FIRST BUILD OF THE MIELE LTD

The Miele has gone through two rebuilds, since I bought it.  The first rebuild was a fairly quick, though thorough, affair.  Its purpose was to get the bicycle on the road, in relatively short order.  I completely stripped the bicycle, replaced what needed replacing (fortunately I happened to have everything that I needed to do the job).  Parts replacement was followed with a complete tuning and adjusting of what needed it.  When finished, the Miele was an assortment of mismatched Campagnolo components.  But everything worked well, and I had my top of the line Miele on the road.

I was very impressed, with the way it felt, when I took Seventeen out for its first ride.  The bike worked just perfectly, right out of the gate, and I was totally satisfied with my purchase.  By now, the disappointment, experienced due to the poor packing and resulting shipping damage, was greatly diminished.

The mismatched Campy component grouppo that I used to first build up #17 had been tucked away in the Old Shed for a while.  The grouppo consisted of mostly newer Campy stuff.  Many of the components that were used to build up the Miele the first time are now mounted on a Team Issue Gardin frame set.  A bicycle that has yet to see the road with me riding it.  But that really is another story and one that even I don't know much about yet.

The Miele's brake levers were, all but, destroyed, during shipping from the original owner's place to mine.  Fortunately, I happened to have a spare set of levers set aside, for who knows what.  The spare set brake callipers, Campagnolo Mono Planers, were just fine and they remained on the bicycle, for the first riding season.  I also decided to stay with the matching callipers that came with the bicycle.

I really like these brakes.  They work, with just a wee bit of pressure on the levers, and they work very well.  I call them "light action" brakes, simply because they are so easy to pull.  But, the light actions ends when the callipers do their thing and results become the issue.  These brakes work really well, slowing the bicycle very effectively.  I look forward to using them again on the Gardin Team Issue.

The rear derailleur, that came with the Miel, had arrived, broken in half, when I got the bicycle.  I replaced it, with a similar Campy unit, that came as part of a Specialized Allez Pro purchase.  I did my best, to match the transmission components up, with what I had on hand, at the time.  The front derailleur, installed for the first rebuild, was the original one, that came with the bicycle.  Though I did not take pictures of the shifters, they were Nouvo or Super Record units, and had no place on this initial build.

I wanted to set the Miele up with an indexed shifting transmission.  With that in mind, I started to keep my eye open for an indexed shifter set on Ebay.  As luck would have it, seven sets were offered, in a single auction, for a "But It Now" price of $9.99 each.  For some stupid reason, I passed.  Eventually, I ended up paying thirty dollars, plus shipping, to the same seller, for a single set.  That set, once installed and tuned, worked flawlessly  I rode with that transmission set-up for the balance of the season, putting a ton of miles on the bicycle, as I commuted to and from work.  I also spent many happy miles riding North-western Ontario's beautiful, and scenic, secondary highways.  The Miele had, in all but an instant, become my favourite vintage road bicycle.

The crank and ring set that came with #17 were used for the first rebuild.  I am not certain what model the Campagnolo cranks are, however; a local bicycle shop Guru said they were Campagnolo "Victory" cranks and that they were almost bullet proof.  OK by me.

The 52/42 ring set was set up, to drive a six speed, non-indexed, freewheel.  Once the indexed shifter set was acquired, I changed the freewheel to a tighter ratio (foolish move on my part) one that would accommodate an indexed shifting system.

The wheel set is pretty special, in my opinion.  This was the second wheel set, that I had built up from scratch, using new rims.  Not only are the rims brand new, but they are of newer design, sporting double wall construction and machined braking surfaces.  Building a wheel set, with new rims, is a treat and a snap (comparatively speaking, of course).

The rims, I decided to go with, were Ambrosia Evolution units, the same ones used to build up a NOS mid eighties Francesco Moser.  I would have preferred to go with Mavic rims, but they are just too expensive, for my wallet.  Remember, I do not like to spend too much money on a single bicycle, even though that rule had gone, completely out the door with the Miele #17 project.

I used stainless steel spokes, to lace the Ambrosia rims, to a gorgeous set of, machine polished, rebuilt Campagnolo Record low flange hubs.  Campagnolo makes great hub sets, in my opinion.  I use vintage Campy Record hubs in most, but not all, of my builds.

The original saddle, that came with the bicycle, was badly scuffed up during shipping, and I pitched it out.  This was not a huge issue, because my intention was to use a Brooks leather saddle anyway.  I chose my favourite saddle, a Brooks B17 Special, and installed it the minute I brought it home, from the local bike shop.  I have owned a few Brooks saddles, both new and used, and the B17 Special is, by far, the most comfortable - right out of the box!  This B17 model is the honey color, large rivet, model and it is perched on the Campagnolo aero seat post, that came with the bicycle.

Before long, and even though I did like the B17, a more appropriate saddle surfaced for the Miele.  The saddle found, was an original issue bearing the Miele name.  Though I cannot remember where I got the saddle (probably off of one of several Miele bicycles that have come my way), it did prove to look good on the bicycle and, was every bit as comfortable, as any of my Brooks butt supports.  But that saddle was set aside for the final build.

The control center consists of a set of TTT Super Leggero, pantographed, handlebars supported by a TTT Record stem.  As is often the case, with bicycles that I ride frequently, I mounted a computer on the Miele.  I like the feedback, that a computer provides, even though it looks out of place on a vintage road bicycle.  Though the bars are nothing special, I do like the feel of the stem.  That might sound strange but when I walk my bicycle, I usually hold the stem only and it feels just right in my hand.  Certainly not a selling feature for a steering stem but something that I appreciate, anyway. 

I spent the better part, of one season, riding #17 in this first build form.  I knew, right of the bat,  that the bicycle was a keeper and I decided to rebuild it a second time.  Only this time, I would hold nothing back.

NEXT - SECOND BUILD OF THE MIELE LTD