John's Restored 1985 Mondia
I bought this frame new in 1985. The Swiss bike company Mondia had a reputation for what were at the time considered “wild” paint jobs. They were experimenting with fades and a lot of pinstriping. This frame is classic Reynolds 531 with Nervex lugs, and had “sport-touring” geometry. So it was built with a slightly greater fork rake, longer chainstays and, I believe, slightly slacker seat and head tube angles than the brand’s racing frame. It also came with fender eyelets.
By the late 1990s this had become more of a commuter bike for me. Unfortunately, I exited a store one day to find my frame with a huge dent in the top tube. I worked at United Bicycle Institute in the early 2000s, so I was able to repair the dent in the school’s framebuilding shop by rolling the tube and filling the small crease with silver. I then turned the frame over to my then-colleague Keith Anderson, who was a fabulous painter and frame builder, and he restored the paint to its original beauty (maybe even better!).
I decided to embark on a French-inspired restomod and wanted to glean from my own parts bin. I found an old TA Cyclotouriste crankset, a set of wheels built with ultra-smooth Mavic hubs and MA-20 rims, and Mavic’s first 7-speed indexing derailleur system. I changed the TA triple to a double with new TA chainrings sourced from Peter White. While the Mavic rear derailleur would handle the chainring difference, I opted for a Simplex touring front derailleur that a friend had given me. I don’t think the Mavic front derailleur would have played nicely with the gearing, plus the one I had was braze-on and would have required an ugly adaptor. I also found a NOS Sachs 7-speed freewheel. The bar and stem are also Mavic, and came off an old Land Shark.
Unfortunately, the bike’s original Campy Record headset was brinelled, so I had to source a new one. Mondia used French threading, so I needed to find both a new French-threaded bottom bracket and headset. Hello, Velo Orange, where I was delighted to discover a French BB that would mate with the TA’s crank taper, as well as a French-threaded 1” headset.
I really wanted to ride this beauty occasionally, so I shied away from its original Universal center pull speed-controllers in favor of actual brakes: the Gran Compe centerpulls and levers from VO. They work beautifully.
I finished the bike off with Honjo fenders, a French CLB seatpost that somehow snuck into my parts bin over the years, and I splurged on a new Brooks Swift saddle. I also bought VO’s leather handlebar tape for an extra touch of luxury. The bar plugs, toe clips and straps are also VO.
The bike has a relaxed feel: a bit laid-back on climbs and very stable on long descents. Mavic’s early rear indexed shifting never rivaled the Shimano or SunTour systems of the era, and time has not improved its performance. But hey, the Mavic rear derailleur is a work of art. And those Mavic 500 series hubs are some of the finest ever made, in my opinion.
The one missing part to finish the build: original TA crank bolt dust caps.
Without all the vital bits from Velo Orange, this restoration would have been way more chore, way less fun!
Parts List:
FRAME: 1985 Mondia Super -- Reynolds 531, Nervex lugs, Campy dropouts, Keith Anderson paint restoration
Wheels: Mavic 500/550 hubs, MA-40 rims, DT Swiss spokes/nipples
Tires: Michelin Dynamic Classic, 700x25c
BB: Velo Orange French cartridge
Headset: Velo Orange French 1” threaded
Crank: TA Cyclotouriste double, 48-34
Front derailleur: Simplex
Rear derailleur: Mavic 840
Shifters: Mavic 821 downtube -- front friction, rear indexing (sort of!)
Freewheel: Sachs 13-28
Brakes: Gran Compe 610 (VO)
Levers: Gran Compe 202 (VO)
Cables/housing: VO metallic braid
Bar/Stem: Mavic
Seatpost: CLB
Saddle: Brooks Swift
Pedals: MKS Sylvan road
Clips/Straps: VO
Bar Tape: VO leather
Fenders: Honjo
Bottle Cage: Nitto touring
Fender cork washer: 2013 Louis Martini Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
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