Firenze and Cierra
09-20-17, 10:31 AM
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Firenze and Cierra
The other day I was looking at a website with used bicycles for sale. I look at the pictures.
One of the bicyles had a picture of the head badge and I said to myself:
"Hmmm, that headbadge looks familiar but not from that brand name of bicycle."
Image from https://thebeercyclist.wordpress.com...-project-bike/
The bicycle was a Firenze GL5000. If you do a little searching on this forum you see a variety of stories about this brand name. Firenze were bicycles from the late 1970s and 1980s.
When I went searching through my collection of bicycle pictures I found the similar headbadge. The brand name was cierra. Attached is a Google cached image of a cierra headbadge from:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...lots-pics.html
A little more research and I found out that there was a similar white label at the base of the seat tube during some years of production.
The labels read:
<brand name> BICYCLES . . . . either cierra or FIRENZE
Made in <Korea or Taiwan> for
DIVERSIFIED INVESTMENTS CORPORATION
MADISON, WISCONSIN
A little more research and Diversified Investments Corporation has the same address as Pacific Cycle of Madison, Wisconsin.
The cierra and FIRENZE bicycles appear to be the beginnings of Chris Hornung's Pacific Cycles. Bicycles initially imported from Taiwan and Korea.
The early days of Pacific Cycle are referred to in some news articles by Gary Boulanger of Bike Radar:
Cannondale purchase raises ire of Specialized founder - BikeRadar
Also:
CHRIS HORNUNG, PACIFIC CYCLE’S FOUNDER/CHAIRMAN/CEO TO DEPART BIKE BUSINESS
One of the bicyles had a picture of the head badge and I said to myself:
"Hmmm, that headbadge looks familiar but not from that brand name of bicycle."
Image from https://thebeercyclist.wordpress.com...-project-bike/
The bicycle was a Firenze GL5000. If you do a little searching on this forum you see a variety of stories about this brand name. Firenze were bicycles from the late 1970s and 1980s.
When I went searching through my collection of bicycle pictures I found the similar headbadge. The brand name was cierra. Attached is a Google cached image of a cierra headbadge from:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...lots-pics.html
A little more research and I found out that there was a similar white label at the base of the seat tube during some years of production.
The labels read:
<brand name> BICYCLES . . . . either cierra or FIRENZE
Made in <Korea or Taiwan> for
DIVERSIFIED INVESTMENTS CORPORATION
MADISON, WISCONSIN
A little more research and Diversified Investments Corporation has the same address as Pacific Cycle of Madison, Wisconsin.
The cierra and FIRENZE bicycles appear to be the beginnings of Chris Hornung's Pacific Cycles. Bicycles initially imported from Taiwan and Korea.
The early days of Pacific Cycle are referred to in some news articles by Gary Boulanger of Bike Radar:
Cannondale purchase raises ire of Specialized founder - BikeRadar
Also:
CHRIS HORNUNG, PACIFIC CYCLE’S FOUNDER/CHAIRMAN/CEO TO DEPART BIKE BUSINESS
Last edited by Hummer; 01-06-24 at 11:47 AM. Reason: spelling
09-20-17, 10:59 AM
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Interesting. Hadn't heard of Cierra - weird name - doesn't mean anything in Italian, and in Spanish it's nothing you'd name a bike.
The Firenze GL5000 was a bike that a local (Bay Area) electronics store used to give away with every purchase of a stereo. They had ubiquitous TV ads showing people walking out of the show room with a bike and a receiver. There were thousands of those bikes around and they were truly bad. Some bike shops even put "We service all bikes except Firenzes" in their Yellow Pages ads. People who had them really had no idea how awful they were.
For a short time, they had a MTB version as well.
Now that they're all gone, it might actually be collectible... like this similarly awful item
The Firenze GL5000 was a bike that a local (Bay Area) electronics store used to give away with every purchase of a stereo. They had ubiquitous TV ads showing people walking out of the show room with a bike and a receiver. There were thousands of those bikes around and they were truly bad. Some bike shops even put "We service all bikes except Firenzes" in their Yellow Pages ads. People who had them really had no idea how awful they were.
For a short time, they had a MTB version as well.
Now that they're all gone, it might actually be collectible... like this similarly awful item
09-20-17, 11:08 AM
#3
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Interesting. Hadn't heard of Cierra - weird name - doesn't mean anything in Italian, and in Spanish it's nothing you'd name a bike.
The Firenze GL5000 was a bike that a local (Bay Area) electronics store used to give away with every purchase of a stereo. They had ubiquitous TV ads showing people walking out of the show room with a bike and a receiver. There were thousands of those bikes around and they were truly bad. Some bike shops even put "We service all bikes except Firenzes" in their Yellow Pages ads. People who had them really had no idea how awful they were.
For a short time, they had a MTB version as well.
The Firenze GL5000 was a bike that a local (Bay Area) electronics store used to give away with every purchase of a stereo. They had ubiquitous TV ads showing people walking out of the show room with a bike and a receiver. There were thousands of those bikes around and they were truly bad. Some bike shops even put "We service all bikes except Firenzes" in their Yellow Pages ads. People who had them really had no idea how awful they were.
For a short time, they had a MTB version as well.
The shop I worked refused to service them. I'd try to be tactful about it, but there was always some idiot that insisted bike is a bike, and thought we must be snobs or something.
This was really a terrible period for cheap bikes. Quality was just shockingly bad. Huffys and All Pros of that time were even worse. Spot welded, mild steel, junk.
09-20-17, 12:39 PM
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Yeah, I remember them well. Total garbage. Could not be made safe. I even half remember the ads. "Buy a stereo, get a bike!"
