Martelly neo-retro winter project

Hi all,

Last winters project was the restoration of a 1984 Colnago super frame combined with a modern Athena 11sp groupset. Pictures of the result can be found here: http://www.pedalroom.com/bike/colnago-super-1984-22912. I enjoyed the restoration and the build and especially the miles that I put on the bike in spring/summer afterwards. Classic looks, modern functionality. New winter, so new project and another neo-retro build!

A few months ago, I got my hands on a Martelly bike for next to nothing. Martelly is a Belgian brand of steel bikes, built by Eddy Martens. Not a fancy name international, but they built some great quality frames. They are still going strong by the way, building custom steel frames: http://www.martelly.be.

This is how I picked up the bike:

Quality frame build from Columbus SL tubing. Nice chrome forks in great condition with Martelly engraving. Also a nice fully chromed rear triangle, cinelli spoiler bracket,number hanger, ... Cool frame, made to be raced.

Decided to go for a full restoration. Frame is at a framebuilder/painter now: he will add a second bottle holder bosses and cable guides for the front shifters. New colour will be light-metallic blue-ish, with yellow Martelly logo's and details.

Because I wanted painted logo's on the bike, I decided to provide my painter with self-made negatives made with a vinyl cutter. Here they are:

Frame will be build up with a Campagnolo Chorus 10 speed group and will get modern wheels, carbon seatpost and if possible carbon forks.

Will try to update this topic regularly with fresh pictures, questions and more!

Great stuff!
Look forward to this build - merry Xmas!

Sub'd! Looks like a great build and probably a better version of something I'll be doing when the weather gets a bit nicer. I have a nothing-special British 531c(?) frame and the same groupset but a couple of years newer.

I say keep the forks because they look boss, and would be interested to see what wheels you go for.

Just saw you're going for a repaint as well. Will you keep the chrome?

I'm still in doubt with the forks, will decide when frame is back from painter if I stay with the classic chrome forks, or go for a straight 1" carbon. I'm retouching the carbon forks at the moment, not sure whether I'm gonna use them.

Wheels will be campagnolo khamsin asymetric:

I'm keeping the chrome on the frame, it's in very good condition.

Those are surprisingly cheap! Didn't realise Campag did wheels at that price.

I think horizontal TT = curved forks. For carbon I only know of Columbus Minimal in 1 inch but there are probably others. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/columbus-minimal-road-forks/

Here are some pics of the fork that I might use in this frame. Forks had some minor damage, so was filled with filler, sanded an painted black with a fade from the crown to the carbon look part. Still needs a few layers of clearcoat, and will look good.

Before paint:

Painted:

1 Attachment

Finally I got the frame back. A dent in the lower chainstay has been filled, bottle cage bosses on the seat tube have been added just like some cable guides on the front for brifters. All done professionaly by a reputed Belgian framebuilder. After that, the frame got new enamel paint and painted decals. Pretty happy with the result: frame looks sparkling in sun light!

Pretty excited but paint still has to harden a bit before I can build the bike. Couldn't resist a quick mockup though with the Chorus 10sp group. Carbon seatpost and forks, 3ttt stem and bars combination. Wheels are Campagnolo Khamsin, I'm going to remove the stickers I guess.

Like the blue-yellow-black-silver theme. Not sure about the bar tape / cables and saddle color though... Any ideas?

Superb chrome masking .
I would stick with chrome forks.
Black looks wrong .

This is going to be beautiful, either forks will work aesthetically for me. Do you trust the carbon repair though? I feel like I'd be getting concerned if there was damage to the extent that filler was needed.
100% remove the wheel stickers

No problem with the carbon forks, there was only some minor surface damage. Nothing to worry about.

Still in doubt about the forks. Quite easy to switch them though, so I guess I'll just try both of them and than decide which one I'll use.

Black bar tape and saddle, yellow or blue cables?

I think the carbon forks are a nice match to the carbon on the group and the dark bars, but what stem would you then use? The forks are threadless right?
Not blue cables

Nope, 1'' forks that take the same 3ttt quill stem. They are cut to length for this frame and threaded.

Beautiful ! Looking forward to seeing this built . I think it'd be a shame not to keep the original fork to go with the beautiful chromed stays and new paint, help to prevent it looking too busy as well . How much weight will you save with the carbon ?

Yellow or black cables would look great

Ooh, lovely!

If it was me...

chrome forks
de-stickered wheels with gum wall tyres
yellow bar tape (or black bar tape and yellow cables)
and this saddle:

Still not sure on which forks to use, i guess it will become a last minute choice :). Yellow cables arrived today, 90% sure on black tape too. A friend is recovering a concor in black perforated leather at the moment. Might use it, as you suggest :)

Oh and black tyres too, as i don't like tan walls on two colour rims like these. It would look ace if the rims were all black, imo.

Yeah, fair enough, it's a close call with machined braking surface. You can't go wrong with black tyres. Concor will look ace!

Chrome forks!

Chrome forks for the first set of photos, then carbon for riding.

Was there any particular reason for not having the forks resprayed to match the frame?

No, have been thinking about that too since I've got the frame back. Maybe later on... But I guess I just like the combination of the carbon seatpost and forks. And the shifters and derailleur also.

@Flandria any reason you went for the Khamsin Asymmetric lacing over the G3, was it just looks? Trying to decide which ones to get, (they're the same price at the moment)

Nope, no specific reason. Got them offered locally and liked the fairly classical looking spoke pattern.

Hope to make some progress with the build this weekend. Frame is spaced for 10speed and i've got yellow and grey cable outers in the post!

Some more crappy phone pictures:

Frame respaced to it takes a 130mm rear wheel. Cog spacers go nicely with the frame:

Quick mockup with the carbon seatpost, chrome forks and stem/bars. The chrome forks compliment the rear triangle, but the carbon one compliments the seatpost. Choices...

Some more progress was made this evening. Hope to get the bike riding by the end of the weekend. Today I fitted bottom bracket and chainset. I've also pressed in the headset with a home-made headsetpress. I guess I'll stick with the chrome forks, they look very good and are more comfortable than the carbon ones. And I don't care much about weight, so that's no dealbreaker.

Chorus cartridge BB in the cinelli spoiler bracket:

Chorus 10sp cranks. In my opinion one of the most beautiful cranks by campagnolo:

Headsetpress on the cheap:

Overview. I'm going for black bar tape and the saddle will be a black concor san marco, which is being recovered in perforated leather by a friend at the moment.

3ttt cockpit, Chorus 10sp carbon shifters.

Brakes:

Next choice will be cable colour. I have a yellow and a grey set at the moment... Yellow would be obvious, grey a bit more subtile. Or yellow for shifters, grey for brakes. Hmm...

Why the carbon seatpost?