Bottecchia SLX 1989

[Toshiba Boy]

Booze and Cake, that is stunning fella!

Can't wait to see it built up and in front of some of that great street art you find

 

[Reynard]

The classic car scene is a bit crackers @booze and cake

There's a place just up the road that build silhouette Mk1 Escorts for racing. I've seen some lovely ones when I go past. They also build the racing pickup trucks.

 

[BalkanExpress]

Certain things have no place at all on any classic steel, and that includes anything made of carbon, or finished to look like carbon. Low spoke count or deep section wheels also look totally out of place.

I agree, well sort of agree. Much depends on what you term classic.

The steel I own is mid 70s to mid 90s. At the early end even anodised rims look out of place, but for the newer bikes, deep section rims can be period correct and look good.

 

[booze and cake]

Beauty is obviously in the eye of the beholder, but I agree with @BalkanExpress deep section rims can look good on old steel. I personally think Shamal wheels are amongst the prettiest ever, and I run my bikes with them sometimes. Here's my Merckx and Rourke running some shiny mirror rims, to me at least these look great, and its not just the looks, on flattish fast rides I am definitely quicker with these in than standard 32 hole rims.

Back to the Bottecchia, and I have the day off tomorrow and am hoping the tyres and seat post arrive, which are the last of the components needed. I've still got the decals to sort but that's going to take longer. I've already had a change of mind with the tyres. Having extolled the virtues of black contact points to help make the frame stand out, I've decided against the cream Vittoria Corsa's, as that's just adding another colour to the mix. So I'm sticking with all black tyres, so the bike will just be red, white, black and chrome. I've kept them Italian and got some Vittoria Open Pave clinchers which I've used before, and they were on offer. Hopefully it all arrives and I can get it built and get some more pics of the frame details outside in the sun tomorrow.....so close.

 

[booze and cake]

Bah humbug, the postie only delivered the tyres, so I've got to wait for the seat post. I couldn't let that stop me, so I slipped in a parts bin monstrosity seat post just to get it ride-able. It is now all bolted together, indexed properly and running in near total silence, ahhh gotta love that new bike feel. I've added the missing World Champs decals to the seat tube, and now just have the red Bottecchia lettering to arrange for the seat tube.

I've taken it for a quick 10 mile shakedown and it rides really nicely. The steep angle of the head tube and the very shallow fork rake means there is some toe overlap, luckily I was aware of this before getting on it, and my Rourke is the same, so no bother once you know about it and adjust accordingly. But despite that the front end feels really comfortable, as does the rear, which is good as there is no way I have the clearances for any tyres bigger than 25c that are on it. I've had the tape measure out and the wheelbase is a good few cm's shorter than any of my other bikes, so it does feel very nippy and agile. It was too hot and humid for me to really give it full beans today, but I already feel confident enough in it to just jump on and go full gas.

The vinyl bar tape looks and feels great, its definitely staying. I was a bit concerned it would get really hot in the sunshine, so I tested it today and went out without wearing gloves to see, and despite touching nearly 30 centigrade in the sun here today, it was fine, warm, but not like putting your hand in a frying pan I expected. I normally wear gloves anyway so this was not really an issue, more curiosity.

I've got to lower the bars by about 2cm and dial in seat position on the new post when it arrives, but otherwise its finished and I couldn't be happier. Hopefully the post arrives tomorrow and I can take some nice pics in its final set up. I'll leave you with one of those moody press release teasers you see ahead of a shiny new sports car release, when they turn the lighting down so low you can't really see anything....just enough to see an outline, and those lovely hints of chrome.....damn it looks hot even in the dark

 

[BalkanExpress]

@booze and cake , when I asked for photos, that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind!

 

[booze and cake]

The seat post hurt my eyes so much I couldn't burden the world with its hideousness

 

[wonderdog]

@booze and cake , when I asked for photos, that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind!

