# Benotto Bike



## Matt Auerbach (Apr 11, 2006)

Hello, Everyone!
My name is Matt and I am a fledgling cyclist. I have a Centurion bike right now that works for my basic needs and occasional rides into the hills in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I am looking at buying a Benotto bike with new Shimano parts (I'll find out tomorrow exactly which parts) and I'm hoping to upgrade it to be a really great bike (probably not for racing, though). Any advice? Is it worth $350? What should I look for?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Matt


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

Benotto's were made in Mexico in the 80's. Nice looking, but cheap tubesets. I don't know if any were made with 130mm rear spacing. For $350, you can't expect much. Even if it's 7 speed w/ downtube shifters, it'll get you around. Make sure that the wheels are in good shape.


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## Matt Auerbach (Apr 11, 2006)

*HELP! Is this bike worth it?*

Hello,
I was fitted today and I found this bike that may fit me and seems to have good parts:

http://www.craigslist.org/pen/bik/149902292.html

Could anyone assess this and tell me if this is worth it?

Thanks,
Matt


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

*No soup for you*



Matt Auerbach said:


> Hello,
> I was fitted today and I found this bike that may fit me and seems to have good parts:
> 
> http://www.craigslist.org/pen/bik/149902292.html
> ...


It's "worth it" but not necessarily for you. Bridgestone RB1's have a bit of a cult following and are more collector-type stuff. 

For a new rider just wanting to put on the miles on decent equipment, that's a lot of dough. You may then bang it up, and will no doubt wear out (I mean, you are riding after all) various 7-speed parts where replacements, although widely available, aren't just sitting on the shelf at your LBS. 

This would be a good "second bike" for the cool factor. But for your main ride, you can either spend 1/2 as much or, for $900, can get something pretty sweet and 15 years newer.


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

MR_GRUMPY said:


> Benotto's were made in Mexico in the 80's. Nice looking, but *cheap tubesets*.


I bought a used Benotto in 1989 as my first 'racing bike' when I was in college. It was a fun little bike with some real old Campy parts on it. It didn't even last a year. Was out on a training ride and the bike started feeling 'mushy'. The seat tube had sheared off right at the bottom bracket shell.


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