“Do not be in a hurry, the right [bicycle] will come at last.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Some of the best things in life arrive in boxes: bicycles, bicycle frames, bicycle parts, bicycle tubing, bicycle tools, bicycle accessories. Sometimes you can tell what is in the box by the size or the shape.
Delivery
A thing arrived today, packed in a flat, oblong box of great size. The postal worker carried it with one hand, although it was as large as he. Eschewing the sidewalk, he leisurely made his way across our sun-burnt field of clover and crab grass, carrying the thing without effort. What could it be? The box read, “Basso”. It was neither a classic nor a modern Basso, sadly. Nor was it from Italy at all. It was from Belgium, so I knew what it was and rejoiced.
It was too hot in the workshop, so I went for a bicycle ride, postponing the unboxing although I was filled with great anticipation. Upon my return, the garage had cooled as evening approached. It was time.
A Journey Through Time and Space
Three weeks after it was ordered from Steel Bikes Stevens, Belgium, thousands of miles and 47 years from where and when it was created, I held a 1979 Koga-Miyata MXA frameset in my hands. It had been carefully wrapped and padded with foam for its long journey, secured in a large cardboard box.
This thing from the flat, oblong box was carefully unwrapped and prepared for evaluation and inspection.
Evaluation
Superficially, the frame looked well-cared-for.
The paint was in worse shape than could be determined from the photos, but really not bad for 47 years old. Mostly, a lot of fine scratches in the clear-coat from its travels through life and across the world. I wasn’t planning on keeping the original paint, so none of this mattered.
Very little rust was apparent, except some areas where the paint was worn or chipped to bare metal, and likely areas where the paint had bubbled or crazed. The chrome seemed to be in excellent shape, but I would know more once the paint was stripped and the chrome taken to the polishing wheel.
There was a lot of paint peeling off the fork crown. The metalwork revealed suggested that the fork crown was not meant to be left unpainted. By my standards, it was not finished well enough to be chromed or left unpainted. Still, I might leave it bare for the shininess depending on how the rest of the crown looked (under the paint).
No dents or gouges from impacts or crashes that I could find. There was a small gouge in the non-drive side bottom bracket shell, probably from a wayward lockring tool.
Subtle, but visible, were dimples in the top tube under the front two brake cable guides. I would have to try to remove them once the paint was stripped.
I documented the geometry, as I am wont to do with every frame that passes through my hands.
| Part | Measurement (Specified*) |
|---|---|
| Head tube length | 122mm (e-e, unspecified) |
| Seat tube | 52.7cm (c-c, unspecified)/54.4cm (c-t, 54.0cm) |
| Top tube | 53.5cm (c-c, 53.5cm) |
| BB Drop | 71mm (70.6mm) |
| Head tube angle | 72.5° (72.5°) |
| Seat tube angle | 74.5° (74.5°) |
| Chain stay angle | 9.3° (unspecified) |
| Chain stay length | 40.0cm (40cm) |
| Fork offset | 52mm (40mm) |
| Crown race seat | 26.5mm ø (26.4mm) |
| Seat post size | 26.6mm ø (26.8mm) |
| * Value in parentheses is published value for 1978 Miyata Extra Record, when specified. | |
I tested 32mm tires in the fork – about 2mm clearance under the crown – no good. Checked with a back wheel in the frame – about 2mm clearance under the brake bridge – no good. Checking with brakes, there was no clearance under the brake arch at all! It looked like 28mm tires were the largest that would fit under the brakes. Sad, but not terrible. I wanted gumwall tires for this project, so I’d have to order new tires anyway.
The internal diameter of the seat tube was a little under-size (26.7mm), measured with calipers and verified with two different 26.8mm seatposts, so it would need some reaming. I had to use a 26.4mm seatpost with soda can shim to take photos of the frame in the repair stand. There were gouges inside the seat tube itself, still filled with over-spray from the original factory primer and paint. Apparently, the seat tube was not properly reamed and honed at the factory, nor afterwards. That was a little surprising, although simple to fix. Perhaps the previous owner used a 26.6mm seatpost? I’ll probably never know (and I don’t really care because I’ll correct it).
There would still be a bit of work involved to get the frame back to “new” condition…so, what’s the plan?
Postscript
Without any negative emotional consequence from not receiving a random Basso frame that I didn’t order, I nevertheless consoled myself with the food of my people: guacamole and chips. Plus, I now had a flat, oblong box labeled “Basso” of my very own. I was consoled.
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