{"id":24333,"date":"2026-06-13T19:30:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T19:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybikething.com\/home\/?post_type=product&#038;p=24333"},"modified":"2026-06-13T22:23:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T22:23:20","slug":"olmo-special-steel-frame-fork-61cm-large-chrome-lugs-1960s-italy-racing","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/mybikething.com\/home\/product\/olmo-special-steel-frame-fork-61cm-large-chrome-lugs-1960s-italy-racing\/","title":{"rendered":"Olmo Special Steel Frame &#038; Fork | 61cm Large  | Chrome Lugs | 1960s Italy Racing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; margin-right: 8px;\">\u2b50<\/span><strong>Condition<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Original gray paint is intact and solid overall. Red base coat shows through in several spots, most visibly along the top tube \u2014 honest wear from six decades, not damage. The &#8220;Olmo Special&#8221; lettering on the downtube is hand-painted, not a decal, with white block letters and red outline \u2014 whether factory or shop-applied, it&#8217;s period and it&#8217;s staying. The seat tube decal is worn and no longer legible; I&#8217;ve left it as-is for the buyer to decide. Italian racing stripe chrome-to-paint transitions are present but worn. <strong>All threads are excellent \u2014 no rust, no re-tapping.<\/strong> Every interface on this frame was measured and documented. The machine was well-preserved in grease; I cleaned it for sale.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; margin-right: 8px;\">\ud83d\udccf<\/span><strong>Will this fit me?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Frame Size: 61cm seat tube \u2014 Large &#8211; Large frame with a vintage Italian fit \u2014 shorter top tube relative to seat tube means a more upright riding position than modern geometry of the same size.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Top Tube: 58cm (center-to-center)<\/li>\n<li>Seat Tube: 61cm (top-to-center)<\/li>\n<li>Down Tube: 64cm (center-to-center)<\/li>\n<li>Chainstays: 45-46cm (center-to-center)<\/li>\n<li>Rear spacing: 120mm<\/li>\n<li>Wheel clearance: 700c<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; margin-right: 8px;\">\ud83d\udce6<\/span><strong>What&#8217;s Included<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Original steel fork \u2014 same gray paint, chrome crown<\/li>\n<li>Chrome seat clamp<\/li>\n<li>Removable rear derailleur hanger (original Olmo dropout)<\/li>\n<li>Front and rear brake cable stops with quick-release levers<\/li>\n<li>Rear chainstay derailleur cable guide with original spring housing and barrel adjuster<\/li>\n<li>seatpost and clamp \u2014 original to bike<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Note: No water bottle cage mounts. No BB cable guide \u2014 sold separately in our store (it&#8217;s cool enough to deserve its own listing).<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f8f8f8; border: 2px solid #ddd; padding: 15px; margin: 10px 0; border-radius: 5px;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; margin-right: 8px;\">\ud83c\udfc6<\/span><strong>The Story Behind the Frame<\/strong><strong>Olmo Special \u2014 Serial #R224 \u2014 Gray with Hand-Lettered Downtube<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Sixty Years of Italian Steel, Sold Through a SoCal Legend&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The &#8220;Cambio Campagnolo&#8221; sticker on the downtube tells you exactly what this frame was built around \u2014 and the Gran Sport group it carried is available separately in our store for a limited time. The Bud&#8217;s Bike Shop decal on the head tube places this frame in Claremont, California, at one of the great pro shops of the American cycling scene, established 1950. Serial R224 and the alphanumeric format date it pre-1970; the Gran Sport components it was built with point to the early 1960s. The Olympic rings head badge reads &#8220;Olmo Marca Celle L&#8221; \u2014 Celle Ligure, the Ligurian coastal town where Giuseppe Olmo built frames that won races.<\/li>\n<li>When I bought the frame, I dreaded the teardown &#8211; steel means rust and frozen stems and seatposts &#8211; but no, I was blown away, the bike came apart like eggs off a well oiled cast iron pan. Each part meticulously assembled, greased and well preserved. No rust anywhere. The boys at Bud&#8217;s Bike Shop did one helluva job 60 years ago!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; margin-right: 8px;\">\ud83d\udeb4<\/span><strong>The Ride<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lugged Italian steel from the era before frame-building became industrial. The chrome lug work on this Olmo \u2014 open-crown fork, slotted dropouts, ornate BB shell \u2014 is the kind of detail that takes hours to properly execute and nobody does anymore. At 5.4 lbs for the frame and 1.75 lbs for the fork, it&#8217;s not light by modern standards; but it was racing perfection by the standards of the riders who once raced on it.\u00a0 Experience the ride from cycling&#8217;s toughest generation. Take a journey through both time and the roads. I envy you already.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; margin-right: 8px;\">\ud83d\udd27<\/span><strong>Workshop Wisdom<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Every thread on this frame has been measured and confirmed. Italian threading throughout: 70mm BB shell (36&#215;24 Italian), 27.0mm crown race (confirmed by caliper \u2014 Italian standard, not English 26.4). The front and rear pannier\/fender mounts are period brazed-on \u2014 this frame was spec&#8217;d to go places. The removable RD hanger is a thoughtful dropout design well ahead of its time.