Campagnolo Record OR headset

The Campagnolo Record OR headset has the reputation as one of the best un-sealed bearing headsets ever manufactured. Part of this is due to the high level of workmanship that went into its' manufacture, without regard to cost.

The black rubber-like band that runs across the entire circumference of the headset, and covers the four grease injection holes drilled through each of the upper and lower cups to permit re-lubrication without disassembly, is a characteristic trait of the Record headsets.

The cups are made of aluminum alloy, while the fork and upper cup cone races are made from steel. The upper cup has four cuts on the top, made to produce grip edges for a headset wrench. Both cups are highly polished, precision cut, and use a steel race for the ball bearings.

Campagnolo Record OR hubset

Just picked up a set of beautiful 1992 Record OR hubs. These are the 32 hole versions, EXA-drive, skewers included.

The hubs use a one piece aluminum shell construction, with a combination of loose ball and sealed bearing construction. The spoke holes on the outer flange face of the front hub are drilled to countersink the spoke head, minimizing the stress on the head.

Original 1992 Giordana Team Fat Chance jersey

In excellent condition. Only flaw is the missing tag.

Campagnolo Record OR crankset

The Record OR crankset has arrived, and what a beauty she is - including chainrings, so I can keep the other set for later, and featuring the Campagnolo proprietary "microdrive"-standard, with 42, 30, 20 chainrings.

Campagnolo Record OR front derailleurs

The Campagnolo adjustable band front derailleurs come with a small pin that enables use on a variety of different seat tube sizes. On the one hand this allows for flexibility, as one derailleur can be made to fit many different bikes. On the other hand, this part is notoriously easy to lose, particularly a worry for vintage part buyers.

I've been lucky enough to source both a top- and a downpull derailleur version. The Fat Chance does not have the original characteristic front derailleur pulley that came with the frame. If I can source such a pulley I may in the end mount the bottom pull version on the Fat, if not I may go for the top pull one.

The top-pull derailleur is brand spanking new.

Notice the gap in the derailleur clamp and the separate pin.





























The bottom pull version I've managed to source already has the band installed. I'm not quite sure how this will play out, the band may be too narrow for this derailleur to be used with the Fat's 31.8mm seat tube. I'll have to see.





























Both derailleur sisters together. Beautiful!



























avhoppsgir

1992 Fat Chance / Fat City Cycles magazine ads

Campagnolo Record OR cantilever brakes

The Campagnolo Record OR cantilever brakes are the stuff legends are made of, a fantastic fit for the Fat Chance 10th Anniversary.

Each cantilever arm features a ball-brakepad mount, making adjustment and setting up the brakes a breeze. On the inside of the pad you can see a rubber protrudement, which is there to help adjust toe-in. A mirror-like polished finish provides a classic and impressive look that is worthy the top-of-the-line MTB grouppo of the Italian master component maker.

The particular ones I have acquired are most likely 1993 Record OR, as the 92 version had slightly different bolt interface.

Cinelli Grammo Titanium MTB stem, 1" quill, 120mm

Beautiful, classic, italian-made titanium stem...

The main bar is polygonally-shaped for greater structural strength and CNC machined from a solid block to give profiles of different thicknesses. The horizontal extension in grade 4 titanium, with a box structure and crossed axis for strength. To prevent oxidation and contamination of the material, the stem is welded in an inert-gas atmosphere in a pressurized chamber.

The serial tells us that the stem might have been made in 94. NOS of course.

Campagnolo Record OR chainrings 42, 32, 22

Still haven't been able to source a Record OR crankset, but at least I have a set of NOS chainrings :) Notice the proprietary, un-typical, cassette-esque fitting of the mid- and inner chainrings, interesting.

Campagnolo thumb-shifters

Now I have the choice between Bullet grip-shifters and thumbshifters, both NOS. Neither are Record OR-specific, rather they were used also on the other Campy ATB grouppos - Euclid, Centaur, Olympus - so for a Record OR build we are free to chose between these two.

If weight is a concern, the thumbshifters are the definite choice.

Concerning user-friendliness, the front thumbshifter is said to be hard to operate, while the Bullet shifters use the whole grip surface to shift, which can cause accidental shifts.

The MBA-build has thumbshifters, and I personally think thumbshifters make for a more era-specific and clean/non-bulky look, so I might go for that.

- MTBR review

Campagnolo Bullet twist-shifters

NOS. Thanks Ben.

Deciding on build group

What would be an ideal build for the Fat Chance 10th Anniversary?

M900 XTR you might think - perfect for a bike of this year and era. M900 is state of the art, no doubt about it, "the best functioning group", the first with rapidfire+, the "first" with 8 speeds (not really), a true representative of "1992" - the year it was launched, excellent and crisp shifting, Japanese quality through and through.



















The -95 Shimano M910 XTR group

But we've just seen too many such bikes with the M900 group. What frame or bike do you associate with it? For my part, the first bikes that come to mind are the 1992 Alpinestars Al-Mega XTR, the 93 blue and pink KHS Montana Team, and the 92-93 Klein Attitude horizon or linear fades. Not a Fat Chance 10th Anniversary. Perhaps the M900 is just too common, after all, there were really few real alternatives back then.

Find the soul of the frame, and it will tell you how it wants to be built.

The 10th Anniversary is a collectors item, the ultimate Fat Chance object of desirability for vintage MTB enthusiasts. For its time it was an extraordinarily light steel MTB frame. The frameset included the legendary Big 1" fork (BOI) in a painted-to-match finish. The frame has a classic design, it doesn't scream, yet it's not "just another steel frame". MBA says it would have made a great race bike, had it not been collectible. I concur.

So given all this, I'm thinking - this frame wants components that are classic, low-key, and rare, to emphasize the frame's image, rareness, and desirability. At the same time the components should not be flashy to the degree that they take too much attention away from what should be the focus - the frameset itself.













The -93 Campagnolo Record OR group (high resolution picture)

A complete Campagnolo Record OR group with subtle yet high-end components might do the trick. That's also how the bike MBA tested was built, and First Flight claims the 10th came stock with Record OR. With its high quality finish and legendary status - Campy discontinued not just the top-of-the-line Record OR group, but all their ATB groups in the mid 90s - this component group is just as collectible as the frame. Color combination; silver, perhaps some black. Materials; how about the subtle silvernessness :) of polished titanium. Aluminum, only if not bluntly over-sized. In this battle, I'd say European workmanship and handcraft wins over japanese mass-production and efficiency.

The Fat Chance 10th Anniversary frameset

MBA Fat Chance 10th Anniversary review July 1992

Mountainbike Action July 1992 issue