theoriginalpol

Long-time bikeforums lurker. Today I bought my girlfriend a bike for her birthday, so we could ride together more. Never seen or heard of the brand before, thought it was worth posting about.

The Craigslist ad had no real info about it other than calling it a "Ghisallo", which yielded practically zero results online, other than the wooden cycle parts manufacturer. He was only asking $120, so I decided to scope it out. When I got there, sure enough, it reads Ghisallo in broken faded type across the down tube, and on the beercan-esque downstem emblem. The build style of the frame looks very 70's or possibly 80's — it's very light. It rode great and clearly had some good parts on it (Campagnolo derailleur), so I went for it.

Ended up taking it home for $110. After comparing it to my '87 Peugeot, it is noticeably faster and more responsive. I feel like I might have gotten a great deal, but I still can't find any info about this manufacturer anywhere, so I have no idea. Anybody know anything about this? Photos below.





tl;dr: Bought a strange older bike today, "Ghisallo" brand. Can't find any info about it anywhere. Halp?

juvela

thank you for posting.

the forum had a recent thread on this machine you might wish to see:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...and-bikes.html

perhaps you would like to add your observations and photos to the discussion.

theoriginalpol

Thanks Juvela, no idea how I missed that (I promise I searched first!!). I'll pipe in.

3speedslow

Again, sorry for your loss and the GF's loss.

theoriginalpol

The irony was the worst part... literally as I was sitting inside writing this thread, someone was outside riding off with it (and my Peugeot...)!!
What can you do though (besides lock 'em up every time). At least it wasn't the car


(to everyone who didn't see the other thread, this bike was stolen off my porch hours after buying... will update if it's recovered, otherwise I'm sorry I can't provide anymore info on the bike)

lostarchitect 

Wow, that really stinks. Sorry about that. People are jerks.

KenNC

Here in Raleigh I was just given the twin of that bike, but in blue not orange. Here are some pics, and I note the decal for Tumbleweed Cyclery in Carrboro, NC, which I understand had a good reputation. Not a high-end bike, and a lot of surface rust on the chrome parts, but nothing seems frozen, and the positives, at least for me, are the 3TTT bar & stem, the cable braze-ons, the alloy rims, the quick release hubs, and maybe a bit of local history. Also I noticed the lack of "suicide levers" on the brakes, which I thought unusual for a bike from this era. The seat tube is about 23' center-to-top, and the top tube is about 22.5" center-to-center, which I think will be a good fit (but we shall see). I am going to do a complete disassemble, clean (including oxalic acid bath on lots of parts, for all that surface rust), grease and re-assemble. Got a couple projects ahead of this one so may take some time. Anyway, hope this helps shed some light on a somewhat obscure brand.

juvela

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Thanks so much for posting.

This is the third one of these we have had posted to the forum; all have been in the Carolinas.

There must have been a distributor or bike shop in the area which did one importation somewhere around 1970. All the examples have been very similarly kitted.

If Tumbleweed is still going and convenient to you perhaps you could ask them if they may have been the importer for these. We had another blue Ghisallo posted to the forum earlier. It was also found with a Tumbleweed shop transfer.

The machine's 3TTT stem and bar set is its best component, normally only found on a higher model.

Are you able to read any marking on the hub barrels?

Headset appears to be from Way-Assauto.

Pedal set is Sheffield Corsa Nr. 655. Unless you have a small/narrow foot for your size you will likely be unable to fit your shoe between the inner and the outer "spurs."

Frame's lug set looks like it may be Agrati "CORSA" pattern. Ends set is Agrati also.

Appears there may be a marking in the frame's upper head lug facing forward, is this correct? Looks to begin 76__.

Thanks again for posting.

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Mechanicing tip -

Appears someone has serviced chainset in the past as crankarms are slightly out of registration. Amount is small so it is likely due the cotter pin "cuts" being dissimilar. When you remove them file a bit on the pin with the lighter cut to get it to match the other and the arms will then come into registration when the pins are remounted.

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KenNC

Thanks Juvela for the mechanical tip re the crank arms!
On the hub barrels there is a logo I don't recognize, but it includes an "M" in a circle.
I could not find a marking on the upper head lug but will double check when the light is better.
I'll fix those pedals for the sake of posterity, but will likely swap in something that works for me.
Sadly, Tumbleweed is no longer in business....

juvela

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Do not know what hub manufacturer the "M" in a circle might represent. There is an italian brand of hub called Miche but I do not even know if they were going when your cycle was manufactured. The hubs' quick release levers probably have a name on them. Are you able to read it? Might be something like "BREV STOP."

At one time it was common for italian bikes to come through with the name of the bike stamped into the hub barrel.

So one possibility might be that the "M" refers to the bicycle's actual manufacturer.

Here is a post made in an earlier Ghisallo bicycle thread about a blue example -

https://m.bikeforums.net/showpost.php...5&postcount=33

The bike looked to my eye like a respray. It is a different shade of blue than your machine.

One poster in an earlier thread made mention of having seen a green one.

Suspect your cycle's chainset may be OMG brand. When you open the bottom bracket assembly see if there is a marking in the centre section of the spindle. Two likely ones are an "OMG" in an oval recess and a simple capital letter "C."

Below are some images of your model of pedal and headset -

Bikerider007 

I wonder if they are the same as Ghisallo wood wheels. Those are very nice. These were probably made for them if so. Odd that both bikes have a filed down lug point on the down tube to make it flat. Not real attractive.

juvela

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Name use/connection discussed in this forum thread -


https://m.bikeforums.net/showthread.p...light=ghisallo


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berlool

Hi everyone!
I found a 4th Ghisallo few weeks ago... Again in NC
I'm french living in Carrboro, NC for only 3 years, so don't known much about this Tumbleweed cyclery except it doesn't exist anymore.
I'll try to ask around in case someone know what were these bikes.

I'm gonna star working on mine.
Maybe gonna need a respray...
Don't have a Campagnolo group to put on it but I have a full Shimano 600 Arabesque group in my parts that could work


As I picked it up for free

rustystrings61 

I'm working from memory here, but I think Tumbleweed Cyclery in Carrboro, NC, was a shop located in a converted old house. They did LOTS of bikes for students at UNC Chapel Hill, and there was a very funky vibe to the place, very much early 70s hippieness, dirt, creaky hardwood floors with wide planks. I only remember being in that shop once, maybe in 1976? Clearest memories were that they had multiple Raleigh Tourists that looked old to me even then and several bikes that appeared to be about scrounging the most bang for the buck. Like, people who knew bikes and appreciated them and weren't as hung up on brand names.

The Ghisallo reminds me a lot of the A. Camera brand bikes sold out of the Blue Wheel in Charlottesville, VA - Velox rear and Valentino front derailleurs, Ballila centerpulls, Gnutti large-flange q/r hubs, cottered cranks. Knowing what I know today I shoulda gotten one, but I had absorbed the Kool-Aid that a swaged Sugino Maxy 3-arm was superior. Insert comment about cluelessness of youth here.

There were some funky distribution deals in those years - all the Ghisallos seen here appear to have come out of the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area, kinda like how the only Liberias turning up in SC appear to be from Columbia. College town thing, too.