We need to talk about that head tube! Check out this steel Olmo track bike from the 1980s

If you fancy something more distinctive than a generic carbon-fibre road bike, how about this 1980s Olmo track bike – made from Columbus Aelle steel tubing – which is currently up for sale?

This particular bike caught our eye on The UCI’s Bandit Bikes Facebook group recently, where you’ll see loads of interesting bikes. It’s always worth browsing. Group member Matthew Byrne is selling this Olmo.

The Olmo bike brand was set up by Olympic gold medallist, twice Milan-San Remo winner, and hour record holder Giuseppe Olmo in Celle Ligure, Italy, in the late 1930s. This track bike – we think it’s a Pista Pursuit – dates from the 1980s and is made from straight-gauge (not butted) Columbus Aelle steel.

In terms of frame design, well, where do we start? How about with that head tube? It’s just 8.9cm long, the lugs for the down tube and top tube nearly touching one another.

The top tube curves upwards and the seat tube meanders down around the leading edge of the rear wheel. That seat tube is 57.5cm (measured centre to top) and it houses a 27.2mm seatpost from Campagnolo (there’s an Italian theme to this bike).

The seatstays are interesting, extending beyond the seat tube to the top tube. Various brands have used similar designs over the years. In recent times, for example, GT has used what it calls its Triple Triangle frame design in its mountain bike range, arguing that it adds strength and rigidity, and Lapierre uses similar shaping on its carbon road bikes. The fact that it’s visually a point of difference from most other brands can’t hurt.

As a track bike, the Olmo is built up with a fixed gear and no brakes. That’s a  Campagnolo C-Record chainset with an Izumi chain on there.

The RB-021 pursuit handlebar is from Nitto, as is the Pearl quill stem (the threadless fork steerer had yet to make an appearance when this bike was originally built). The headset and the bottom bracket are top-level Campagnolo Super Record, while that Columbus fork, with a G Olmo signature on the crown, is skinny by modern standards. Really, really skinny.

The Campag Super Record pedals are fitted with Cinelli toeclips and Brooks leather straps, and what about those wheels? The rear wheel is Campagnolo Record hub laced to a 700C Campag Atlanta 96 rim with the spokes soldered where they cross, the idea being to increase stiffness and reduce the chance of fatigue.

The Campagnolo tubular disc front wheel is smaller. It’s 650B sized, and the sticker over the valve hole is from the 1996 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. A certain Chris Boardman won the men’s individual pursuit there in a world record time.

“I decided to treat myself to the Olmo when I saw it come up for sale on the LFGSS [London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed] site in 2012,” says Matthew Byrne. “I was living in Sydney and I think the seller was in Italy. I loved it the second I saw it.

“I had ridden fixed and brakeless in Dublin for years, mainly because it’s flat. Sydney is insanely hilly and I had planned to fit a clamp-on brake because I didn’t want to drill the fork, but I just never got around to it! Also, I quickly realised it wouldn’t be the best bike for commuting in and out of the city carrying a load of tools on my back on a daily basis.

“I’d built it up with all Campy Super Record or C-Record parts, but it just hung on the wall looking amazing and was always a talking point when people saw it. But I always felt guilty about it just sitting there.

“Now I live in Wicklow [Ireland] and it’s very hilly, and riding around the county on my ‘standard’ frame fixed gear is tough enough, never mind riding a backbreaker like the Olmo.”

“Two kids have become three, and I figure it’s time to set it free and pass it onto someone else, where hopefully it’ll be used and appreciated.”

If you’d like a bike with a history, take a look.  

Check out loads more Bikes at Bedtime here.