Hey guys, Mike Howard here. The El Dorado model was a lower line frame that we built for a short time trying to expand our sales base. I was never very gun-ho on them but had to do what the boss wanted. Thats not to say they weren't nice bikes just not the same quality as the Pro-Stradas and generally had cheaper components. They actually were a great bargin but no customizing, all standard geometry and components, no chrome. The first few hundred were made of Reynolds 531 that we had laying around and then later went to the Tange Cr-Mo tubing which was a higher quality tubing then most wanted to admit. Unfortunatly we were rather bad at keeping records of serial numbers and I don't know where what little records that we did have are now. Gain Simonetti may have more info on that. That front dropout may have said Rexart which was a dropout that we had made but didn't use for long. Rexart was our parent company name. We used that name with the Idea that we might market them to other builders someday and thought that other builders would not want a competitors name on there forks.
On Mon, Jun 8, 2009 at 11:05 PM, Philip <nokema@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> I came across a Medici Camino Real/El Dorado painted a bright Flourescent
> pink that was exactly as described by another member which I quoted below.
> The fork is chrome and from the chipped parts in the paint, I don't believe
> the frame is chromed underneath. Campy dropouts but the fork dropouts, I
> forgot the name exactly, but spelled like Nervax. This one had no paint
> matched pump and a full Shimano 600EX Ultegra group with the downtube
> shifters (7spd I believe) and a Dura Ace aero seatpost with Turbo saddle.
> The latter two items removed by the seller. The rims are Omega Omicron
> Strada and are plain, not anodized any color. It also had a very nice panto
> 3ttt stem with black ano 3ttt bars. The paint did seem on the heavy side as
> it was hard to make out the stamped Campagnolo on the dropouts but looked to
> be of good quality. Not much feathering and some areas did lack attention,
> for example, the shoreline on one side of a headlug wasn't as smooth as the
> other. The bottom bracket read 58 305 differing from the older Medici
> number's others have posted but the group gives a good idea of when it was
> made. Has anyone been able to contact Mike Howard for the serial # records?
>
> Omicron Strada Polished as seen here in the 1991 catalog, may have came out
> in other years but I don't have the Campy bike DVD to reference.
> http://www.campybike.com/
>
> "
> Bought the local Medici which didn't reach reserve on the bay. Chainstay
> decals say "Camino Real", and the seattube stripes have "El Camino" in
> script above and below the requisite rainbow stripes (can those be
> justified?). Build quality is very basic, minimal lug feathering, but also
> absolutely clean. Reminds me a bit of the post-Yoshi Specialized Allez
> frames, and the fork crown reminds me a bit of a Yoshi crown, as well --
> semi-sloping, with a triangular cut-out outside of the blades. Large,
> Masi-style, seat-stay flutes. Recessed brakes. Braze-on f der, two
> bottle sets, pump peg, tt cable guides and shifter braze-ons, of course,
> and under-BB cable guides. Campy drops, chrome fork with handsome sweeping
> radius. Straightforward sport geometry -- 57 square (58 and change c-t),
> 40 inch/101.75cm wheelbase, with the rear axle pushed forward.
> Blue-white-blue fade paint, which looked so homely on the bay,
> turned out to be almost shop-new, save for a few chain chips, and much
> more appealing than I'd anticipated. Serial "58 222". Shop sticker --
> Bellflower Bike Shop 867-2306 (no area code, in the 90's??). In a web
> search, Bellflower Bike shop comes up in the 310 area code, but I wasn't
> able to get a call through. Maybe the area code is wrong. Bonuses: steel
> Campy pump head on paint-matched Silca, black panto 3ttt stem, Campy Omega
> 32-hole rims.
> "
>
> Philip Chan
> Hacienda Heights, CA
>
> >Jim,
> >
> >How's this for timing? Mike Howard just called me from Medici to ask if
> >I knew where to find tooling for their very old V.A.R. framebuilding
> >machine. Looking for reemers and cutters to use on one of the machines
> >that Mario originally got. He tells me that they (now Simonetti Cycles)
> >are moving from Chino to Huntington Beach to continue framebuilding
> >there along with a retail storefront! The new location is appearently
> >only a few blocks from the original Wizard workshop. Mike seems to have
> >a renewed interest in the future of the operation, which is a change
> >from the last time I spoke to him about six weeks ago.
> >
> >I asked about Medici serial numbers and he said that he had most of the
> >records. If you want info on ser. #'s call him at (909)591-5881. He
> >doesn't have email. They will be moving very soon so you may have to
> >call another number if you wait too long.
> >
> >I also asked Mike about how Mario and Recht originally hooked up, and
> >about the period when both Confente and Medici were in LA. Mike told me
> >some very interesting things about the early "before my reappearance"
> >period of Medici. I will relate this information later today, some of
> >which alters the course of things I've specutated on. Does a lot to
> >clarify the relationships between Mario, Recht, and Medici. Soap Opera,
> >anyone?
> >
> >Brian Baylis
> >La Mesa, CA
> >>
> >> Is there any way to determine date of manufacture of Medici frames by
> >> their serial numbers? Thanks!
> >>
> >> Jim Cole
> >> Memphis, TN