Who has pics of Firenze bikes. They are really low end, but I am curious to see who has one. I am considering buying one as a beater and doing some upgrades to the drivetrain.

Don't. The frames have a reputation for cracking and catastrophic failure -- something about the steel tubes being handled improperly during the manufacturing process, and so the steel is weaker/brittle. There are scores of other bikes that will be a better base for a project.

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many cycle shops refuse to service them due to poor quality & possible liability issues


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I had heard people calling them "kid killers", but I thought that was an overdramatization about them being department store bikes with cheap, stamped steel side pull brakes. I hear people saying department store bikes of any kind are so Dangerous and you're gonna die riding them.

Is it just that brand or is it all department store bikes? There's a lot of shops that say they won't service any bike that came from a department store. Or is there someone about the vintage Murray and Huffy road bikes that are better?

I wrenched in a bike shop in the SF Bay Area when the Firenze bikes were given away with a stereo purchase at Matthew’s Electronics (Top of the Hill, Daly City). We didn’t refuse to work on them, but they were truly terrible, essentially impossible to make safe without switching out most components.

I was planning on getting rid of the Falcon derailleurs and shifters and replacing them with whatever low end Shimano or Suntour stuff I have hoarded after converting some other cheap bikes to singlespeeds.

When I worked at the local co op, I parted out some Firenze road bikes and worked on a Fils Tour Du Mond road bike (pretty much a Firenze, but rebranded) and those Falcon front derailleur cages were always shredded due to the thin, cheap steel

Please find something else. I worked at a shop on Long Island NY back in the day. These were given away by retailers when you'd buy a stereo or something. They were terrible. Keep looking; you'll find something!

Even a low-end Japanese bike having all steel hubs, rims and even brake calipers(!) would be a far better investment of effort simply because of the Firenze's serious quality-control issues.

Not to say that people haven't gotten useful mileage out of these Firenze bikes, but I would sooner ride a basic, proven Huffy or Murray myself.

I have seen a few at the local co op looked like they were upgrading in the 2000s or 2010s and were used as a commuter for a long time.

When you can often find an old Raleigh, Centurion, Nishiki etc for well under $100, why would you want to get a Firenze?

I may - may - forgive you some day for dragging memories of Matthew's out of deep storage.

But I may not.

No, I could swear there was a discussion about how the steel used for the tubes had not cooled properly and was dangerously brittle, or something to that effect, but I cannot find any of that discussion. It was unique to Firenze. Am I imagining that? Honestly can't find it.

30-some years ago, I used to work with his son, who was a serious cyclist. He did NOT ride a Firenze.

EDIT: Matthews was like our version of NYC's Crazy Eddie ("He's practically giving it all away!")

OK, I may be the only one, but I am now really looking forward to seeing grant40 build a Firenze with Campy SR.

They didn't pass U.S. safety standards so couldn't be sold. They were given away when you bought a stereo, washing machine, fridge, etc.

grant40:

I also volunteer at a co-op rebuilding bikes. Firenzes have a bad name for a reason. At least some of them were worse than regular box-store bikes. The few I have seen looked pretty terrible, but somebody above says the later models were a little better.

I would be more afraid of one that looked new than one that had been ridden a lot--if it lasted this long without falling apart then the frame is probably not going to just collapse.

If you're rebuilding bikes at a local co-op then you're probably around the 90th percentile of practical knowledge about crappy bikes on this forum. If you really want to do this then inspect carefully as you disassemble and use your judgment.

To the left. Hanging on the pillar.
Shop owner has had it hanging there for like a decade. Sounds like the best use for it.

The "pocket fisherman" of bicycles.

More like the "Yugo" of bikes.

TV Lenny of American of Madison used to give them away in literal truckloads every year in the 80's!

I used to volunteer as a bike mechanic at a non-profit that would teach people to work on their bikes and repair donated bikes for sale to keep the shop going. One of the mechanics was starting to work on a Firenza for resale. I told him about them not passing safety standards. The bike went straight to the recycling pile.

I remember the annoying commercials for 'Popeil's Pocket Fisherman'. You would have to have pretty deep pockets to fit one in your pocket.

I love my Firenze, it's a 2004 Litespeed and I hear its namesake Florence Italy is lovely.