I had been watching a Medici on the local Craigslist and when the seller lowered the price I decided to meet up with him to look it over. It seemed to be in good shape with some pretty nice components and very little wear. The tires were crumbling so I could not ride it to test it out , but I had read a bit about these bikes and knew they were nice bikes.
This one , I believe , is a 1982 model Pro Strada. It is a beautiful tangerine orange with gold pearl topped with nicely applied clear coat. It sports Mavic wheels and cartridge hubs laced with Wheelsmith bladed stainless steel spokes. The derailleurs are Campagnolo Nuovo Record as is the headset , bottom bracket , crankset , and seat post.
I decided to run Bontrager Race Lite tires that I already had in my stash they are 25cm wide 700c that are nearly new . I removed the modern clipless Look pedals and went with some Campagnolo Superleggeri pedals, again from my stash(titanium spindle).The brakes that this bike came with are Gran Comp with Modolo pads that stop very well.
Before riding the bike , I took it apart to clean and grease the bearings. A bike with rotted tires is a good indication of a long history of non use. The bottom bracket greased had solidified to almost clay , the headset seemed ok. The crankset was dirty but not too badly worn.
The date stamps were not a match with one being 1982 and the other 1983. Both the drive and non drive arms were very nice after a light cleaning. I was going to replace the seat post binding bolt with a Campy one that matched the seat post , but when I removed what I thought was a generic bolt , I discovered very small engraving that told me it should stay on the bike. It was engraved “Medici” and opposite it said “Techart”. It was hard to photograph because it was such a small detail.
I am glad I noticed that it was original to the frame. I could have easily overlooked that detail.
I have ridden the bike about 20 miles or so and still doing some minor adjustments before doing a long ride. So far the light weight and race geometry is very comfortable and the smooth bearings glide along very well. These were pretty expensive bikes in their time and a lot of them were ordered with various components that differed from frame to frame. The company was a splinter group from the Masi Bikes that were made down near San Diego California. In the late seventies and until the nineties , the Italians had realized the growing American market for high end racing bikes. Masi was experiencing some infighting so one of the Italians , the frame welder , and the painter moved to Los Angeles and built these. Medici closed sometime in the nineties and the painter started Cycleart in SanDiego which recently closed. The paintwork on mine is still very nice and the color is beautiful in sunlight with the gold pearl. Aside from a few small chips and a couple of scratches it is in-amazingly good shape and ready for many more years and miles.
After enjoying the rest we had our celebratory kiss and headed back to the ranch where a cold bottle of sparkling cider was waiting.
By the time we got back to the ranch the temperature had risen significantly and we were so ready for refreshment. Coincidentally, there was a wedding party at the ranch and there was quite a few people enjoying the great weather by the pool. The Circle B Ranch also has cabins and a bar . We have never stayed there but it seems as though it would be a relaxing retreat for maybe a winter getaway. It was a very special day and one of our best anniversaries ever!! We highly recomend this spot , they are open year round but probably not in rainy weather! The canyons become a wash ,we were told.
After I put the replacement derailleur , I didn’t really ride the bike much other than a test ride here and there . It seemed OK , but I really never took it on an extended ride to really see any difference in performance. My Sunday ride is usually around 30 miles or so , depending how I feel. I finally got the urge to ride the Raleigh , so I pumped the tires to the correct presure and headed out . I immediately felt that quick shift change that the Nuovo Record gives you. Not that the Gran Sport was slow, but , there was deffinitely a major difference in changing from gear to gear. After about 10-12 miles I was hooked!
At the end of this beautiful morning ride up this canyon is a nice sunny area perfect for my drink stop. I hung my bike on a chain link fence and grabbed my water bottle off the handlebar holder that secured it until needed. As I sipped my water laced with mineral and electrolyte supplements, I notice in a tree a group of vultures warming up with the morning sun. 
I was alone and being quiet so they seemed undisturbed by my presence. After a nice drink and brief rest I retrieved my bike from the fence for my downhill trip out to Foothill Rd.
The ride out was quite a bit faster than the slow uphill pace going in , so I was glad that I took the time to enjoy the sights on the uphill portion of my ride. I sped along noticing quite a few fellow bikers heading in. I guess I beat the crowd! I headed west on Foothill and the fog bank that was so thick was receding towards the coast I took Olive Rd. Towards Telegraph Rd. to make the loop back to Santa Paula. The entire ride was just under 25 miles and only took less than two hours but the memory of this impromptu detour will be long lasting.
grateful for such an opportunity !
It would be a real shame to use them as these are time capsules . So until I find someone with the bike that these belong on , I will use them for display only on which ever bike I am not riding at the time. I have two other bikes with the same hubs and are laced up to clincher tires that are easily repaired and replaced when needed.
