Thursday, June 04, 2015

Purchased: Vintage LeMond Frameset

So... I bought another frameset.  It is actually an early birthday present from my very understanding wife.  The frameset is a 1987 LeMond "Team LeMond Club" in yellow.  The white "Team LeMond Pro" versions were built by Della Santa, but this one and another white "Comp" model were built in Italy by Carnielli (basically Bottecchia, but that's another story).  I've been wanting a LeMond for just about as long as I can remember, and this one fit my current needs (wants) with size, price, and a touch of rareness.
Vintage Team LeMond Club Frameset
Photo from the eBay listing
The tubing is Columbus Tretubi Aelle, which means that the three main tubes are Aelle and the rest, including fork, is builder's choice.  No way to know what it is.  Aelle was pretty low (if not the lowest) on Columbus quality, but it's still Columbus tubing.

Overall it is in very good shape for how old it is.  The dropout screws were broken and bent, so Sean at Peninsula Bike Works has ordered new ones for me.  As I type, the frameset is in the hands of Hector at Winning Wheels in Pacific Grove.  He is re-spacing the dropouts from 126 to 130 and cleaning and chasing the threads of the bottom bracket and derailleur hanger.  My plan is to rebuild it with new Campagnolo Athena 11 silver components and modern but retro-styled wheels.  Pacenti recently released their SL23 rim in silver, so that's at the top of my list right now.  Other touches will include a silver Chris King headset, white perforated Selle San Marco Regal saddle, Arundel  stainless bottle cages and white Gecko tape, and probably white cable housing.

Vintage Team LeMond Club Frameset

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