Sorry for my lack of posts over the past month or so. The ground floor of the shop has been quite busy and I have been working as a mechanic down there fixing bikes. Today is a relatively quiet day, so I am able to do some posting. Offered for sale today is a really clean Benotto model 3000 I believe. Not sure if it is a Mexican made bike, or an Italian made one. There is a decal on the seat tube stating Venezuela, but there is also one stating Italian fabrication. If anyone can enlighten me, I am all ears. I know later production was moved to Mexico, but I am not sure when that happened and the internet has not yielded any definitive answers. The frame is very nice construction.
It is built with Columbus tubing, no designaton of SL or SLX, and the steerer does not appear to be rifled on the inside. The rear drop out is drilled for Campagnolo's Portacatena system, which dates it to the early 1980's, as that system was only available for a very short time. It also has rear brake housing guides / braze-ons and water bottle bosses, which also confirms early 80's production to me. Campagnolo drop outs and fork tips are utilized. The serial number stamped on the BB shell is 2482 B358. There is also a heart cut out on the underside of the shell. It also has the diamond chain stays. The chrome is pristine all around and all the decals are intact, except for the Columbus decal on the top tube, which is a bit cracked. The original champagne color paint also is intact, with virtually no scratches. The bike looks great in the sun! The measure ments are as follows:
- 57CM seat tube CTC
- 56CM top tube CTC
- 32 1/2" stand over height (with air in the tires)
The bike is built with a full campagnolo Super Record group set. The rear derailleur is dated 1984. The cranks are 172.5mm long and dated 1988. Rear spacing is 126mm and the bike has a 7 speed freewheel (Regina CX). Clamp-on front NR derailleur. The pedals are Super Legerra ( steel spindle), NOT Titanium with black alloy cages and clean dustcaps. Alloy medium Campagnolo toe clips and shoe guides. Black Christophe toe straps. There is also a black turbo saddle in great shape. The bikes takes a 27.2 size seat post. There is also a really nice Cinelli 1R stem (100mm) that is Benotto pantographed and the lettering is painted light blue to match the light blue Benotto tape. The bars are Cinelli giro D'italia (mod. 64) and 40CM wide. The rims are the rare NISI mixer model. They are very narrow and somewhat aero profile. The tires are 700 X 20. The rims are dark anodized. From what I understand, flats are very difficult to fix with these rims as tires fit very tightly, and with super narrow tires, pinch flats are common. The Mixer rim is the clincher version of NISI's Lazer rim, which is an even rarer tubular rim, mostly used for track racing. The bike has had an easy life and is essentially ready to ride . I would recommend getting it tuned up first though, just to be safe. Bike is sold as-is. Check out the photos and contact me with any questions at:
bikeville@gmail.com
Cost is $900.00
Thanks!
SOLD!
