Your Campy Only webmaster finally listened to the many friends who had suggested that our 1980s Super Record/Nuovo Record gruppo belonged not on a Cannondale, but on an Italian frame.  We tracked down an excellent Bianchi and made the switch . . . with the resulting bike shown below.

Ouch!

The Campy Only Retro Bike's left side crankarm gave up the ghost on a nighttime ride on May 31, 2001.  Your C-O webmaster ended up flying over the front of the bike, shattering a helmet and getting a bit of road rash.  A word to the wise:  old Campy parts can break!  Our crankarm showed no signs of damage or fatigue whatsoever, right up until it failed, but it's a good idea to keep an eye on critical parts like these on your own bike.  (For an example of what to look for, check out this photo of a stress crack on the right-side crankarm . . . this has of course been taken out of service!  Click on the image to see the cracks in the thin "web" area of the crankarm spider . . .)

Added 5-9-01: Self-portraits of your Campy Only webmaster aboard
the official Retro Bike!

Added 5-10-01: Better photos of the Retro Bike's components

Photos above (clockwise from upper left):  1) Our Bianchi is built up with mostly Super Record equipment--exceptions are the front derailleur, bottom bracket, and brake levers.  2) The front end, showing the brakes, lovingly referred to by retro fans as "speed attenuators" for their ability to slow, but not always stop, the bike. Also in view, the classic Cinelli stem, very retro and non-aero. Brake cables, of course, hang out in the wind, providing not just wind resistance but also a great place to clip route sheets or hang wash out to dry.  3)  The back end.  4)  The drivetrain, which includes a 53 big ring and a Super Record derailleur (thanks to Daryn Dodge of Davis, CA, for providing the SR derailleur).  The frame was built in '97, the last year that Bianchi produced a fully lugged frame; it proudly bears the World Champion colors and a "Made in Italy" decal on the down tube.
Photos below (top row, l-r): A new shot of the drivetrain; the downtube sports a classic decal, which reads "Cambio Campagnolo"; the rear hub and the "curved" quick-release lever; the rear brake, which has the "block" lettering style (later Record brakes had "Campagnolo" in script)  (bottom row, l-r): The front brake; Super Record brake levers had holes and were more expensive but no lighter than Nuovo Record levers without the holes; front derailleur (braze-on model); Super Record seatpost.
Some specs:     Frame: Bianchi; Dedacciai "Superset II" tubing, fully luggeg Crankset: Super Record w/ engraved logo, 53/42 rings Bottom Bracket: Nuovo Record Brakes: Record calipers, Super Record levers (added since these photos were taken) Hubs: Record  Rims: Mavic G40 front (original wheel built in 1983 by master mechanic Steve Aldridge-- Hey, Steve, it still works great!)  mavic MA4 rear (third rim on the rear so far) Derailleurs: Front/Nuovo Record, Rear/Super Record Seatpost: Super Record  Seat: Sella Italia Max Flite (not correct for the period, but it's what my rear end is used to riding on) Bars/Stem: Cinelli 1A stem and Campione Del Mondo bars (the widest and deepest they make)/Cinelli cork tape Computer: Avocet 50 (next to the ErgoBrain, the best computer ever made, IMHO)

Riding the Beast

So, is it fun to ride?  You bet.  We liken it to driving a classic car.  There's not a spec of carbon fiber on here, although the SR rear derailleur does have titanium pivot bolts (in fact, it is slightly lighter than the 2001 Record Carbon rear derailleur, which makes extensive use of both materials!).  But even some 16 years after they were made, and with tens of thousands of miles on them, the parts work great.  Shifting is not precise, but more fun--for shifts to larger cogs, it's back to the overshift-then-shift-back technique we all used to know so well until index shifting came along.  

Braking, as noted above, is way below par compared to a modern bike--on a fast descent, the bike will eventually stop, but you need to start slowing down much faster than you would on a modern bike.  (Note: One reader suggested an adjustment to the brakes' return springs which he said would dramatically improve braking performance.  More on that later.)

One other adjustment we had to make--keeping our ankles away from the crankarms!  Modern Campy cranksets are all "low profile," which means there's more room between your ankles and the crankset as they pass each other.  We've got a few bumps on our ankles riding this bike . . .

• From webmaster@campyonly.com--This is the first time I have written and wanted to comment on your "retro" project. Yup, this brought tears to my eyes. I started my Campy addiction in the early 70s as a young teenager. My cycling buddy Rick (still after 25 years), a long time ago lured me away from wobbly bikes with stamped steel parts. I remember the day when he unpacked his 73 metallic green Raleigh International, equipped with the silky smooth Campy drivetrain (sans brakes). It took us a day to carefully assemble this machine. The first ride, Rick crashed - we didn't glue to silks to the rim! Needless to say, that bike started an odyssey for both of us that continues to this day. My first all Campy bike was a blue/gray 74 Raleigh Pro. It cost the then outrageous sum of $575.00. That bike was like heaven. It was with me all through college and never left my sight. I cherished that bike and cried the day it was stolen six years later. Compared to anything I had previously owned, there was no comparison. 
  
  Between Rick and I, we have continued our Campy obsession over the last two decades. Rick, who got me hooked in the first place, owns no less than 20 Campy only machines, ranging from very a rare early 60's Cinelli, to a curly-stay 70's Hetchings and a myriad of production and custom bikes. He has an absolute fortune tied up in his hobby. All his bikes are completely authentic to the era - down to the bar tape, tires, etc. My obsession is decidedly less ambitious, but no less loved. I have a late 70's Cinelli with SR, totally pristine. Every component is accurate. I have a early 80's custom Gilmore (mfg Tucson) gorgeously equipped with a 50th anniversary groupo. My current ride is a mid-90's Gilmore with a 9-speed Record.
  
  Having been a Campy devotee for nearly thirty years, I can honestly say that Campy rides, no matter the era, have special magic. There is something special about the earlier Record and Super Record group equipped bikes - especially if they are setup with a lugged steel frame of the era. Yup, riding these machines takes more finesse, however the feel, the ride is no less thrilling than today's bikes. When you jump out of the saddle for a sprint, deftly reaching down to shift - you immediately feel as Hinault or Mercx must have - surging ahead of the pack to blast across the finish line.
  
  Here's an idea for your site. How about having a Campy retro section, where other devotees can post photos of their cherished rides, and become a forum for technical advise, parts locations, etc. Just an idea. I think some of the young riders who only know carbon fiber framesets and index shifting are in for a treat if they discover some of the classics. Its an excellent hobby that costs a hell of lot less than collecting cars - but no less enjoyable.
    

• From webmaster@campyonly.com--"Your bike is the 2ND most retro--- I have a p-15 full Campi Paramount from about 76 or so, all record with the triple front and the two pound rear derailleur. Also a 50th Anniversary from 1988 that I built up the same way!"
    

• From webmaster@campyonly.com--"I don't have scans of my bike buy have some comments regarding retro bikes. In 1980 I got a Colnago Super that I had to wait seemingly forever because Colnago was busy making bikes for the Olympics and Russians in particular. I finally got it: built it up with Campy Nuovo Record and rode it up until about two years ago. I always just thought of it as "my bike" and never considered it retro until I noticed more and more other riders admiring it and commenting on what a great bike it was. I now ride a Serotta CSI with Campy Record which I really like particulary the extra gears, indexed shifting and stiffer frame. Now that I look back I don't regret passing up such periods in bicycle history such as the everything aero era."