1994 Medici Pro-Strada OSSO
Part Diary, Part Technical Manual, Part Tips & Tricks

I've always had a strange attraction to Medici bicycles. The first Pro-Strada that I bought and sold in 2008 was too pristine. The second Pro-Strada that I bought and sold in 2010 was too rough. Then in March of 2011, I bought a vintage aero Medici water bottle. I figured that I would buy another Medici one of these days, then I could put this cool bottle on it. But as time passed, I looked for another Medici, but it was either the wrong size, the wrong price, or the wrong timing. I started to get puzzled why it was so hard to find a good Medici in California, where they are reasonably common. So I started broadening my search into Southern California, where they were originally made.

Late in March of 2013, I saw an ad for a Medici in Newport Beach. The ad only had one photo, but the size appeared to be right, the color was really nice, and it appeared to be in very good condition. Since it was pretty far away, I didn't do anything about it for a week. But then I sold my Pista Concept 2006, so I had both room in the garage and plenty of cash. So I emailed the owner to request more photos and we ended up having a very nice conversation on the phone. Turns out he was the original owner, purchased from Performance Bike in Irvine in 1994. The story goes that he went into Performance and saw a red Medici frameset on display, he liked the bike, but didn't like the color. So the sales person suggested that he simply order one in the size and color he wanted, since they were custom made nearby. So he ordered a frameset that showed up a few weeks later and had the bike built up with a Shimano 105SC groupset. After 19 years, he bought a new carbon fiber bike and decided to sell the Medici.

Originally I wanted to get another classic lugged Pro-Strada; the OSSO is a later model that is fillet brazed using Prestige oversized tubing with a unicrown fork. Even though I generally prefer standard sized tubing, purely for aesthetic reasons, these oversized tubes are pretty small compared to modern bikes, so it still has a nice traditional look. Besides, the blue/green fade was a nice and unique paint combination; the owner also took exceptional care of the bike, so it looked very clean. So on April 1, 2013 I agreed to buy the bike. I sent the money to my cousin in Dana Point to pick up the bike in Newport Beach. It might be a few weeks or months before I see the bike, hopefully my third Medici will be - just right.

4/12/2013 - My cousin came to the Bay Area and brought up the Medici. The bike looks nice. I swing one leg over the top tube, uh oh, its really big. I flip the bike around and look at the serial number stamped on the bottom bracket - it's a 60cm frame, not a 56cm. That was quite disappointing, I guess this isn't going to be my Goldilocks Medici afterall.

5/8/2013 - In less than a month of ownership, the bike is sold to a guy that is 6'-3" and it fits him perfectly.

Here are the specs:

Frame: 1994 Medici Pro-Strada OSSO,60cm, 130mm spacing. Fillet brazed Tange Prestige oversized butted steel tubing. Serial Number: 60 SCOC 04. Blue/green fade.
Fork: 1994 Medici, 1" threaded, unicrown. Blue.
Hubs: Shimano 105SC HB-1055 and FH-1055, 32h.
Rims: Mavic Open 4 CD, 32h, hard anodized.
Tires: Continental Ultra Gatorskin, wire bead, 700x23c.
Cassette: Shimano, 12-23T code "U" combination, Hyperglide.
Cranks: Shimano 105SC FC-1056, 53x39, 175mm, 130 BCD.
Bottom Bracket: Shimano 105SC BB-1055, 113mm spindle.
Front Derailer: Shimano 105SC FD-1056, braze-on.
Rear Derailer: Shimano 105SC RD-1056, 8sp.
Lever/Shifters: Shimano 105SC ST-1055 front. The rear shifter was replaced with a Shimano Sora ST-3304 shifter about 5 years ago.
Headset: Shimano 600 HP-6400.
Chain: Shimano HG.
Stem: ITM, 1" quill with 26.0mm clamp diameter, 80mm reach.
Handlebar: ITM Italia Super Training, 26.0mm, 41cm wide.
Brakes: Shimano 105SC BR-1055, dual pivot.
Pedals: Shimano PD-A520, silver.
Seatpost: American Classic Equipment, 27.2mm. From Kestrel 4000.
Saddle: Selle San Marcos Regal Girardi, leather with copper plated steel rails.

The bike originally weighed 23lbs 2oz. The bike currently weighs 22lbs 11oz as shown.

The following are the parts that I am currently not using:

Pedals: LOOK PP166, grey.
Seatpost: Kalloy aero, 27.2mm x 350mm. April 1994 date code.
Saddle: Specialized Body Geometry, black/red.