Well he DID hint that he intended for a deep dark and mysterious effect - and achieved it admirably. Now let's have something in colour!!

 

[booze and cake]

Yippee the seat post arrived, and here it is....

I don't think I'll ever get bored of looking at the details on this, especially when the sun is out. I must remember not to be too distracted and make sure I'm looking where I'm going.

May it be sunny forevermore. I'm delighted

 

[Reynard]

Oh.

My.

That's truly lovely, @booze and cake Happy riding on your beautiful new bike.

 

[fossyant]

Very nice.

Another SLX owner. I chose a local builder (Stockport - Frank Herety) to make mine as the Colnago etc frames were the same price, but I was putting Shimano Dura Ace 8 speed on it and didn't want to put it on a full Italian frame (just as 8 speed indexing came out) which wasn't available on Campag Record.

Italian bikes need Campag.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I don't think I'll ever get bored of looking at the details on this, especially when the sun is out. I must remember not to be too distracted and make sure I'm looking where I'm going.
May it be sunny forevermore. I'm delighted

I wonder how many man hours that frame took to make & finish? The detailing and lugwork are truly exquisite The sad thing is if the typical suspension BSO rider from my manor took a look at that frame, all the effort that went into making it would go completely over their heads.

 

[DCBassman]

Jeeeez, that's a good looking bike!

 

[woodbutcher]

The Bottecchia is a thing of beauty booze and cake ! Trouble is that having fallen under the spell of your Merckx build and tried my hand at a self build ( a first for me) l am now on the (everlasting) hunt for a Bianchi frame , steel or aluminium, l don't really mind which as long as it is finished in "celeste" . I just missed a Marco Pantani look alike on ebay . I console myself with the fact that it was a bit knocked about .
Photo of self build including re spray , now that was an interesting exercise which l will not be repeating

 

[booze and cake]

@fossyant I agree SLX makes a great 'ride all day' frame....I've got 3 now. Frank Herety built some lovely looking bikes from the few I have seen, there was one with straight forks on eBay recently that looked great, I've just searched for it but its gone, so someone's snapped that up. Got any pics of yours please? And as for groupsets I am a Campagnolo devotee...

It works great and looks the prettiest by far to my eye, not only does it have to go on Italian bikes, I felt compelled to put it on my Belgium and British bike too. It's not the cheap option, and I'll probably remain malnourished and vitamin deficient for the coming years trying to keep 5 Campag shod roadies in ship shape condition, but that's a sacrifice I'm prepared to make

I think the shiny Dura-ace of this era was pretty too, but looks-wise both Shimano and Campag crank sets went downhill after this time 10 speed shiny silver time. Dura-ace went with that grey wheelie bin plastic that just looked like a cheap dork disc, and I don't like the look of any of the carbon offerings from either Campag or Shimano. I prefer the old style Campag shifters to the new ones, but they are still an improvement over the Shimano offerings that always had a crashed antlers look to my fussy eye. If it isn't already I think the silver 10 speed Campag stuff will be deemed a future classic.

And thanks @DCBassman and @SkipdiverJohn it is the prettiest bike I've ever owned, the way it displays its craftsmanship and the time invested in it, is what drew me to it in the first place. I'd be delighted if the local scallies don't give it a second glance, not that I'll be leaving it locked up outside anywhere in London. I was out on this again this morning though, and when the sun is out, even though its super quiet, it doesn't do blending in. Its like a dazzling lazer show, you can see it coming a mile off. Riding it you have to wear sunglasses or you'd be repeatedly temporarily blinded by the light hitting the chrome all over it.

Thanks too @woodbutcher function and beauty Italian style. Its funny how we always seem to make room for another one. You have a dream, and its celeste coloured, you will get there. This Bottecchia came together really quickly after getting the frame, hold out for one that really does tick your boxes. You have other bikes to ride in the meantime, so there's no real time pressure. The search is all part of the 'ride'. I shall keep my eyes peeled for the inevitable Bianchi thread