Since Guerciotti has been a hot subject, let's see if someone can answer this question. I bought a frame identified as a Guerciotti Jet a couple of years ago. It was Columbus SL and looked no different from any other Guerciotti SL frame of the period around 1978 to around 1982. But it had decals indicating JET on the top tube and the non-drive chain stay. Anyone know about them? They seem to pop up from time to time.

Looks like a Guerciotti GLX (SLX tubing + braze-on FD mount) more then a GL (SL tubing, no braze-on mount). Have no idea as to the Jet designation.

-Kurt

That is a good point, but the remains of the decal indicated SL tubing.

Interesting.

-Kurt

Test, don't guess, since the BB is out, feel for the ridges in the seat and or down tube. Don't trust the painter to label it right. Do remember that SLX was the answer to the problem of tube wall flexing at the braze on mount. The first bikes I worked on used SL and or SP, the SL tubed bikes with the stamped braze on derailluer mount were terrible, the flex was extremely visible upon shifting.

Lynn, that 'JET' sticker or decal looks like some previous owner slapped it on in true DIY-spirit, nothing like any known Guerc-fonts, IYAM.

I apologize as I should have answered Kurt's comment about SL vs SLX more definitively. I know it was SL. I no longer have the frame, but there was no rifling. It had a Cinelli BB shell if that is any help.

I thought that might be the case also, but other Guerciotti Jet frames have popped up on ebay from time to time and Sheldon has a reference on his Seatpost Data page. Sheldon's site gives a 1982 date. I tried contacting those selling their Jets and got no new information. When I originally queried about the frame on CR a couple of years ago, I don't think I got one reply. The CR archives make reference to an article in Bicycling July 1982 comparing it and several other Italian bikes with Japanese steel.

Weird! Nothing like their other model names (usually only the Columbus tubing and/or Campy group used) -not to mention the fact I don't recall seeing model names on any of their older bikes... Maybe the American importer had something to do with it? (I gather they sprayed the frames they imported)

I did notice,however, that the chainstay paintjob treatment between the paint and the chrome is different then most other Guerciottis I've seen. Is this typical of all the JET models you've seen, Lynn?

-Kurt

Are you referring to the scallop look? I can't say as I do not recall. I never thought to look at that.

Here I am reviving an old thread...one I started...for two reasons.

First I have an answer to the question. What is/was a Guerciotti Jet. Answer below:



Second. I now own the frame again. It came up as a SS on local Craigs and I offered to buy it back for what I sold it. Buyer accepted. So it is now in the basement getting a bath to remove all the grunge. Should be a fun project.

Cool!!!!

I recall reading an interview with framebuilder Mark Zeh, where he stated that the Jet was the bike that started him on frame building. He had owned one and the geometery (75 degree headangle according to him) was too aggressive, so he decided to build his own frame.

Gosh, I wish i'd been aware of this thread when you first posted. They used to sell them at Bloor Cycle in the mid-1980s and I had a friend with one. I could have saved you a bit of anxiety.

No anxiety. Just curious as to what I had in hand. I did find out today that there is rifling in the steerer. The inside was so dirty that it was concealed until I gave it a bath.

I purchased a new Guerciotti Jet frame in 1982, it was silver, from a bike shop in Philly. I don't remember the JET decal being as obvious as the one in your first photo. I can't remember exactly where the decal was located though. I have had people question me that they didn't think that "Jet" was an official Guerciotti model, but it certainly was. The frame cost just under $600.00.

according to the info T-Mar posted the "Jet" only came in Burgandy so you may have had a different model.


OK so the only thing that makes this a Jet is the parralell HT/ST at 74d?

My memory is bad, but it's not that bad . . . yet. It was definitely a silver/grey "Jet", purchased with high school graduation money in 1982. I know there were only a few color choices and the LBS in Philly had to order the frame. The Jet nomenclature was on the frame somewhere, I just can't remember exactly where.

I did not share the page from the Bulgier site that showed the frame only section. It was offered in Lapis Blue. According to that catalog, the HT is 75 and the ST is 74. I think one should always remember that catalogs are not always the most accurate information. Things change from publication to actual delivery of product. T-Mar's info shows a chrome fork where the Bulgier catalog and my own frame were painted with a chrome fork crown. Note the pista version is offered with a full chrome fork. As for the designation Jet appearing on the frame, while mine does have it, the designation does not appear on the frames in either catalog example.

