Jeff wrote:
Any Olmo experts out there? Olmo made a full pantographed Super Record bike in the early 80's, silver with gold decals and lining, with milled crank. Was this a commerative bike? What do y'all think of the high end Olmo's by comparison and/or ranking with Pogliaghi, Masi, Cinelli, Colnago, Basso, Ciocc, Gios, Tommasini and any others you'd like to through in?
Jeff Pyzyk Milwaukee, WI
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Ah. another opportunity to ride one of my favorite hobby-horses---vinyl stick-on graphics! Hate 'em!
years ago I had as-close-to-mint-without-actually-being-mint-as-you-can-get candy-red Olmo Competition, panto'd to the gills. Very, very nice bike. Very fast and refined, like all top italian bikes of that time ("that time" being the early 80s).
It sat in my living room for some months. I looked at it every day. And I just could not get past those crappy vinyl stick-on graphics that some genius started putting on bikes in the late '70s. To save work, no doubt. those graphics sucked.
You could see the outline of the vinyl. They peeled up if you looked at them too hard, and you could never really stick them down again, although I did try some Tubasti on one and that stuck it down. An ugly solution, and probably not permanent by any stretch.
Finally, I sold it, because I could not stand those *&^%$#@ graphics. I know, sounds crazy, but there you go.
A couple of years ago, a list member very kindly sold me a fully original, and nearly-mint Ciocc Designer with all the panto'd bits. Chromed head-lugs. Very tasty bike, of its kind. Same vintage as the aforementioned Olmo...BUT! With *clear-coated graphics!* I love my Ciocc. But if it had those rotten vinyl stick-on abominations, I'd have sold it by now.
so, those 80s Olmos are really nice to have, atmo, if you aren't neurotic about vinyl stick-on, un-clear-coated graphics. Like I am.
Charles "it's the little things that get to a person" Andrews Los Angeles