Gotta black magic woman - 1991 Santana Moda

tvcreative · August 14th, 2011, 12:00 PM

Well...call me lucky

stumbled on to this on Ebay a few weeks ago and built it up...

1991 Santana Moda - early model

Fillet brazed Columbus Max tubing

Mostly correct period parts(who cares, rides nice)

Ritchey stem

Ibis Bars

Syncros seatpost (newer)

WTB saddle

Mavic 737 hubs and rims 8sp

Ritchey Megabite tires

XTR ders

XT 732 brakes

XT 730 cranks and pedals

Phil BB

Zamfir · August 14th, 2011, 1:02 PM

...and what a tube set.

colker · August 14th, 2011, 3:24 PM

how does it ride? too stiff while cruising around?

tvcreative · August 14th, 2011, 3:34 PM

the bike or me?

the bike rides fine...

me I'm seeing a doctor for prolonged infatuation

jim

mainlyfats · August 14th, 2011, 9:44 PM

Love it and would love a Moda of my own one day...

rthomer · August 14th, 2011, 10:02 PM

Never heard of it and it's beautiful!

sneb · August 15th, 2011, 10:59 AM

nice! the ovalized toptube looks like one of a serotta t-max.

.jan · August 16th, 2011, 2:26 PM

Wow, I really like that!

lucifer · August 26th, 2011, 2:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sneb

nice! the ovalized toptube looks like one of a serotta t-max.

It should, it's the same tube set.

tvcreative · August 26th, 2011, 4:23 PM

Ya know?

I think the Serotta and the Santana just might be the same tube set...

I never really put it together till seeing thread comments...

I had a T-Max back in the day and it was definitely flovaled like the Santana in the same places. top tube, and seat tube at BB.

I am pretty sure the chain stays on the Santana are beefier than my old Serotta.

Handling-wise, my brain seems to forget and favor different bikes that I own at different times...I think it's called BIKEZHEIMER....and the Don Quixote-like reason that I am forever in search for the mythical best bike on earth. (When truth be told I have probably owned it already at some time, and just plum forgot the reason why i got rid of it)

Back on topic - this bike is very quick up front, steeper headtube, short fork...great on the flat hardpack, a hair twitchy on uber technical surfaces...

erolorhun · September 17th, 2011, 7:34 PM

Registered myself just to comment on how beautiful and classy this bike is, truly timeless

wickedwillie · September 25th, 2011, 10:43 PM

It's been ages since I've stopped in here at FatCogs, I no longer own a Fat and just drifted-but I was searching around the web for pics of Modas and found this.

Excellent work, you bike looks amazing, you did a great job with the build. I agree about the handling, I really need some practice on tight wooded trails here in Vermont as I am used to the slacker angles of my '86 Ritchey. I love how the bike climbs and the ride in general, but I need to swap out the Ti MRC bar and stem as the are too flexy for my 200+ lbs.

If you are interested, I have some scans I might be able to post up-the are from Santana's newsletters from the era they built the Moda, and get into detail about the development and manufacturing process for the Columbus Max tubing. It's neat stuff, the guy I bought the bike from last year is a Santana dealer and sent it to me after I bought it.

Anyway, I'm glad to see someone else building one up and riding it! Enjoy!

tvcreative · September 25th, 2011, 11:55 PM

Thank you for your comments, I saw your bike while building up mine, so I consider yours the benchmark.

I would be interested in your info...

please send to me at tvcreative@aol.com

best wishes

Jim Marketti

wickedwillie · September 26th, 2011, 8:56 PM

Thanks! I was very fortunate to find one close to my size, and I've had very good luck locally with parts donor bikes-it all came together nicely. It is a touch on the large side for me, so far I'm most comfortable cruising fast down dirt roads-there is no end to those here. I'm going to try a shorter and lower stem and see what effect that has. I want my weight back a little more.

I'll dig around for the scans and send them your way. Every time I read them I get all excited about the tubing, it's pretty cool stuff.

Bigbead75 · August 25th, 2012, 11:30 AM

Such beautiful bikes - since I saw this post I've become somewhat infatuated with them. Ever since, I've kept my eyes open for one. They seem to be quite rare.

When speaking to someone the other day - well it came up and...I may actually have found one - nos. Very excited about this.

I own a '91 Wicked and I absolutely love the ride, on road and off. How would you compare the Moda to the Wicked?

I guess I could pull up the geometry charts and compare, but I know that you also own a Wicked (tvcreative) so it would be great to hear first hand what your thoughts are.

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this subject.

Regards,

J

tvcreative · August 25th, 2012, 1:44 PM

I would say, stiffer, and more road bike like...

faster steering for sure...but I put ritchey speedmax type tires on it

I like it alot, but I love all of the fats...

Bigbead75 · August 25th, 2012, 5:07 PM

Thanks for getting back.

Sounds just like what I'm looking for...

Hopefully I'll be posting some pics here soon. Fingers crossed.

