Mar 7, 2006 4:16 PM
>To: CR <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>Subject: [CR]Mario Confente-built bike
>
>I have been researching a bike found by a friend of mine for the last
>while and thought that it might interest a number of CR listmembers. The
>bike turned up in Italy with Confente decals, in the hands of a former
>team-mate of Mario Confente's. In fact they used to race together. The
>owner wasn't able (or perhaps willing) to tell my friend much about the
>history, apart from the fact that the bike had been shown at the New
>York trade show in the 1970's. The first photos that I received were
>rather poor and certainly didn't show much detail. I contacted a number
>of Confentologists to hear their ideas. All said that the bike appeared
>to be something special, while at the same time most said that they
>wanted to see more detail before pronouncing themselves any more.
>
>The first thing of note is that the fully built bike weighs in at 7.34
>kg (less than 16 1/2 lbs!!!), so this is obviously not your everyday
>bike. It would seem that the bike has been made with first generation
>Columbus Record straight gauge tubing (0.3 mm wall thickness!).
>Mentioning this, a lightbulb went off in Richard Sachs head, helping him
>recall that Mario had indeed displayed a naked, unpainted frame on the
>New York show Masi stand in about 1975. To confirm this memory, he asked
>for me to have my friend check the venting of the seatlug joint (he
>colorfully described it as being reminiscent of the business end of a
>urinal), to photograph the lever bosses, as well as brake bosses... All
>details corresponded exactly. Brian Baylis then commented that he was
>not aware of any other Record tubed frames being made at Masi, and that
>for Mario to have displayed the frame naked, would indicate that it was
>without doubt one of the nicest pieces of work that Mario would have
>done. After the show however, the tracks seemed to end for this
>particular frame. Now it would seem that Mario ended up with it (I
>wonder whether officially or not). My guess is that Mario had either
>built it specifically with his friend in mind, or decided that it would
>make for a nice severance from Masi. In either way, the frame ended up
>in Italy.
>
>How it ended up being labelled as a Confente is still not known. As many
>people who have seen the photos of the built up bike have already
>stated, the workmanship of the bike components are not quite up to the
>level of the frame. It would almost seem as though the paint, decals and
>build were done subsequent to the rest of the bike. A number of people
>who knew Mario and his work habits have suggested that it is unlikely
>that mario was directly reponsible for the selection of the build
>components. The components are simply not perfect enough. More than
>likely it could have been built up after his death or perhaps using
>'seconds' from a machine shop that was contracted to handle the
>pantographing and milling of the components. The person doing the build
>must however have been sufficiently close to Mario to get the decals,
>frame and pantographed parts.
>
>I tried to label the photos so that special features could be
>recognized, but I am certain that you will be able to find extra
>details that I have not mentioned.
>
>http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/Mario-Confente-bike
>
>All the components have undergone weight trimming. The bike is fitted
>with a first generation Campagnolo Super Record seatpost, rear
>derailleur, chainset and pedals (all with drillium treatment). The front
>derailleur and brakes are Campagnolo Record with drillium treatment. The
>BB and headset are both OMAS extralight components. The toe clips and
>straps are the lightweight Christophe Z (when did they come out?) The
>stem is a first generation Cinelli 1R that is an obvious msimatch for
>the 3TTT super leggera bars. The milling of the brakes and cranks are
>scary, as are the radially spoked 24 spoke wheels, which likely explains
>why the bike has never been ridden.
>
>If nothing else, the bike is unique!
>
>Steven Maasland
>Moorestown, NJ