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float: left; margin-right: 8px; object-fit: cover; object-position: top;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mybikething.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/vlcsnap-2023-09-08-12h35m00s083.png?resize=40%2C40&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" \/><strong>Before You Buy &#8211; A Note from Paul<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Every frame I sell has been personally inspected and honestly described, but I want you to be 100% confident in your decision. Please take a moment to watch the detailed video included with this listing. Due to the personal nature of frame fit and the cost of shipping, I cannot accept returns. That&#8217;s why I encourage you to reach out to me directly with any questions, whether they&#8217;re about dimensions, condition, or build suggestions. I&#8217;m Paul \u2014 not a chatbot, not a sales team, just a fellow cyclist who wants to make sure this frame finds the right home. Let&#8217;s talk about this frame and make sure it&#8217;s perfect for you before you buy.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; margin-right: 8px;\">\ud83d\udd27<\/span><strong>What do I need to build this frame?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Headset: 1&#8243; threaded Italian \u2014 27.0mm crown race (confirmed), 30.2mm cups<\/li>\n<li>Bottom Bracket: Italian thread, 70mm shell, 36&#215;24<\/li>\n<li>Seatpost: 26.6mm (original included)<\/li>\n<li>Front Derailleur: 28.6mm clamp<\/li>\n<li>F\/R derailleur cable guide under the BB &#8211; there are no threads, you&#8217;ll need a clamp-on. I have the OEM chrome Campy available to purchase separately.<\/li>\n<li>L\/R clamp-on downtube cable stops &#8211; downtube diameter is 28.75mm<\/li>\n<li>Brakes: Centerpull \u2014 original cable stops included<\/li>\n<li>Stem: 1&#8243; quill, Italian 22.0mm or 22.2mm (measure your fork steerer)<\/li>\n<li>Rear spacing: 120mm \u2014 fits 5-speed era hubs but can expand to 130mm with a little pull.<\/li>\n<li>Wheel clearance: 700c<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; margin-right: 8px;\">\ud83d\udccb<\/span><strong>Other Frame Details<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Material: Steel, lugged construction<\/li>\n<li>Weight: Frame 5.4 lbs, Fork 1.75 lbs<\/li>\n<li>Chrome lugs throughout \u2014 open-crown fork, ornate BB shell<\/li>\n<li>Original gray paint with Italian racing stripe chrome transitions<\/li>\n<li>Front and rear pannier\/fender mounts brazed on<\/li>\n<li>Removable rear derailleur hanger \u2014 original Olmo forged dropout<\/li>\n<li>Olympic rings &#8220;Olmo Marca Celle L&#8221; head badge, well-preserved<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Cambio Campagnolo&#8221; sticker on downtube \u2014 original to bike<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Is This Your Bike Thing?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A lugged Italian racing frame with documented California provenance, every thread measured, and the original Campagnolo group available to go with it \u2014 this one doesn&#8217;t come around twice. Message me before you buy; let&#8217;s make sure it&#8217;s right for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bOvx79OcjXY?si=bItB0U2CGYYWPhgk\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":24334,"template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[55,894],"product_tag":[6615,6608,6610,61,6612,6525,6611,5422,6609,6613,6090,791,4623,5270,898,6607,6605,6604,60,161,6616,6606,6614],"product_folder":[911],"class_list":["post-24333","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-a-bike-frames-forks","product_cat-road-frames","product_tag-120mm-spacing","product_tag-1960s-italian-road-bike","product_tag-61cm-frame","product_tag-700c","product_tag-buds-bike-shop","product_tag-campagnolo-gran-sport","product_tag-celle-ligure","product_tag-centerpull","product_tag-chrome-lugs","product_tag-claremont-california","product_tag-eroica","product_tag-frame","product_tag-italian-threading","product_tag-leroica","product_tag-large-frame","product_tag-lugged-steel-frame","product_tag-olmo-frame","product_tag-olmo-special","product_tag-road-bike-frames","product_tag-steel","product_tag-steel-fork","product_tag-vintage-italian-frame","product_tag-vintage-road-frame","product_shipping_class-bike-frames","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybikething.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/24333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybikething.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybikething.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybikething.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybikething.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybikething.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=24333"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybikething.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=24333"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybikething.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=24333"},{"taxonomy":"product_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybikething.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_folder?post=24333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}