Bigbead75 · August 27th, 2012, 8:16 PM

It's actually smaller than I need. I'm looking for a 21". He said it was 17" or 18" - still in the box. White.

So if anyone comes across one, let me know.

Thanks.

J

mattb · September 13th, 2012, 4:50 PM

Bighead75. Would you mind passing on the lead for the Santana. I would love an 18" Moda.
Thanks.

Bigbead75 · September 13th, 2012, 8:01 PM

Actually I'm not quite sure of the size - it's quite possibly smaller than an 18", it's yellow and has a small dent in the center of the the top tube on the non drive side. You can see it in the profile pic. If you zoom in there's a dot right in the middle where the paint has chipped (it almost lines up with the seat post in the background).

It's been sitting brand new for 20 years and somewhere along the line it fell or got knocked over...so there you go.

I'll pm you the shop info

colker · September 13th, 2012, 8:22 PM

looks 18in to me. massive chainstays..

tvcreative · September 14th, 2012, 12:09 AM

Nice bike. The tubing is uuber soft. Easy to dent for sure. Way fun to ride.

mattb · September 14th, 2012, 4:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigbead75

Actually I'm not quite sure of the size - it's quite possibly smaller than an 18", it's yellow and has a small dent in the center of the the top tube on the non drive side. You can see it in the profile pic. If you zoom in there's a dot right in the middle where the paint has chipped (it almost lines up with the seat post in the background).

It's been sitting brand new for 20 years and somewhere along the line it fell or got knocked over...so there you go.

I'll pm you the shop info

Thanks, I appreciate it.

tvcreative · September 26th, 2012, 7:12 AM

Mr Matt,

Did anything ever come of your inquiry?

How much do they want for it?

lewisfoto · December 14th, 2012, 9:42 PM

Just signed up today because, first I bought a Fat and second I wanted to see the pictures of the Moda in this thread. I have the later TIG welded Moda with trigger shifters.(see photos) I alway thought it was a 1990 but I could be mistaken. The pictures show how it looked when purchased, I have since installed NOS tires and a Flite saddle.

mattb · December 15th, 2012, 1:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvcreative

Mr Matt,

Did anything ever come of your inquiry?

How much do they want for it?

Hello, Yes I heard back from Bigbead with the address. The shop wants 2k. I didn't follow up because I'm out at 2k.

Bigbead75 · July 13th, 2020, 7:43 PM

Still looking for a 21" Moda...still haven't found one.

I've been riding my Wicked on the road a bunch, with Compass Rat Trap Pass 2.3" tires. The bike is really fast on the road - and on gravel it flies.

I'm still interested in the Moda set up for road, it would be a beast I'm sure.

Anyways...if anyone comes across something like the bike featured in this thread, let me know!

August 14th, 2011, 1:02 PM	#2
Zamfir Senior Member Join Date: May 31st, 2011 Location: Spokane Posts: 248	Stunning... ...and what a tube set.

August 14th, 2011, 3:24 PM	#3
colker Senior Member Join Date: June 1st, 2006 Location: rio de janeiro Posts: 1,043	how does it ride? too stiff while cruising around? __________________ wanted: ride time.

August 14th, 2011, 9:44 PM	#5
mainlyfats Senior Member Join Date: August 13th, 2004 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 768	Love it and would love a Moda of my own one day... Last edited by mainlyfats; August 15th, 2011 at 11:01 AM.

August 26th, 2011, 4:23 PM	#10
tvcreative Senior Member Join Date: March 15th, 2010 Location: Naperville IL Posts: 716	never put two and two together Ya know? I think the Serotta and the Santana just might be the same tube set... I never really put it together till seeing thread comments... I had a T-Max back in the day and it was definitely flovaled like the Santana in the same places. top tube, and seat tube at BB. I am pretty sure the chain stays on the Santana are beefier than my old Serotta. Handling-wise, my brain seems to forget and favor different bikes that I own at different times...I think it's called BIKEZHEIMER....and the Don Quixote-like reason that I am forever in search for the mythical best bike on earth. (When truth be told I have probably owned it already at some time, and just plum forgot the reason why i got rid of it) Back on topic - this bike is very quick up front, steeper headtube, short fork...great on the flat hardpack, a hair twitchy on uber technical surfaces...

August 25th, 2012, 11:30 AM	#15
Bigbead75 Member Join Date: April 16th, 2011 Location: Toronto Posts: 18	what's the ride like? Such beautiful bikes - since I saw this post I've become somewhat infatuated with them. Ever since, I've kept my eyes open for one. They seem to be quite rare. When speaking to someone the other day - well it came up and...I may actually have found one - nos. Very excited about this. I own a '91 Wicked and I absolutely love the ride, on road and off. How would you compare the Moda to the Wicked? I guess I could pull up the geometry charts and compare, but I know that you also own a Wicked (tvcreative) so it would be great to hear first hand what your thoughts are. Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this subject. Regards, J

August 14th, 2011, 3:34 PM	#4
tvcreative Senior Member Join Date: March 15th, 2010 Location: Naperville IL Posts: 716	the bike or me? the bike rides fine... me I'm seeing a doctor for prolonged infatuation jim

August 14th, 2011, 10:02 PM	#6
rthomer Senior Member Join Date: October 14th, 2007 Location: Sierra Madre, CA Posts: 143	Never heard of it and it's beautiful!

