I am a collector of Legnano bicycles and I could use some help in understanding how to identify/date the different releases of the Campy aluminium seat post that reportedly was first launched in 1958. Needless to say that photo references would be the most helpful. Thanks.

Try this page on Velobase. Hope it helps.

Dinner and a movie is traditional.

Italians you must ask the father first.

I start with the 'minimum insertion line' and go from there.

No line = pre '73
Line = '73-

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My snide post earlier probably was not helpful.

This site has copies of Campy catalogs.

Catalogues | Campagnolo Archive | Retrobike

Unfortunately when most people photograph a bike they are not going to have close-ups of the seat post details. But you will see on the early 60's 2-bolt Record posts the lettering on the back is smaller. The stampings for logo and lettering are deep and clean. And the transition at the head is usually cleaner and slightly concave where it first necks up.

Try searching though Flickr looking at 60's bikes you should find some examples.

Thanks. the note on the lettering will be particularly helpful. Overall it sounds like the Campy seat post did not change much from '58 through the 1960's. What I have been trying to determine is if/when Campy made a tooling change on this component?

I would guess that a tooling change was made when the part no longer met Italian standards.

Tooling, like other bicycle components, wear out. The only way to determine any changes would be mostly anecdotal at this point. The catalogues are of no help in this, and memories fade.

Thank you!

Have observed this as well and often wondered what the year of change was from these attractive cleanly marked pillars to the next generation of 1044. Guessing somewhere in the vicinity of '67-'68. Have not checked the timeline for this information.

What do our resident Tulliana experts have to say on the matter?

Top part of older Campy seatposts were "sway backed". This allowed for a larger amount of angle adjustment fro seat tubes from 69° to 76°.

The newer posts hat a flat top section. Not a good photo but you can see the area between the rail clamps.

verktyg

Chas.

Thanks for that VERKTYG, exactly the type of information that I was looking for. I have a couple of bikes in the mid to late 60's timeline that I know were not tampered with so this will let me hone in on the year that Campagnolo retooled this component. Time to take some saddles off and see what is what. Thanks again.

vertyg, you are giving away a concours judge's secrets.

The top trusses changed a bit too, thankfully all the parts are interchangeable and often hidden from view.

In my book, having a slightly earlier part on a bike is allowable as these parts were not dated, functioned the same, stock was sometimes bought in large qty. and stayed on the shelf before use for a long time.

I might just have to yank out the post on my early 60's bike to take a pic of the really small lettering stamp on the back of the post. I don't think I see such an example on Velobase. Unless I missed it.

Well, having asked the question I suppose it is fair to do some of the work. This is a picture of the Campy seatpost fitted to a 1966/67 Legnano Roma that I am certain is original to the bike. To VERTYG's post, and ROOTBOY, the top of this seatpost has a 'swayed back' and the 'Patent Campagnolo' stamping does appear to be smaller than some others in the part's bin that may be later production.

Next I will pull the seatpost from a late 1950's Roma and post the photos.

The small stampings shown were good till about '68-'69. Stock remained in the distribution system for quite a while.
In '74 we were still receiving these in the uncommon sizes.

This Campy seat post is on a 1958-1959 Legnano Roma with the narrow rail Brooks B17 Campagnolo Model saddle. The groove in the tail of the seat pin is interesting. Not sure if it continues around the to the top of the pin or what purpose it served?



Also for reference, the first Campagnolo seat post (c.1956) with a steel pin, predating the release of the all aluminum version in 1958.

I will have to weigh mine, the Aluminum posts are lighter, but not as much lighter than one would think.
Sad truth the steel post probably is 30% of the value of the bike to which it belongs.

The groove would make it lighter, no?

I unwittingly bought one of these for $37 in about 1975 on closeout at a Schwinn shop, took quite awhile to get a seat mounted and figure out why.

Still have the box but the post was stolen with the Raleigh SC it was attached too long ago right out of the tavern with me across the room.

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have in me cartons of Arregui bits a Nicky (ZEUS) marked ferrous pillar of this pattern

have not found a date for it, one would think it a copy of the Tullio and hailing from the late 1950's, but that of course just conjecture...


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