The frame was being shipped from Sicily (where we’d been on a cycling holiday only a month or so previously – if I’d started this search back then, I could have packed the frame in my luggage!!)
The Seller sent me the tracking number and I could see a lot of initial activity that day as it moved around the different post depots in Palermo before it was transported for processing at the International centre in Milan.
Then no updates at all for days- what was happening???
This was particularly concerning as the postcards we’d sent from the holiday in Sicily still haven’t arrived several months later…
However, 4 days later I finally received an update that the frame had left Italy and had arrived in Germany that evening.
I left for work the following morning, happily thinking that the frame could possibly be with me by the weekend only for my wife to text me in the afternoon to tell me that a parcel had been left with our neighbours – less than 15 minutes after I’d left!!
With typical German efficiency, the parcel had been processed, shipped onward & out for delivery in less than half a day – the frame had arrived!!
It also explained why the seller had been messaging me in the morning asking what I thought, as he could see it had been delivered, but the parcel tracking site was still showing me it was in Germany!
As you can probably imagine, the rest of the afternoon seemed to take an eternity and I was out of the office like a shot at the end of the day.
Arriving home I immediately started to dissect the packaging, slowly & carefully slicing through the 200 rolls of brown tape that had been wrapped around it, taking care to not get anywhere near the frame.
Finally, I had it unpacked –
It’s Columbus SL tubing, so frame & fork coming in at just under 2.6kg, nice & light for a steel frame.
Was also supplied with a very nice Campagnolo Super Record Headset and a Campagnolo Nuovo Record Bottom Bracket – and here comes the one piece of disappointment.
I’d initially been even happier to see that the BB spindle was actually a triple. As those who know me can attest, going up-hill is not my speciality (downhill however …) therefore a traditional vintage 42 tooth inner chainring is never going to work for me given I want to use the finished bike, so I am seriously considering a triple if I can find something appropriate (although, technically that is breaking Rule #47).
I quickly absconded to the man-cave and did a very quick assembly with some available spares – it looked fantastic even with the bog-standard spares kicking around the cave, but deliberately NO PHOTOS, let’s not spoil the finished article when it comes along or stoke up undue anticipation, this build will not be finished any time soon!!
My intention had been to take some quick measurements so I could work out sizing for some of the other parts I’d need to get the bike set the way I’d like, only when I tried to fit the Bottom Bracket, it didn’t fit – one quick check later and it seems my Italian seller has sent me a French threaded bottom bracket for an Italian frame !?!?!?!?!
🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Will get it sorted, but an annoyance on an otherwise happy day (come on, a Grumpy Old MAMIL has to have something to grump about!!)