It’s a well-told story, that of the Campagnolo 50th Anniversary groupset. Released in 1983, around 10,000 sets exist, spanning the different thread types (Italian, BSA, French) of the time, with many permutations of spoke count for hubs, crank length, seat pillar diameter, front derailleur type and toe-clip size.
Campagnolo retains #0001 in its museum, Pope John Paul II was presented with #0002, and collectors highly prize the groups of lower-numbered stamping. That stamping can be found on the inside of the crank arms.
To source one that is NOS (New Old Stock) in the necessary specifications to suit the frame desired is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. That was where the story began for this project.
Adelaide local, Ben Auld, had an old Colnago Super frame (which he’d been riding as a fixie of all things) that he wanted to combine the groupset with, and got in contact with FYXO for the project.
Since landing, the frame has undergone a full cosmetic renovation. First we gave it a fresh chrome base, then artwork I developed, themed around the groupset and the 50th anniversary decal, was executed by SunGraphics.
The Cinelli stem is of Drillium Revival fame, which I’d used in the past for a Richard Sachs Track bike project. The level of detail and execution is superb and ties in perfectly with the paint scheme.
Now complete, the Super is packed and shipped to its new home in Adelaide, ready for its first ride in the hills. It truly is a ridable piece of art and cycling history rolled into one.
