I came across this Tarini Firenza around 1993 in Taumarunui secondhand for $500 in the LBS, where at the time I didn’t have a job so not much dollars so my lovely wife to be put it on layby. The guy that sold me the bike said it was hand built by a chap called Mark McLean for a certain rider hence why it is such a large frame at 63cm seat tube, and a rather long 20cm head tube (whether this is true or a sales pitch I can’t be sure).

It was all original but without any decals except the head badge (I could be wrong but just don’t recall any other decals), Dia Compe brakes, Suntour BL derailleurs and shifters which were mounted on top of the downtube not the sides, Sakae cranks and Araya 27inch wheels with Sansin hubs, nice clear shift and brake outer cables and a chrome Tange Falcon headset. The bike certainly got thrashed and somewhat looked after… I was young and dumb and had the customisation bug so I repainted it with a slightly darker metallic blue.

Eventually the drop bars went and replaced with straight bars and pod shifters which meant that I ahem… cut off the braze-on for the shifters and put on a bolt-on cable stopper, yes I know a travesty to do to a really nice bike. Then I drilled into the top tube front and back on the non-drive side because I wanted internal cable routing as I love to customise, possibly travesty No.2 but what’s done is done.

Over the years it’s had a lot of parts swapped out as this was my daily commuter when my wife and I moved to Whangarei in 1995, so it has been ridden rain or shine for the mostly 30 years I’ve had it. It presently still has the original Dia Compe brakes and headset, I still have the original Araya wheels, Sakae crank and possibly the Suntour BL derailleurs somewhere!

This bike is nicknamed “The Detonator” as when you put the power on it just wants to go like a rocket, sometimes it scares the shit out of me how fast I managed to go between those cars… bank left, jump the curb, miss that granny and her shopping, rail it back onto the road and live to see another day… don’t tell it but I think it wants me to have a heart attack. Anyway at present it’s got upside-down riser bars (the cafe racer in me), Ultegra crank, 105 front derailleur, old 600 rear derailleur, giant P-SL bladed rear wheel, your average Shimano radial spoked front wheel, Rush two finger pull brake levers (never heard of them and they are old but amazingly powerful, even one finger will do the job). So a real mixed up bike rebuild as needed, it’s the oldest bike in my ever increasing stable, it’s about time to be stripped repainted and upgraded again soon, the wife says I’m never allowed to sell it… sounds good to me!