Road Fan

T-mar, I was never disputing your general statements about the market at that time, which as you point out are substantiated by the data you found (link?). I meant to state that my recollection seems to differ. I also meant to state that my recollection can be faulty. I don't plan to search out any data that would challenge your point, so I can't disprove your claims, nor prove mine.

Your statements assume that bike companies always shipped in accordance with the sales literature. I would tend to doubt there were no exceptions to that assumption.

Road Fan

T-Mar

Sorry, there is no link. The source is my own literature, though there are good sites for Gitane, Peugeot and Raleigh which should have catalogs you can review. I believe CR has a boom era Atala advert showing their lineup. There may be some other odds and ends.

My statements do not assume that bicycles always matched the specs. I specifically allowed for cases of substititions, both due to shortages and importer/distributor preference. During the boom the vast majority of cases that I saw fell in the shortages category, with subsequent shipments reverting to spec'd components. Importer/distributor preference seemed to involve far fewer cases, but I suspect that in the end it was the importers that drove the full scale changeover to Japanese components, based on LBS' observations of the growing consumer preference for Japanese models.

No doubt, for whatever reason, there were some cases of Japanese components on European bicycles during the boom, but these were few and far enough between to be considered atypical of the European industry.

Edit: Certainly, there is enough objective evidence to indicate that the OP's bicycle is typical of an Italian, boom era offering. While it could date slightly earlier, the relative sales volume during the two periods make it more likely that it is boom era than pre-boom. Assuming the Valentino Extra is original, the bicycle cannot date as far back as 1966, as you suggest, as this model was not introduced until 1969.

gabriel.picard

hey guys!
found this old Torpado thread and thought it could be of assistance to me!

I'm shopping around for an old bike for weekend trips and stumbled upon this one, which fits my price range.
Is this bike worth anything?

Kommisar89

Define "anything". It is most certainly worth something. Somewhere between $50 and $1200. Now as to why that is... Vintage Italian boom period bikes with lots of chrome command a premium over many other similar bikes. In absolute terms it is a very basic boom period bike. It's not the bottom of the line but it's nothing special. Really there aren't many clean C&V bikes these days that go for $50 but some folks just can't seem to understand the difference between a lucky find at a yard sale and the price that a bike would go for at fair market value in a forum like eBay or Craig's List in a major market. So, that is a very nice riding bike if a bit heavy (probably around 27-lbs), appears to be in very nice shape, and is quite flashy with lots of chrome. My guess (and it is only a guess though one based on watching eBay sales for quite a while) is that it would probably go for $200-$300 on eBay. And yes, those who say you could buy a better bike for that money are correct. You could find any number of Japanese bikes from the 80's for that much or less that would be far superior. So why would that bike command such a premium? Probably because it's very clean, very flashy looking and because many late 40-ish to mid 50-ish year old cyclists rode something like it in the early 70's or wanted to and have the disposible income to buy their childhood back. At least one similar bike in near mint condition went for $1200 last year and I'm pretty sure another one went for $2100 more recently but I don't recall for sure. If you can purchase it for less that $200 I'd say your getting a very good deal.

conspiratemus1

Eyewitness account: In 1972 the bike boom reached the small city in Ontario where I lived as teenager. My sister and I both bought Peugeot UO-8s with our part-time job money but my rich girlfriend had to have something just a little fancier. She bought a Torpado and had to let everyone know that hers "had better gears".

Now, she and I were of different religious backgrounds in a time and place where that mattered a lot more to parents than it does now (I hope?), making me persona non grata around her place. So we would meet, on our bikes, on the outskirts of town and ride around on the country roads to have our time together through that long glorious summer before I left for university. I got to know that Torpado really well and I can say with authority that the OP's bike (yeah, I know, a 2008 thread) is an early '70s Torpado. Gabriel.picard's is too.

gabriel.picard

imported by Baggio in Montreal.... guessing in the early 70's.
i saw the sticker when I went to look at the bike yesterday. it is in great shape but once i took it for a ride, i could see that the parts aren't the best. plus it's very heavy (steel rims). i guess this is what they call the gas pipe boom era bike!
I'm looking for a long distance bicycle.

Thanks guys!

LgReno

Thanks for the ancedote conspiratemus1 . I had thus far estimated my torpado to be a '68 and now I'll possibly bump that up to '72.

Since my torpado's first pics and comments by other members earlier on in the thread I have completely stripped it from all its components, scrubbed and cleaned them, removed all paint and applied 3 coats of primer, 4 coats of colour and 2 clear coats all by rattle can. The work was done last summer. I still didnt have time to take pics of the final product which is now sitting in the garage with an old brooks saddle and w/o the dork disc and kickstand. That was my first "paint job" and i think it turned out real fine.

Soon ill post a separate thread on that with more pics.

Im going to keep it to bike to the gym and to get a coffee once in a while nearby. I feel very intellectual when i ride this one for some reason. Also... its really too big for me to begin with.

Paint stripped, w/ masking tape (which worked really well... especially for the intricate lugs)

After last clear coat

close up of tough area

and.... a before and after shot or the breaks



and uh.. in case your wondering, i got new break pads too... so i think im pretty covered now

montrealer

First hand with Torpado - bought mine in 1973 from Baggio's on St-Larent Street in Little Italy. Paid $143.00 back in the day.

Steel cranks with cotter, Universal brakes, Campi, etc. Used and abused it for many a year. Was bicycle messanger for Rapicom in 1982. Rode it all summer long in downtown Montreal. Upgraded crank and brakes to Shimano 600 in 1983.

Great bike - still have it in garage aftercall these years. - it currently needs help!

randyjawa 

I have owned about a dozen Torpado bicycles, most from the late Sixties and early seventies. These older Torpados include...

The Yellow Torpado that sold for well over $1000.00...


The all chrome Five Speed Torpado that sold for well over $600.00...



Another all chrome Torpado that sold for over $500.00...


Finally, my recently acquired 1984 Torpado Super Racing that is so different from any of the above. I have turned down $850.00...


These old Italian bikes offer a nice ride quality and scream vintage at the top of their lungs (or what ever). Someone looking for an old road bicycle to ride around could do worse, in my opinion.

torpado Rep Arg

Like that torpado, the crome on the forks is impecable, WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE DECALS********************
I´m restoring my Torp and could use the same decals on the fork!
Carlo from Argentina

al futura

Your bike looks like a late, late seventies. Baggio sold lots of those. i owned a few Torpados. The first one had a 5 speed Gian Robert derailleur and chrome fenders. Your bike has the Campy Valentino, therefore a late seventies. It has the original spoke protector and bike stand. The original plastic seat was covered with a mattressed patter which was as uncomfortable as it was ugly. They also came with a brown tool bag attached to the seat with tire irons. The man who managed the shop was Baggio’s brother in law. Unfortunately he died young and the business was sold and they stopped importing the bikes. Torpado still exists in Italy and they still make bikes and scooter.Torpado is a contraction of Torsini and Padua, the city in Italy. I now own a mint 1953 model, but I have also owned a Superlight, which was state of the art in ’74, Columbus tubing, Campy drop outs Nuovo Record drilled and flutes seat post. Just like a Colnago of the same era. I used to ride with the old man Baggio and his in law. Nice people. It’s a shame the store is gone too.