Basso Loto

My Basso Loto was one of the final steel versions. It seemed to have a perfect ride. However, since I took it apart to refinish it I got the Lemond and between the ride of the Colnago CLX 3.0 and the ride of the Lemond Zurich made out of Reynolds 853 I will have to test it again. In any case it will be my spare rider.

Presently I have the frame and fork in the powder coaters and expect them to get around to it around the end of next week. I was not enthused about the original colors of the Loto - Yellow and Blue with a red highlight. So I'm having it a solid "transparent blue" which they had a sample of when I was there. A hot rodder was having his rims coated. I had been planning on Candy Apple Blue but they had a hot rodder's transmission there finished in that color and the "Transparent Blue" looked a little cleaner.

These guys have gone from finishing store shelves and the like to coating entire cars for hot rodders in the Trump economy. They had a pickup truck there they were about to put in the oven while I was there. It would cook to a metallic yellow.

After I pick the frame and fork up I will have to get a set of Basso Loto decals, then coat the entire frame with clear. I learned from the last try on the Pinarello and will use many very light coats instead of a few heavy. And then have the bottom bracket threads cleaned and the Campy headset that was in it re-installed.

I just finished building a tubeless wheel up. The deep carbon wheels are remarkably difficult to build. Off and on it took me three days to get that thing properly centered and true when I could build an aluminum wheel in a couple of hours easy.