Category: Italian Bicycles

Italian classic lightweights

1950s Bartali Updated

1950s Bartali Racing BikeI have at last built up my 1950s Bartali race bike with mostly period-correct parts.  The brakes callipers are both Universal Extra, but the front one is of a later type, and the levers may be too, though they didn’t change much over the years.  The saddle is a later style Brooks B17 and I am not sure of the vintage of the Ambrosio bars and stem.

I am not overly concerned about correctness as long as the bike is in the spirit of the age.  An original bike with original finish deserves to be correctly fitted out, but a bike that has been refinished and lost all its original parts should, in my opinion, be ‘in character’ rather than 100% period correct.  However, it is nice to have good Campagnolo Gran Sport hubs and Sheffield Sprint pedals which were fitted to many fine Italian bikes ‘in the day’

1962 Coppi by Fiorelli

I have just added details of my circa 1962 Coppi to the website.  I had not ridden this bike since shortly after I purchased it a couple of years ago.  I then took off the “wrong” components – the wheels, bars and stem, brakes – and put the frame up in the attic and put it out of mind.

Then, with this website, I thought I should build it up, photograph it and take it for a spin.  I built it up with what I had to hand – all appropriate parts that I had previously mounted on a Legnano frame now sold – and I took it for a ride.  CLICK HERE to see it.  It really does ride very nicely.  Coincidentally I just found a picture of a similar bike – same colour – on flickr with very similar components and with the finish in better condition.  That one had a Reynolds 531 sticker, so that is probably what this is.

I think I may need to sell this bike to make a bit of space, but if I were to keep it, I would definitely have it refinished and I have already got new “Coppi” medallions for the fork crown.  This bike was clearly meant to flash and gleam in the sunlight which, for me, takes precedence over preserving what is left of the original finish.

Just Added A Wolsit

I have just added photos and a specification for a Wolsit – a once quite famous Italian brand that has just about faded into obscurity.  I want to add some details about the history of the company when I have found out more.  The name itself is curious and is a combination of Wolseley (the British car manufacturer) and Italiana – it being a joint venture to build Wolseley-based cars in Italy.  There is/was a giant-engined “Wolsit” being campaigned in Vintage car racing in the UK – a sort of Targa Florio type car I believe.  I am not sure how original it was, but it certainly looked very impressive.

It has become a slow job adding bikes because I am taking measurements as I go along and having to sort out photos, so they will probably be added at the rate of only one or two a week.