Today's Retro Lesson: The "Open C"

From time to time, you'll see a reference to an older Campagnolo part with the "Open C." That designation refers to parts generally produced in the very early 1970s and before, and it reflects the "open" appearance of the "C" in "Campagnolo."  The photos below show a shift lever from the Campy Only collection which features the Open C.  These levers also include "Vicenza" and "Italy."  Later versions dropped the "Vicenza." Generally, parts with either of these characteristics are more rare and collectible and therefore more valuable.

Updated: The Rossin Girls

A sharp-eyed reader sent us this higher-res photo of the Rossin girl and her friends, from the Classic Rendezvous web site (WARNING: NSFW):


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Couriers Use Ergo Levers?

Who knew?

Cool Shirt For Sale

Own a bit of Campy Only and CampyOnlyGuy history.  Now appearing on eBay!

Velo Cult Shout-Out

Some fine Campy retro gear in the photos on today's edition of the Velo Cult Blog. Check it out--here's a sample:


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Campagnolo's First Electronic WorldTour Victory

You still can't buy it, but racers are winning with it:

Campagnolo 11-speed electric notches first WorldTour win

Still Braking After All These Years

These brakes, currently on our Benotto, were on the first Campy-equipped bike we ever owned, a Cannondale purchased new in 1984. They still look and work great, and offer lots of clearance for wider, randonneuring-style tires (these are 700x25).



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Video from Yesterday's Campy-Equipped Ride

From a 140-mile ride along the California coast from San Francisco to Davenport and back.

Direct link to YouTube here.

The Ride 2011 Day One - a set on Flickr

Photos from yesterday's Campy-equipped ride: The Ride 2011 Day One - a set on Flickr

The CampyOnlyGuy's retro Benotto

Retro Campy Girls

Today's Campy girls come to us from 1978 and the Scottish Milk Race. Enjoy. More info here.


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Latest Video: Watch for the Campy Equipment!

Shot this yesterday while riding our Campy-equipped Benotto.  Watch for the Campy equipment to appear!

Today's Video

Still playing around with iMovie and our new video camera:

More of those Campy-Equipped Lotto Ladies

Yes, they ride Campy-equipped bikes.

Stuff We're Using: Electra Ticino Bottle Cage

We just put a pair of Electra's new stainless steel "Ticino" cage on our retro Benotto.  They're a nice choice, with a classic look that goes well with our retro bike.  Detailed photos and some thoughts here.

Electra calls these cages an homage to the "Classic Golden Era Touring Bike Cages of the 1940s-1950s" (wow, classic ... golden era ... 1940-1950s ... they just about ran out of adjectives), but they're also also eerily reminiscent of Nitto's own (modern) "R" model cage.  Below, Electra's cage on the left, Nitto on the right:
The Ticino cage is nicely made and looks quite nice on our bike.  Electra warns against using it for bottles larger than 21 oz, so we'll see how it lasts in use.  Check back for more as our test continues.

(Note: We paid full retail price--$19.99 each--for our cages at Electra's web site: https://www.electrabike.com/store/ )

More Lotto-Honda Girls (... and their Campy-Equipped Bikes)

More photos of the Lotto-Honda girls. Yes, they ride Campagnolo-equipped bikes.


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Custom Bikes ... And Campagnolo

Nice video about custom frames, accompanied of course by plenty of Campy parts: Click here


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Brakes Sold!

Our eBay sale ended today, and the brakes are on their way to a new owner.

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Classic Brakes for Sale

We're selling a very nice pair of classic Record brakes over on eBay.  Auction starts at $25, or there's a very reasonable $100 Buy It Now price.  Check out the listing here.

Today's Campagnolo Girl

Actually, four Campagnolo-equipped girls, from Team Lotto-Honda ...  Are those cleated pumps they're wearing?

CampyOnly Video: Campy-Equipped End of the Year Ride

Filmed aboard our Campy-equipped retro Benotto. Enjoy.


Click here to see the video.

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