I stripped the frame and gave it to College Park Cycles in Maryland for the spraying. I then did the lug lining, decals.
The headbadge is/was NOS, the old one was trashed, but still sellable on ebay.
My opinion of the ride is similar to the 1972 review on your site - plenty stiff enough for sprinting, spirited riding but comfy enough for cruising around on all day, w/no significant deficits - just a real solid performer. I think it is terrific & with clearance/ eyelets, can be a great sporty all-rounder. Amongst my other bikes, the one most similar to it is a 1980 Fuji America, a purported sport tourer that is a lot longer on the sport than the tourer. Subjectively, it seems to have a little spring in its step so to speak, but that may be due to my glee at finally getting this on the road.
Thank you for the heads up on the decals. I'll probably now have to buy a set - as well as being the right ones for my year model (likely 1971), the DT graphic is so much nicer and the larger/brighter ST lettering pops a little more.
Jay Roberts Silver Spring, Maryland USA http://nihonmaru.blogspot.com
On Mar 21, 2010, at 10:52 PM, Rich Pinder wrote:
> Very nice bike.... beautiful finish ! Who did it? That Head Badge
> is in GREAT condition!
> I'm eager to hear how you like the ride. Compared to your Treks and
> japanese bikes ?? I enjoyed some of the other shots of your bike on
> your blog.
>
> I've been building up a Mondia Special... and now I'm down to
> choosing the proper set of bars and building up the wheels.
>
> I think I'm remiss in not posting to the list an update on Decals
> for the early Mondia Specials. After checking Greg S's website, and
> not finding the proper set, a list member alerted me that VeloCals
> had come out with a set - so I ordered them up. The DT graphic was
> super... but the ST graphic was the much smaller lettering, which
> was used on some Super models. And the ST colored bands were also
> not original. The owner of VeloCals (who bought out Michael S's
> business and stock) was very helpful and responive - I sent him the
> spec on the size needed, and he sent me a new set right away. [http://www.velocals.com/servlet/StoreFront
> ] [[ no connection ]]
>
> See the third and sixth shot for a look at the frame after the new
> decals were applied:
> http://www-hsc.usc.edu/
>
> Good riding that beauty... !
>
> Rich Pinder
> Sherman Oaks, CA
>
>
> Jay Roberts wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> I've been a CR subscriber on and off, last signoff around 2002 when
>> I sold the last of my vintage Italian steel. I continued to be
>> sort of a BOBish rider w/old Treks & Japanese steel, which recently
>> seem to have become less redolent of the garage sale, if not the
>> trash heap, than they formerly were.
>>
>> In any event, one CR-ish thing I kept was an old Mondia Special
>> frame (55 cm, 26.4mm seatpost) acquired in a long ago trade and
>> which I just finished resurrecting. For the "Mondia Maven", serial
>> #165718. Reynolds 531 DB, Nervex Pro lugs, including BB. Chromed
>> head lugs, fork crown, fork lowers, seat/chain stays, and seat tube
>> panel. Original color was red, no fade color, off-white lug
>> lining. The red paint did fade into the chrome stays and fork
>> lowers. The entire bike, including the chrome, had some sort of
>> rather soft clear coat - don't know if this was from the factory,
>> but it preserved the chrome in factory fresh condition.
>>
>> Here are a couple of shots of the resurrected bike:
>>
>> http://picasaweb.google.com/
>> http://picasaweb.google.com/
>> http://picasaweb.google.com/
>> http://picasaweb.google.com/
>>
>>
>> Decals are from a later Mondia Special, esp. the downtube, which
>> originally had "Mondia Special" with the Special in script as often
>> seen elsewhere. I acquired this as a bare frame + headset & bottom
>> bracket. Headset (French) was Campy Record <C> - it still
>> mortifies me to admit that this was accidentally discarded some
>> years ago, got mixed into a junk bag by accident. The bottom
>> bracket was a French threaded Suntour Cyclone, obviously not
>> original. The current build is a mix of mostly vintage Italian &
>> Japanese parts. I am looking for a quality 26.4mm fluted 2-bolt
>> seatpost to replace the currently installed single bolt one.
>>
>> Jay Roberts
>> Silver Spring, Maryland
>> USA
>> http://nihonmaru.blogspot.com