Originally Posted by
Picchio Special
I'm going to toss in my .02, though it may not be worth much on this topic, but then no one else has weighed in, so at least I'll pop the thread back to the first page, where someone else may see it.
As to the ID, it does look like it could be a Frejus. OTOH, I think it could be a bunch of other stuff - a number of builders used that seatcluster style in the 40's. The lugs also look like they could be the work of a number of builders - I don't recall Frejus having those points on the headlugs, but then I haven't seen Freji from that period. The crown is the part that looks most Frejus-like to me, with the pointless sides and the slot. But I think nailing down a definitive ID on a Cambio Corsa frame from this era may be nigh on impossble (and I don't use the word "nigh" in a sentence lightly).
As to the dropouts and the shifters, Kurt may be right. The dropout-seatstay junction looks pretty rough, like it might have been ex-post-factory. OTOH, it would have been much more common - and indeed fairly common, I believe - for a frame originally designed for a C-C set-up to be used with a derailleur set-up later in its life, i.e. a Simplex 5-speed and double chainwheel. (I can't tell from the pics if those look like Simplex bosses or not.) In this case, the bosses would have been added later and the frame repainted,and the original dropouts retained. Anyway, if I'm wrong, at least I gave the more knowledgeable a chance to spread their wisdom, so I'm off the hook.
I agree the headlug points are odd, but I was just reminded by another member to never say never. It's too bad you could get the frame "cheap" but I don't think the remaider of the restoration would be worth the expence.