Ofmega Competizione Cyclocross
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Category:  Cranksets
Name:  Ofmega Competizione Cyclocross
Brand:  Ofmega
Primary Group:  Competizione
Model:  Cyclocross
Years:  N/A
Country:  Italy
Added By: vxpro on 08/20/08
Updated By: Alaric Smith on 03/29/13
Additional Photos - click for full size
Ofmega Competizione Cyclocross
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Chainring CountSingleBCD 144mm
BB StyleSquare Taper (Ofmega)Pedal Threads9/16" x 20 (English)
BB Length 123mmFlutes Crank Arm; Spider
Lengths 170Arm/Spider MaterialAluminum Alloy
Front MarkingsOfmegaBack Markings
Extractor Threading 22x1mm (Standard)  
General Information
 
Quality:Rarity:
 
 
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Component Groups
Primary Group NameBrandQuick InfoBrowse Group Components
CompetizioneOfmegaRoad RaceView 10 Components
Details:  Competizione is a great example of how good Ofmega could be. As with most Ofmega gruppos, it could often be identified by the colour box that the component came in; in this case scarlet.

The Competizione group included a range of coloured components; pedals, chainrings and hubs. The colours seen included red, blue and gold but there may be more. The coloured forms are more often found in the Avocet branded versions. In the 1980s, the Chicken catalogue often showed the components alongside other coloured components from manufacturers, such as Weimann.

This groupset was the most commonly rebranded product line. Often, Bianchi, Legnano and a host of other manufacturers had Ofmega pantograph and emboss their names and logos onto the cranks, shifters and hubs. Ernesto Colnago famously had a whole gruppo made with his signature on, which he proudly displayed in the companies catalogue. Some of these rebranded components are significantly rare and sought after.
Brand Information(click to expand)

Ofmega SpA was an Italian motorbike and bicycle components company producing high quality components in a variety of ranges: including Master, Mistral (for both road and track), Mundial (a cheaper, slightly later version of Mistral), Competizione, Super Competizione, Linea, Premier, Gran Premio and CX for the road and Sierra for mountain bikes. There were probably more, including at least one other pista/track range. They also produced children's cranksets, individual chainrings and other small components.

The company had a reputation of making slightly (or really) innovative products that were made to a very high quality. Their Mistral dérailleur range, made from a high density, strong plastic, were considered to be amongst the lightest on the market and, certainly, the most colourful. The Mistral range included five (possibly more) colour-coordinated groupsets (both front and rear dérailleurs and "Sintesi" pedals); Pink ("Maglia Rosa" - "Pink Jersey"), Yellow ("Maillot Jaune" - "Yellow Jersey") and Blue ("Squadra Azzura" - "Blue Team" after the Italian national team), Black and Whitest/grey (it  would be nice to think that this was the "Milk Race" but probably not). There may have been a green variety but this may just be someone seeing a blue item that had been bleached out in strong sunlight - apparently the blue form was prone to bleaching. A cheaper version of the Mistral rear dérailleurs were produced as the "Mundial" range (with an aluminium jockey-wheel cage and no adjustable barrel spring) but only in black.

The Mistral range was not their only colourfull offering. From the mid-1990s Ofmega started to produce the Sierra range, which was mostly appalling. However, there was a spin-off groupo called Sirio. Sirio cranks came in at least two colours, bright pink and acidic green, whereas, the Sierra range came mostly in black, grey and white. It was these groups that had their production moved in Slovakia in 2000. In addition, the Competizione groupset came anodised in red, blue or gold, as well as plain aluminium: The anodised components included hubs, chainrings and pedals.

Ofmega made or rebranded components for other bicycle brands, such as Bianchi, Colnago, Legnano, Regina and Avocet. At one point, most of the Avocet component range was made by Ofmega. Often, the rebranding is just an added pantographed logo (in the Colnago case, it is the singature of Ernasto Colnago). However, in the case of Legnano branded components, the logo is engraved into the item. It may be that some items were made by other companies, such as the Simplex, in the late 1980s and 1990s. It is thought that the gear shifters for the "Mistral" range were made by Modolo; the cronos shifters look very similar. However, on close inspection, the two aren't that similar and Ofmega claim to have made them themselves.

They made most of the sets, including hubs, cranks, headsets, freewheels, front and rear dérailleurs, as well as odd small parts. Ofmega appeared to have outsourced their dérailleur production to Simplex in 1987 (Michael Sweatman, Disraeli Gears), and some Simplex derailleurs were labelled Ofmega. This lead to an apparent lowering in quality. However, some of their latest items were of a very good standard.

Ofmega missing groups (a list of groupsets not yet represented on Velobase): Strada (may be the same as Competizione or Master), Nuovo Competizione, Vega, Acero, Motion, Rover, Sierra, Lusso, BMX, Nuovo Mistral, Vantage 2 (some of these may be after the period). The "BMX" kit that Ofmega made in the period are smaller "Mundial" pieces. The carbon mountain bike cranks and the glorious "Nuovo Mistral" carbon cranks were the last things that Ofmega took to bike trade shows.

 
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