Legnano

[Page Turner]

...is the marque that eventually morphed into Bianchi, after some acquisitions and reordering. Two of their bikes I've recently restored.

 

[Page Turner]

[Razors Edge ★]

Awesome work.

So, what are the gruppos and the approximate years these were made?

5 hours ago, Page Turner said:

..is the marque that eventually morphed into Bianchi, after some acquisitions and reordering. Two of their bikes I've recently restored.

I think you meant "incorporated into Bianchi" since Bianchi essentially took them over???  Bianchi was around before and after they existed.   Cool sponsored cycling team, though!

" Many famous cyclists rode for the team including Alfredo Binda, Learco Guerra, Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi. The team participated in the Giro d'Italia 46 times, won the team classification 11 times and earned 135 stage wins "

Tom

[Page Turner]

1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

 

So, what are the gruppos and the approximate years these were made?

 

...I'm not good on the years stuff, but they both have serial numbers.  I'll look them up over on the Legnano guy's website and get back to you. Gruppos  were not a big thing back in the 60's and early 70's.

I think, but am not sure, that the blue one (not made of Reynolds 531, because it takes a 26.4 seatpost) is older than the red one (27.2 seatpost), which was already repainted but not rebadged when I bought it. The blue one came with more of the original stuff on it ( I think).  Not sure, because by the time they made the Reynolds one, a lot of the custom engraved "Legnano " stuff was no longer showing up on bikes.

 

Quote

 

According to the RSC registry, Emilio Bozzi S.p.A. used a common or shared sequence of serial numbers for all three of their brands: Legnano, Wolsit and Perla. This is understandable as all three of the Bozzi brands were produced in the same factory. Legnano was also the last of the three brands to be acquired by Emilio Bozzi, originally founded by Vittorio Rossi in 1902.  As an aside, Legnano’s long time rival Bianchi was founded in 1885.

The RSC registry shows that the Bozzi serial numbers began in 1920, about the time that Emilio Bozzi acquired the Legnano brand, and were ‘reset’ or redefined in format at several points in time.  Here is how it all plays out.

 

He lists an FC6837 as made in 1963. This blue one is FC8778, so probably from that same year or a year later in 1964, which would also be consistent with the rest of the components that came with it.

The red one is a Tipo Roma, as opposed to a Gran Premio.  But they are essentially the same frame that came with slightly different stuff for components, or the same stuff in some cases. Based on his history timeline here, I put the red one at about 1966 or 1967, new enough to lack the custom Legnano engraved Campy hubs, but made of  different tubing than the previously standard Falck.

 

You probably can't see it in the photos, but the Magistroni cottered crank is geared pretty tight, in a kind of half step, flat criterium configuration.  I was able to stretch the gearing a little on the newer one, with a different small chainring, but that's difficult to impossible with the Magistroni crank.

[bikeman564™]

very nice, great pics