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@WeirdDropout
Hi - got a bit of frame puzzle here. Picked this frame up on ebay as a decent quality large frame for a period triple chainset build, to be used for some challenging summer rides in the Welsh hills. Its free from dings, the seized dropout adjuster came out ok and frame threads all look good. I could just build it and ride (which I will), but the frame is tatty and before I totally refinish it, I want to check that I'm not destroying anything with any real history about it.
It’s a Moser frame, (confirmed by M cutouts in lugs and Moser U turn on brake bridge). The frame is stamped X61C on the bottom bracket – 61 being the seat tube size I think. What the frame is made from is not clear. The seat tube bears a Columbus Tubi Speciali decal in blue and silver – which despite a good search, I cannot find a single match for online. The forks bear a Columbus Foderi Laminati decal – and this looks to be correct. The frame and forks have Campagnolo dropouts – the rears are the rare filled shield logo dropouts that I understand were only made for a couple of years and were not widely available, with many of them for some reason ending up on Mosers.
It’s light enough for my purposes, frame is 61 cm c-c and weighs 2004g, forks 680g. I’m no expert, but I can’t see any (SLX) helicoidal reinforcement in the main tubes around the BB or in the steerer tube. Seat tube is perfect fit for 27.2, rear dropouts 130mm.
There is no indication of the frame model – and to confuse things further the frame has a Ghirardi head badge (small bike shop in Varese, run by a former Italian team mechanic and pro cyclist Massimo Ghirardi) and the top tube bears a hand-painted dedication “Raffaele….bici e salute” which I think means cycling for health? Who was / is Raffaele?
To add a last twist to the tale, hunting online, I found pictures of this exact frame (same paint chips, same dedication) on this forum, posted by a now inactive member by the name of Fignon (not THE Fignon I guess :-)) back in 2012.
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/140902/?offset=25
Back then, the frame bore some expensive looking bits, including Deltas, and Fignon at the time figured that “a northern Italian Pro or semi-pro had this as his steed initially” although no evidence was provided as to who or when, or where he acquired it.
So my questions: what is the frame material, what Moser model is it, or it a factory special and does anyone know anything about its history?
I’ve found a few models that come close: 1989 Pro S/L – the dropouts match, but that frame from old brochures online seems to have been a mixture of SL and Oria ML25 (!), plus the seat stays are not fillet brazed as I think they are on my frame. A 1992 Team SLX looks to have the same dropouts, has the fillet brazed seat stays, forks are laminati, but from lack of helicoidal ribs in frame, I don’t think mine is SLX. 1996 Pro-evolution has the same dropouts and otherwise looks similar, but that frame is supposed to be Deadcciai ZeroUno – and I think the tubes were oversize (my frame, standard tube diameters). Nothing that quite seems to match so far – but hey – you guys out there are the experts. I await your verdicts with interest, and for now I’ll keep it away from the paintstripper :-)
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