The shop I worked refused to service them. I'd try to be tactful about it, but there was always some idiot that insisted bike is a bike, and thought we must be snobs or something.
This was really a terrible period for cheap bikes. Quality was just shockingly bad. Huffys and All Pros of that time were even worse. Spot welded, mild steel, junk.
The shop I worked refused to service them. I'd try to be tactful about it, but there was always some idiot that insisted bike is a bike, and thought we must be snobs or something.
This was really a terrible period for cheap bikes. Quality was just shockingly bad. Huffys and All Pros of that time were even worse. Spot welded, mild steel, junk.
Unfortunately there was an accident with a Firenze branded bicycle in Wisconsin in the 1988 with brain injury and paralysis. It was an appliance store free give-away. A law suit followed. I think it was settled in 1991 with damages paid of more than $1 million.
02-12-19, 09:57 PM
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I know this is an older thread but some good frame pictures came up on craigslist
if anyone is interested.
if anyone is interested.
02-13-19, 01:46 AM
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Interesting. Hadn't heard of Cierra - weird name - doesn't mean anything in Italian, and in Spanish it's nothing you'd name a bike.
The Firenze GL5000 was a bike that a local (Bay Area) electronics store used to give away with every purchase of a stereo. They had ubiquitous TV ads showing people walking out of the show room with a bike and a receiver. There were thousands of those bikes around and they were truly bad. Some bike shops even put "We service all bikes except Firenzes" in their Yellow Pages ads. People who had them really had no idea how awful they were.
For a short time, they had a MTB version as well.
Now that they're all gone, it might actually be collectible... like this similarly awful item
The Firenze GL5000 was a bike that a local (Bay Area) electronics store used to give away with every purchase of a stereo. They had ubiquitous TV ads showing people walking out of the show room with a bike and a receiver. There were thousands of those bikes around and they were truly bad. Some bike shops even put "We service all bikes except Firenzes" in their Yellow Pages ads. People who had them really had no idea how awful they were.
For a short time, they had a MTB version as well.
Now that they're all gone, it might actually be collectible... like this similarly awful item
Firenze bikes were the staple giveaway from "Crazy TV Lenny" at "American of Madison" in Wisconsin in the 80's......
I'm sure there are lots still left out there languishing in attics and garages around the midwest..... The guy must have given away thousands of the bikes!
Last edited by Chombi1; 02-13-19 at 01:50 AM.
02-13-19, 01:07 PM
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Now I finally know where that American bicycle helmet craze originated. 
02-13-19, 01:11 PM
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02-13-19, 02:25 PM
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Curiously to me, the mysterious DETEL brand also hailed from somewhere in Wisconsin I believe, though a few years earlier.
I had long suspected an ex-TREK employee connection to those, because of the region and the similarity to Trek's Japan-produced models at the time, including metallic Imron paint and Ishiwata 022 DB tubing.
Now I'm wondering what was the safety issue with the Firenze bike that the injured rider was riding(?).
Of course there are bikes still sold today that feature horrible assembly and equally poor components such as "toy" index shifters, plastic brake lever assemblies and non-hardened bottom bracket parts. One would think that this would make it hard for sellers to acquire sufficient insurance policy protection.
I had long suspected an ex-TREK employee connection to those, because of the region and the similarity to Trek's Japan-produced models at the time, including metallic Imron paint and Ishiwata 022 DB tubing.
Now I'm wondering what was the safety issue with the Firenze bike that the injured rider was riding(?).
Of course there are bikes still sold today that feature horrible assembly and equally poor components such as "toy" index shifters, plastic brake lever assemblies and non-hardened bottom bracket parts. One would think that this would make it hard for sellers to acquire sufficient insurance policy protection.
02-13-19, 02:43 PM
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Seems like a Firenze find sparks a new thread, or a zombie re-reanimation, every couple months. Must be about that time....
I believe @JohnDThompson has some intel on Detel.
I swear, if they ever fished all the abandoned Firenzes out of the Yahara lakes, the lake levels would go down several inches.
The Firenzes were appliance store giveaways because they did not pass the CPSC safety standards of the time. So they could not be SOLD in the US. Doesn't mean they couldn't be GIVEN away FREE.
If you buy a new ebike from Lenny today, you get a free rear bumper/receiver rack. Made from recycled Firenzes?
Those three bobble-heads are gonna give me nightmares. I can't un-see it... Okay, show of hands, confess y'all, how many of you looked for Adam's apples?....
I believe @JohnDThompson has some intel on Detel.
I swear, if they ever fished all the abandoned Firenzes out of the Yahara lakes, the lake levels would go down several inches.
The Firenzes were appliance store giveaways because they did not pass the CPSC safety standards of the time. So they could not be SOLD in the US. Doesn't mean they couldn't be GIVEN away FREE.
If you buy a new ebike from Lenny today, you get a free rear bumper/receiver rack. Made from recycled Firenzes?
Those three bobble-heads are gonna give me nightmares. I can't un-see it... Okay, show of hands, confess y'all, how many of you looked for Adam's apples?....
Last edited by madpogue; 02-13-19 at 02:49 PM.
06-23-19, 07:30 PM
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You got pizza? I could listen to this on endless loop; they would've been huge but then the British Invasion happened.
https://youtu.be/RciSEvedXvs
https://youtu.be/RciSEvedXvs
Problem 1: Needs AutoTune, lots of it. Problem 2: The recording quality is poor enough to these trained ears, at least a fifth of Tequila is necessary for it to be listenable, Problem 3: Like most every other vanity Gospel LP ever pressed, none of my tonearms can track heavy enough to play it. This is to records, what these bikes are to bicycles. Poor bottom of the barrel quality, Unsafe at any speed.
