1981 Ciocc Mockba 80
Ciocc Mockba ’80
This vintage Ciocc (say “choh-ch”) Mockba (say “Moscow”) 80 is a model made by the iconic Italian racing bike brand to celebrate Sergei Sukhoruchenkov’s (you’re on your own) road race win at the 1980 Olympics.
Giovanni Pelizzoli is the craftsman behind Ciocc for most of their years as a popular Italian brand. Giovanni’s nickname, loosely translated as “poker face” is where the Ciocc brand name came from. Sometimes you’ll find a Ciocc bicycle credited to Luigi Conti, who may or may not have purchased the label and/or worked for Pelizzoli for a while in the 1980’s. To add to the slight confusion, you sometimes saw bikes made by Pelizzoli that were sold by a Dutch company and labeled as ”Concorde”.
Whoever was holding the torch, and whatever the decals said, Pelizzoli and Ciocc sold some nice bikes.
This particular bike underwent a makeover in 1986.
Originally red, it’s now painted black and originally equipped with Campagnolo Super Record components, it has been updated to sport indexed shifting and the aero brake levers that came with the change to Shimano Dura-Ace parts.
Ciocc is a nickname meaning “poker face”
Moscow ’80 front end
Call it Reagan motorcade black
12-speed Dura-Ace 7400
The black paint has a fun story. It is the same paint that the secret service used to finish a new limousine for Ronald Reagan. While working at the navy yard in D.C., the owner of this Ciocc befriended some of the secret service guys who were working on Reagan’s newest ride. He asked if they would mind spraying his bike frame if he brought it over, and they agreed. Ronny surely would have approved. A “Moscow” model bike, once painted red? Definitely better in motorcade black.
Have to have it? This Ciocc is for sale from the museum collection. It’s a 59cm frame, so it’ll fit a rider between 5’11” and 6’3”, and it can be had for only $1499.