FINDING THE CAMBIO RINO 2000

I was approaching the metal pile at the Dump, one Saturday afternoon, just as a fellow, about my age, was gently leaning, an old silver road bicycle, against a discarded clothes dryer.  Actually, at first I thought that he was taking the bicycle and I was annoyed with myself.  Had I not stopped, for an Tim Horton's Ice Cap, I would have gotten there first.  However, as it turned out, he was the original owner and he was throwing the bicycle away.  His careful handling suggested that he still saw value in the bicycle, even though the ravages of time, and in this case, use, had taken their toll.

The Cambio cosmetics were a mess, with paint cracked and peeling everywhere.  The bicycle had been left exposed to the weather, for a period of time, and the lack of careful storage certainly showed.  The bicycle was ugly, but fitted with absolutely beautiful pantographed components.  The cranks, seat post, derailleurs, steering stem, head set and bottom bracket were all original Cambio issue.  Though the pantographed grouppo was impressive, the parts did show signs of both use and abuse.  The teeth on both rings were worn, pedal dust caps were badly scuffed up and the, once gorgeous, rear derailleur had seen better days.  My guess is that this old racing bicycle was used for racing.  And racing will take its toll.

As I mentioned, the bicycle was being thrown away, just when I arrived at the Landfill Site, and I had a chance to talk, ever so briefly, to the original owner.  The fellow, throwing the Cambio away, said that he purchased the bicycle in the early eighties.  He really like the bicycle and rode frequently, for many years, as both a racer and, later on, as a training bicycle.  He did comment on the bicycle's flexible nature, indicating that he had beefed the bottom bracket housing up to increase stiffness.  The result was a faster bicycle, according to him.  It was quite obvious that this was one of those bicycles that was enjoyed for most of its life.  Funny, but I never did ask him why he was throwing the bicycle away.

At any rate, I was really impressed with my newest Dump find, and I was anxious to get the Cambio home, for a closer inspection, followed by a test ride.  In those days, I did not spend a great deal of time inspecting a bicycle, before taking it out for a test ride.  A test ride that helped me decide, almost immediately, to add the Cambio Rino 2000 to my stable of high end Canadian made vintage road bicycles.  A stable that, at that time, consisted of two bicycles, the other being my mid seventies Sekine SHT 270.

NEXT - BUILDING THE CAMBIO RINO 2000