Awesome customer's bike: 1981 Lotus Aero Super Pro

     Sorry for the lack of posts in the past week. I was very busy boxing and shipping out larger internet sale items and also was ill. But, enough about me. This is a really unique bike one of our loyal customers / friend brought in for us to assemble / tune up. It is a 1981 Lotus Aero Super Pro frame and fork complete with the spec'd Shimano AX Dura-Ace component group that he sourced. It is a fine original example, probably the nicest I have ever seen in person. Here is an article about the model's history and specs. Lotus Aero Super Pro! Thanks so much for trusting us with its care! This design was pretty cutting edge for the time and was a bold move for such a young company. It was also featured in the July 1982 issue of Popular Mechanics Magazine! My favorite detail is the aerodynamic brake caliper barrel adjusters, no detail spared in the pursuit of streamlined advantage! Not too long after this, Campagnolo famously introduced its C-Record groups in 1986 complete with the iconic Delta brakes and sculpted components. Enjoy the photos!

Awesome customer's bike: Cinelli designed Lotus Triomphe!

     This is a pretty cool machine that belongs to a customer of ours. He was gracious enough to let me do a post about it. The bike came in because it was missing the rear anchor bolt on the Campagnolo Monoplanar brake. My initial solution was to put a metric nut and bolt with washers through it to get the required length and tightening ability. Curtis's solution was much better. He modified a Huret Alvit pinch bolt to fit and ground wrench flats on the bolt. He then lightly polished it with emery cloth and the result is quite remarkable. The styling matches the brake pretty well and the finish does too. Check out the photos of the repair below (photos 11 and 12). We then were discussing the paint and how the coral, or salmon color has come and gone over the years. I think of it as usually being associated with British bikes. Then in the mid 80's , it made a come back.
     What I also like about the bike is how a lot of the components are pantographed with the Lotus logo. Also, the fact that they are all still with the bike and in great shape! I usually also associate the Cinelli designed bikes with the Centurion brand. I always wanted one of those. I know Centurion and Lotus were in the same boat, so this model makes sense. These were only made for a year or two, in 1986-1987. There were a couple different quality levels. The Triomphe model was billed as high quality at an affordable price. The every man's race bike. I like that idea. Here is a link to the catalog spec's for this bike. Lotus Triomphe model spec's here!