You are buying a pristine Appel Special Custom Road Bike.

Hand Built by Mike Appel in Madison WI, Mike Appel was one of Treks best framebuilders and eventually went on to start his own framebuilding company (Appel).  Finish is a beautiful cherry red which fades to white.  The bicycle was imppecably cared for and the finish is prestine with only minor cable housing wear on the head tube.  No visible chips to the finish or dents in the frame, it almost looks as if the bike was never ridden.  We're not sure on the exact date of manufacture for the frame but the full Campagnolo Record ergopower groupset (first generation ergopower) from 1992 hints at it being made in either 1992 or 1993.  The Selle Italia Flight Saddle also dates to 1993 which further confirms this.  The frame is constructed from Columbus SL tubing with Columbus SP being used in the chainstays.  Lugs are Henry James and dropouts are Gipiemme.  Unfortunately the original stem has been replaced for a threadless stem (using an adapter).  A rare and beautiful example of one of Americas finest bicycle craftsmen. 

 

"If the contest is which of these three [ed: the three framebuilders Mike Appel, R. Brian Baylis, Richard Sachs] can/has consistently build/built the highest quality frames, I'd say Appel has/had the edge. "
Joe Starck, Rivendell Bicycle Works

 

A note on the Campagnolo Record Groupset.  The compenents on this bike are the first generation of Campagnolo Ergopower and was only made in this iteration for one year.  In 1993 several aesthetic changes were made to the groups.  This year of manufacture was also the last year that Campagnolo made Delta style brakes.  All the components are in excellent working condition and appear to have very little wear/mileage on them.

 

Measurements:

Seat Tube 55cm (center to center)

Top Tube 55cm (center to center)

Head Tube 125mm (top to bottom)

Standover 80cm (ground to top tube)

Specifications:

Seatpost:  Campagnolo Record

Saddle: Selle Italia Flight (1993)

Stem:  Generic (120mm with rise)

Handlebars: 3TTT Competizione (44cm center to center in the drops)

Headset: Aheadset 1"

Brake Levers/Shifters:  Campagnolo Record Ergopower 8-Speed

Brake Calipers:  Campagnolo Record Delta

Front Derailleur:  Campagnolo Record

Rear Derailleur:  Campagnolo Record

Crankset:  Campagnolo Record

Pedals:  Shimano SPD

Sun Mistral Aero Tubular Clincher Rims laced to Campagnolo Record Hubs (Built by Crono Metro of Madison WI)

Campagnolo Cassette

Total weight as equipped: 21.6 lbs.

Serial # ARC (Appel Racing Components) 3393

Reference #143400