I have a 10 speed Doniselli which was purchased by my father-in-law in 1948. I will be grateful for help in understanding more about it including year of manufacture.

[MENTION=548294]Hooperman[/MENTION] - Welcome! You might want to post pictures in your gallery found on your profile. Others can then post in this thread while responding.

As I wrote in the other thread, Doniselli did catalog sales of parts since at least 1927. The catalogs were very comprehensive, carrying not only components, but also frame building supplies and tools. They also carried their own house-brand bicycles. I have no idea who they used as builders.

In 1948 your father-in-law did not purchase a 10-speed bike, they did not exist. In 1948 (and prior), at best Doniselli sold a 4-speed race bike. Below is an image from their 1948/1949 catalog with the 2 race bikes they sold. One featuring a Simplex Tour de France derailleur, the other featuring a Campagnolo cambio corsa derailleur. Your father-in-law likely modified the bike at a later time and put on different derailleurs to make it a 10 speed.

You, sir, never cease to amaze me.

Agreed. Impressive!

I like how all 3 bikes have the same crank positioning. Proper advertising.

Speaking of Doniselli, this just popped up on my ebay.it feed. Lots of other Cicli Doniselli stuff on ebay, but a mini Cicli Doniselli anvil is such a weird promotional, it caught my eye.

https://www.ebay.it/itm/115159453373...wAAOSwDYJgT56q

Pics, please!

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one of the first tools purchased when commenced cycle work in 1970 was a Doniselli truing stand

ordered it from Gene Portuesi's CycloPedia in Michigan

a very simple affair made of angle iron

there was no base/stand for it; designed to be clamped into a bench vise

the photo used to illustrate it looked like it was from the 1930's or 1940's

it showed a boy of about fourteen or fifteen seated on a stool at a workbench truing a wheel

here it is in a catalogue of 1966; i ordered from a later catalogue where it was identified as a Doniselli -

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the OP has now begun a second thread on the machine

this time we have one image:

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https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/ho...iselli.206444/


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https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/ho...4/post-1420087



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We have something in common! In December of 1971, I drove up from Niles, MI to Cadillac where Portuesi moved his shop from Detroit to get one of those Doniselli wheel truing stands for $6.50. My graduate classes in education were in the evening so I did the round trip during the day. That summer I had come back from teaching in Japan and when I detoured through Hong Kong I bought a set of Campy high flange hubs for $17 a pair. Gene sold me a pair of Yellow Label rims and Robergel spokes to match those hubs. Using his wheel building description he wrote in his Cycle-Pedia, I was able to build my 1st set of wheels. I took my time and fiddled with the adjustment. That set of wheels still run true and I still use the truing stand. I've built hundreds of wheels on that stand.

It is a very clever if simple design. The upright arms are flexible enough to hold a 100mm front wheel or up to 135mm rear wheel. The cross bar holding the little disc can be pushed up to just touch bottom of the rim for roundness. I go by sound and by its design it just hits the most out-of-round part of the rim. The little disc moves sideways for side to side adjustment. I took a copy of this truing stand to Ukraine. We also have the standard Park wheel truing stand in our little workshop in Bucha. Well at least it was, it might be in Russia now with all the other things they stole from that city. They were much more likely to steal the Park than the Doniselli copy - which would be okay with me since I like the Donisellli way better anyway.

I took this picture of my still in use Doniselli wheel truing stand last night:

^what a tidy workbench you have there!
I have something along those lines, too, but I cannot see it due to a big pile of stuff the wind must have blown in.
And there's a Foredom somewhere under it all, too...a great tool...when I can locate it!

There is a Doniselli 1949/50 catalog for sale at VeloRetro , very nice, Wiel

A 232 pages catalog from 1949 Doniselli