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  • Right then. Now we're into the interesting stuff, cranks and gears - the heart of the build, the mechanicals.

    First up, let's have a look at a work of art - the bottom bracket shell, with the famous Gios cut out, tapped and faced by the great Alfredo Gios before my very eyes:

    Beautiful though that is, it's going to have a bottom bracket fitted, so it needs a generous slather of grease:

    And now, it's all ready to receive the bottom bracket - Boom:

    I know, it's all modern, and carbon and sealed bearing and all that stuff, and not at all the sort of thing that Alfredo Gios or Roger de Vlaerminck would approve of, but it's a bottom bracket for God's sake. NOS Super Record Bottom Brackets cost a fortune, and I had this hanging 'round in my shed, and besides, no one will be able to see it once I've fitted the cranks.

    Oh, and what cranks they are!

    Like most of the things connected with this build, the cranks took an age to track down, and cost a lot more than I had planned. A couple of months ago, a package arrive from the United States, and inside that package were these:

    Fluted and engraved Super Record Cranks, not NOS, but close enough as makes no difference (actually made a couple of hundred quid difference).

    I couldn't wait to hang these babies on the frame.

    Here we go, non-drive side first:

    But wait, there a problem........

    Once fitted, the crank is hitting the Chainstay. Hadn't anticipated that one. The bottom bracket axle must be too short.

    Took it out and measured it, 100mm. If it's too short it's too short, not a lot I can do about that late i the day on a Bank Holiday.

    I was just clearing up when I remembered I had another Italian Threaded Campagnolo Bottom Bracket somewhere in the shed. Dug it out, measured it and do you know what, the axle was 110mm - we're back on.

    Not only are we back on, but this one's a bit more period correct than the previous version, and it slipped in beautifully.

    Check it out:

    Non-drive side crank slipped on, and cleared the chainstay with room to spare. This is childsplay:

    Right then, Drive side crank - let's get motoring:

    Fuck.

    I'm sorry, but fuck. That's a dissapointment.

    Now I'm definitely done for the day. I'm off to RTFM with a glass of Red Wine.

    Sheldon, paging Sheldon, where are you?

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