August 15th, 2011, 10:59 AM	#7
sneb Member Join Date: June 16th, 2011 Location: leipzig Posts: 32	nice! the ovalized toptube looks like one of a serotta t-max.

August 16th, 2011, 2:26 PM	#8
.jan Member Join Date: March 5th, 2011 Location: North of Germany Posts: 40	Wow, I really like that!

September 17th, 2011, 7:34 PM	#11
erolorhun New Member Join Date: September 17th, 2011 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 1	Registered myself just to comment on how beautiful and classy this bike is, truly timeless

September 25th, 2011, 10:43 PM	#12
wickedwillie Member Join Date: February 7th, 2010 Location: Vermaine Posts: 29	It's been ages since I've stopped in here at FatCogs, I no longer own a Fat and just drifted-but I was searching around the web for pics of Modas and found this. Excellent work, you bike looks amazing, you did a great job with the build. I agree about the handling, I really need some practice on tight wooded trails here in Vermont as I am used to the slacker angles of my '86 Ritchey. I love how the bike climbs and the ride in general, but I need to swap out the Ti MRC bar and stem as the are too flexy for my 200+ lbs. If you are interested, I have some scans I might be able to post up-the are from Santana's newsletters from the era they built the Moda, and get into detail about the development and manufacturing process for the Columbus Max tubing. It's neat stuff, the guy I bought the bike from last year is a Santana dealer and sent it to me after I bought it. Anyway, I'm glad to see someone else building one up and riding it! Enjoy!

September 25th, 2011, 11:55 PM	#13
tvcreative Senior Member Join Date: March 15th, 2010 Location: Naperville IL Posts: 716	Thank you for your comments, I saw your bike while building up mine, so I consider yours the benchmark. I would be interested in your info... please send to me at tvcreative@aol.com best wishes Jim Marketti

September 26th, 2011, 8:56 PM	#14
wickedwillie Member Join Date: February 7th, 2010 Location: Vermaine Posts: 29	Thanks! I was very fortunate to find one close to my size, and I've had very good luck locally with parts donor bikes-it all came together nicely. It is a touch on the large side for me, so far I'm most comfortable cruising fast down dirt roads-there is no end to those here. I'm going to try a shorter and lower stem and see what effect that has. I want my weight back a little more. I'll dig around for the scans and send them your way. Every time I read them I get all excited about the tubing, it's pretty cool stuff.

August 25th, 2012, 1:44 PM	#16
tvcreative Senior Member Join Date: March 15th, 2010 Location: Naperville IL Posts: 716	I would say, stiffer, and more road bike like... faster steering for sure...but I put ritchey speedmax type tires on it I like it alot, but I love all of the fats... Last edited by tvcreative; August 25th, 2012 at 2:26 PM.

August 25th, 2012, 5:07 PM	#17
Bigbead75 Member Join Date: April 16th, 2011 Location: Toronto Posts: 18	Thanks for getting back. Sounds just like what I'm looking for... Hopefully I'll be posting some pics here soon. Fingers crossed.

August 27th, 2012, 8:16 PM	#18
Bigbead75 Member Join Date: April 16th, 2011 Location: Toronto Posts: 18	too bad it's not my size It's actually smaller than I need. I'm looking for a 21". He said it was 17" or 18" - still in the box. White. So if anyone comes across one, let me know. Thanks. J

September 13th, 2012, 4:50 PM	#19
mattb Member Join Date: June 23rd, 2010 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 46	Bighead75. Would you mind passing on the lead for the Santana. I would love an 18" Moda. Thanks.

September 13th, 2012, 8:22 PM	#21
colker Senior Member Join Date: June 1st, 2006 Location: rio de janeiro Posts: 1,043	looks 18in to me. massive chainstays.. __________________ wanted: ride time.

September 14th, 2012, 12:09 AM	#22
tvcreative Senior Member Join Date: March 15th, 2010 Location: Naperville IL Posts: 716	Nice bike. The tubing is uuber soft. Easy to dent for sure. Way fun to ride.

September 26th, 2012, 7:12 AM	#24
tvcreative Senior Member Join Date: March 15th, 2010 Location: Naperville IL Posts: 716	Mr Matt, Did anything ever come of your inquiry? How much do they want for it?

July 13th, 2020, 7:43 PM	#27
Bigbead75 Member Join Date: April 16th, 2011 Location: Toronto Posts: 18	Still looking for a 21" Moda...still haven't found one. I've been riding my Wicked on the road a bunch, with Compass Rat Trap Pass 2.3" tires. The bike is really fast on the road - and on gravel it flies. I'm still interested in the Moda set up for road, it would be a beast I'm sure. Anyways...if anyone comes across something like the bike featured in this thread, let me know!

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode