Freqman1

These are the rims that came on my '48 Bianchi Folgore. A squarish profile and they are for tubulars. I'm thinking either Ghisallo, Fratelli, or D 'Allessandro. Are there any 'tells' for these brands? Thanks, Shawn

rhm

To be sure, I don't know who made your rims!

But another maker you should know about was Vianzone in Torino.

I trust you know this thread: https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/al...s-marks.56709/

Freqman1

Yep I read it--guess I missed that one. The real reason I ask this question is because my next step would be to hunt or have made the appropriate decal. V/r Shawn

rhm

Yeah, I did not expect to be ahead of you on this, but it never hurts to point out the obvious! Speaking of which, Cyclomondo has this:

CYCLOMONDO - Various rim frame hub & other




I like this, but I don't think they made wood rims....

Freqman1

Thanks I contacted Gus who doesn't have any of these done. I may just take the path of least resistance with the D.A.M. decals even though, visually, they aren't as appealing as some of the others. V/r Shawn

63rickert

I sure can't give you any positive ID. What I do see is they are fairly tall rims, which was not the usual way back in 1948. Tall says modern re-creation. Except these rims are laminated rather than one-piece. So they have to be old. When I started riding back in the 60s most of the old guys continued to prefer wood rims. There were still a few being raced at Northbrook and Kenosha. Never saw a set so tall as yours. They also look at first glance to be in terrific condition for an old wood rim. Keep them varnished and enjoy.

T-Mar

While wood rims look nice on older bicycles, they are not necessarily period correct. Specifications for Folgoremodels in 1940s Bianchi catalogues state "cerchi in lega leggera", which translates as "light alloy rims". Certainly, period photos show the team issue bicycles having aluminum rims.

Freqman1

I translated the Bianchi cats I could find online and you are correct about the factory offering being alloy rims. That said the wood look cool and I'm going to run these until I get a pair of correct alloy rims. If someone knows for sure what the original rims looked like (and maker?) I'd appreciate the info. V/r Shawn

T-Mar

While the catalogues of the era doe not specify the rims, the evidence points to Nisi. All the extant Bianchi bicycles ridden by Coppi have Nisi rims. Attached are pictures of what is reported to be Coppi's 1946 Folgore. The 2nd item on the placard reads "Cerchi Nisi in alluminio". Also, it is widely known that Coppi used Nisi rims in winning the 1953 World Championships, after which Nisi designated the model Corsa Campione del Mondo.

Freqman1

Thanks now at least I have an idea of what to hunt. Does anyone have any close-ups? Eyelets/no eyelets? decal? If anyone has a set of these early hoops to sell please contact me. V/r Shawn

T-Mar

The OEM rims had serrated sidewalls but did not have eyelets. Availability continued well into the 1980s but by that point their popularity was low. If there were any changes to the decal, it was relatively subtle.

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