Classic & Vintage - Anyone else ride a Legnano?

Hi all. been reading for a while and meaning to post some pics but then my camera died and I finally got around to buying a new one. so since i started checking out the site, i don't recall seeing anyone else with a legnano.

mine, from what i can tell is probably early to mid 80's. campy 980 derailleur and campy dropouts. pantographed chainrings, crankarms and fork crown. it originally had sew ups but my friend who i bought it off of built up some clinchers for me. when he got the bike, it didn't have any brakes, they were probably campy as well, so he threw on some (gasp!) shimano 600's with the fancy hole filled brake levers! this bike rides like a dream and i got it from him for a song.


anybody have any information on these bikes? there is some info on classic rendezvous but not much.
the picture quality is not that great, i took them inside in my hallway by a single light. i will take some more tomorrow if i can in the sunlight and then you will be able to see leggy's nice sparkly paint!
~hollis

Check out Cornelius Loh's website:
http://legnano.batcave.net/index1.htm

When I was in high school in the late 1960s, my brother and I rode bottom-of-the-line Bianchis, but the rich kid next door got a Campag.-equipped Legnano for his birthday.

I've got a green Gran Premio, mostly original. Love it.

My friendly bike shop owner got a '67 Record given to him by an old customer. Perfect condition. and a sweet ride. The dirt bag won't sell it to me, or trade it to me, or anything.

I have a few, including this repaint on the CR site:

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Italy/Legnano/Legnano_TW_bike.htm

And sold others, including Aldo's blue one shown there (he added the rear shifting system).

Quite an old make, at least back to the 30s. The candy green was the standard color, but I've seen them in red, blue, white, black and silver. Basically 2 models (except in the earliest times) Roma Olympiade (all Campagnolo Record or Nuovo Record) and Gran Premio (similar designed frame, maybe lesser tubing, cottered steel crank). Apparently Legnano merged with Frejus in the late 70s and dropped the signature "seatpost bolt in front of the tube" design. I have a couple of those too!

I've owned three, including two GPs from the early 1960s. Great bicycles for the era and a fine racing heritage including legends such as Bartali and Coppi.

Can't say I ride it too much, but it is a nice riding bike.

http://otisrecords.com/legnano5.jpg

Otis, that's beautiful. Thank you for that.

Say, what's that seat?

Say, what's that seat?

Brooks Professional with the skirts cut off.

Oh, it really looked like a swallow! Just the rails are really deep - I can barely get a wrench into mine.

Is it the original paint? Original crank?

Oh, it really looked like a swallow! Just the rails are really deep - I can barely get a wrench into mine.

Is it the original paint? Original crank?

The bike was painted in the early 70's, it was originally metallic blue. It is amatuerish work but they did do a thourogh job of re-creating all the panels and box lining. Where they had problems was with the down-tube lettering, which was done freehand without a stencil. It looked really bad. When I bought the bike I sent it to Brian Baylis, who was able to remove the lettering and cover it with a decal. As well as adding some of the other decals it was missing.

The driveside crank is the original 151 2nd type Record with the raised pedal lip. The left arm was cracked but I found a matching arm to replace it. The rest of the bike was Record except for the hubs which are 3-piece Gran Sport. The rear derailleur was missing when I bought the bike. I replaced it with Record, but it was most likely GS originally, as I think the bike is a '61 or '62.

I really like the details, especially the way the brake cables and seat rivets compliment the colour ... very clean, very classy. Also that's one of the best Brooks cuts I've seen, really nice work. This bike gives me hope for repainting mine.

Otis, are you sure the brakes are original? The hanger boss on the back of the seat lug would indicate that it was originally intended for center-pull brakes.

Can't say I ride it too much, but it is a nice riding bike.

Dang, that is gorgeous, love the colors! As far as hanger boss for centerpulls (don't see it, but many came with a threaded hole between the seatstays on the seatlug to use a Legnano specific Universal hanger) even the sidepull brake bikes had it.

Otis, are you sure the brakes are original? The hanger boss on the back of the seat lug would indicate that it was originally intended for center-pull brakes.

The bike does have the threaded bung for the CP cable stop, so I assume it originally came with CP's. The bike had been ridden all the way through the 70's and early 80's, when I got it it had a Suntour Superbe brakeset with a drop-bolt installed on the rear.

I had an NOS pair of Extra's, and honestly do not really like the look of CP's and all the extra hangers so I used the sidepulls.

Since the bike had been painted I was not worried about "correctness". It did come with the 2nd style raised pedal boss Record 151 crank, Record front derailleur with the cable stop without the slot in the stop, early style Record seat-post, and the GS hubs. I'm pretty sure this stuff was all original to the bike, but you never know?

Dang, that is gorgeous, love the colors!

Yeah, it's funny. Usually a repaint in the 70's would try to "modernize" the look of the bike. But in this case I think they actually made the bike look even older than its early 60's roots.

Oh, it really looked like a swallow! Just the rails are really deep - I can barely get a wrench into mine.


Go to your local Sears or other hardware store and buy a 10mm ratcheting box wrench. You can access the bolts from the back of the seat and just swing that wrench in as small an arc that you have room for without having to reposition the wrench on the bolt. Sheldon Brown recently found one on the road, took it home and used it, and announced that it was the greatest invention for two bolt seat posts ever conceived.

MKahrl, thanks - I have one of those wrenches - and a stubby version also, and love them. On the Super Record post, though, the tie on the swallow interferes with the bolts - limiting my adjustment. But it's FINE! It's in the right place already, and besides - someone might slap me if I keep complaining about swallows and super record posts.

The ultimate tool is the Campy seatpost wrench, it's angled to fit and is a much tighter grip on the bolts than anything else. It's like 9.8996mm or something, Campy standard.

Mike Barry won't sell me his.

I've always just lifted the side of the seat and used a regular 10mm box end wrench.

Easier said than done, with a real swallow. I'll get a pic...