Last spring I found this bike on eBay for under $400 complete.  It’s a Medici, a “spin-off” company of Masi, with ex-Masi builders Mike Howard and Gian Simonetti making the bikes.  I contacted Mike Howard and found that this particular bike was handmade in the 1980’s by him for a southern California triathlete who won several Ironman races with it.  It was sold through the Sandpiper bike shop in Seal Beach, California, and carried their logo along with the Medici logo.

Check out the build & picture gallery, after the jump…

When I acquired it, it had a crazy red and yellow splatter paint job and a mix of Mavic Zap & Shimano RSX parts.  Unfortunately, the Mavic Zap rear derailleur was broken.  Worse, the bike had not been stored properly and had rusted under the paint.   I stripped the parts off and sold them to recoup the cost, and then had the frame sand blasted.  The tubes were structurally sound, so I decided to build it up as a commuter bike to replace the Giant RS940.

The frame is built from Tange Prestige tubing and features internal “aero” routing for the brake and shifting cables.  You can see Mike Howard’s excellent craftsmanship in the lugs, which have cool diamond-shaped cut-outs, and in the way that the seat stays smoothly flow into the top tube. It has pursuit geometry and fast, twitchy handling.

The components on the frame are a weird mash-up that reflect my current fascination with vintage French parts.  I has a Huret Jubilee long-cage rear derailleur, for which I had to hand-make a special adapter in order to mount it on the Campagnolo derailleur hanger.  The Simplex retrofriction shifters are every bit as smooth as their reputation, and the combo worked great on the 7-speed cassette.

The crankset looks like a Stronglight 49D or TA 50.4, but it’s actually a British Viscount / Lambert copy (vintage bike nerds will no doubt have recognized this from the distinctive outer chain ring pattern).

If you can find one, these are a great alternative to the French versions, as they have “normal” English extractor and pedal threading.  The chain rings are also much thicker, avoiding the problems with flexing that the older Stronglights are known to have.  This style of crank set is notorious for being fickle with front derailleurs, but the Campagnolo NR one I chose works flawlessly.

The rest of the components are forgettable, intentionally cheap stuff to dissuade NYC bike thieves.  Yes, I know the stem-handlebar set up is a travesty, but it worked perfectly for urban commuting; the bike was designed for the rider to be in a low, aero position, but that’s no good for commuting in traffic!

I rode this bike for a few months in 2012, and I’d still be riding it except I got a new commuter.  I’ve stripped it and set the parts aside for a new randonneur bike project.  I’ve coated the frame in primer and will have it up for sale soon – I hope to pass it on to someone else who will give it a new paint job and a more appropriate build!

Check out the gallery below.