And there is this from the Hemmings motor news blog. Look on the TT near the seat post.

Hello All,

I still have my old Guerciotti Jet. Mine is a 1981 or '82 60cm, purchased from Cycle Goods in Minneapolis, MN. Mine is BMW Blue (I also had the option of burgundy & there were even-more colors available on order) and features Columbus SL tubing stickers.

I believe that the "Jet" stickers on the pictured frame were added by one of the former owners, rather than at the factory.

I base this on a few personal observations:

1. I have never seen this before. It is not on my frameset and was not on any of the other framesets that I saw. I had spent quite a lot of time studying Guerciottis, before I parted with the then-to-me-major amount of cash to buy mine

2. After I bought mine and rode it a while, I spent a lot of time studying every Guerciotti I could find, in order to try to understand why mine behaved like it did (probably still does-- I should pull it out of storage and see whether the years have mellowed it)

3. I still have a set of respray decals for my bike and there is no "Jet" logo in the sticker set.

Frame component specifications for these bicycles varied quite a lot, based on what was available at the time in the factory in which they were built (I believe these were contracted to Antonio Mondonico).

Peculiarities of my frameset include:

a. SP seat tube (evidenced by the 27.0 Super Record seatpost). Perhaps the 1.0mm thickness at the bottom is the reason that I never noticed the front derailleur tab flex reported by another reader

b. straight-guage steerer tube in the fork. The steerer in my fork is not marked with the columbus dove (stamped into steerers in old columbus tubesets) and does not feature the internal rifling from columbus fork steerers. Additionally, the internal diameter of the fork steerer is 22.2mm at the bottom, indicating that there is no thicker section. I suppose they had to ship their stuff and couldn't get steerers from Columbus in time, so... This fork is quite light and I've suffered no deleterious effects over the years...

I should photograph and measure mine again. As I recall, the seat tube is 72 degrees, the top tube is 60 cm, and the head tube is 75.5 degrees with 3.5mm of fork rake to reel the front end back in. The result is a very harsh road feel, but the quick steering is mitigated by the long-ish wheelbase and front/rear weight distribution. Complicated, but inspiring! I suppose it would behoove me to do some boxing training and ride the L'Eroica with this.

Anyway-- If you have a nice one, I think these were among the prettiest bicycles of their era. I hope you have the pantographed components, too. This really added to the flash and coolness of italian bikes of the time.

Best Regards,
Mark

After reading through the complete Guerciotti Jet thread again:

1. Angles will always vary by frame size and jig setup. There are/were various cycling federation specifications for the wheelbase and allowed lengths of the various parts of the frameset-- catalogs are almost-never right with this. This was my big "surprise," when I first got out my angle finders and measured my frameset.

2. My Guerciotti Jet also has a chromed cinelli CC fork crown, with brazed-on tabs with star-shaped cutouts. All dropouts are chromed and are masked off. The right side chainstay of my Jet is masked off. The masking line is "scalloped," but there is no pinstriping at the masking line on the stay. There are some shaky yellow pinstripes, where the seatstays join the rear dropouts.

3. Guerciotti track framesets from this era generally featured fully-chromed forks, with semi-sloping fork crowns (Actually the road forks were fully-chromed, but only the crown and dropouts were polished, so the blades were painted).

4. The Pista framesets often featured bulge-formed and welded bottom bracket shells, with a large star cutout. Road framesets of the era featured Cinelli CCM Bottom Bracket shells, in italian threading.

5. Columbus SLX and SPX did not come onto the market until 1984, or so. As I understand the evolution, some builders (I don't know who) were asking Columbus to also rifle the seat tube, to strengthen it. (A road frameset fatigue failure almost-always starts at one of three points: a. on the right side of the seat tube, right where it joins the bb shell b. on the underside of the downtube, at the point of the lower head lug c. the right dropout breaks, where it joins the right chainstay). This was probably also in reaction to the additional fatigue strength needed because of the fad of adding the front derailleur braze on. Columbus then turned this into a full tubeset.

Best Regards, Mark

Mark..re: Jet stickers.

I cannot agree with you on that. I have seen several of these frames with that same sticker in the same places. Too many for it to be individuals doing it. Perhaps this was a particular run?