Hi CR list:
I am restoring John Marino's 1982 Race Across America bicycle. (Actually, that year the race was called Great American Bike Race.)
It was custom built by Mike Melton and sported Huffy decals on the down tube. Two years before this type of design would see service in the 1984 LA Olympic Games, this frame had aero tubing and internal cables. I have had the frame meticulously restored by CyclArt.
The parts build-up was all Dura Ace AX with a few exceptions. I have been able to assemble almost all of them in NOS condition, plus a few of the parts from John Marino's own attic. Here's what I still need and I would be thrilled if any of you fellow CR listers could lend a hand. I am hoping for NOS parts and will pay any reasonable price.
I need:
1) A complete set of Dia-Compe Aero Grand Comp brakes:
http://www.classicrendezvous.com/
2) A Shimano Dura Ace HP-7200 headset that takes the funky tool (so I
will need the tool, also):
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/
3) One Dura Ace AX "aero" water bottle and cage.
Also, if any of you "eagle eyes" out there want to look it over and give me a "definite" identification, I would like to firmly ID the handlebars, bar tape, rims, tyres, and chain. I am guessing the rims were some type of Araya (they are "aero" shaped) and the chain is a Sedis Sport. There's a large, hi-res photo of the bike online at this link (this is the promo / studio shot of the bike after it was built, just before Marino received it):
http://www.raamring.org/
Once I get the final ID on those parts, I will need to buy them as well, so let me know if you have any of them.
Finally, on a related note, do any of you have Bicycling Magazine from 1982? My recollection is that they featured each of the four Great American Bike Race entrants, one per month, in the months leading up to the race that summer, then they ran a big race recap afterwards. I really need to scan all of those articles. If you have the issues and would loan them to me, I would provide my FedEx account number so you can ship them to me for scanning. I would FedEx them back promptly. And I'm happy to pay a "library loan fee" or send some bike schwag as a "thank you"!
Thanks, everyone! I am very excited about this project and will appreciate any support you can provide!
Sincerely,
Chris Kostman
--
AdventureCORPS, Inc.
638 Lindero Canyon Rd #311
Oak Park, CA 91377 USA
http://www.adventurecorps.com
http://www.badwater.com
http://www.the508.com