petandbikes

These are the drop-outs on my vintage Bottecchia. With the way there made looks like track ?!?!?!? I would like to know more about this system and history. With these pics, someone out there that can help PLEASE.100_1355.jpg100_1343.jpgphpmX85kRPM.jpgphpSfRLSxPM.jpgBottecchia front wheel.jpg

Amani576

Possibly some sort of proprietary hub was required for it. Seems needlessly complicated.
-Gene-

BlankCrows

Looks like that hub is right there in that last photo. How about more photos of that hub. Is there any name on it anywhere? And what does that say next to the "brevete" on the dropout? I'm looking in The Dancing Chain, but nothing so far. Is one of the front dropouts different on that bike too?

unterhausen

can you repack the bearings without taking anything apart with those hubs? There was a bike like that in "The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bikes"

petandbikes

hub pics coming up, the front drop out piece missing is broken, both are alike..... what u see on the pics for name,, is for now??? sorry!!!!! looks like a " M" and the brevete after.. i will get more info soon!!!

petandbikes

front hub

Mos6502

Looks like an attempt at a quick release wheel. Not sure how you would adjust chain tension though.

Kommisar89

Hmmm...Magistroni perhaps? They would have been a big Italian player at the time.

ilikebikes

may have been state of the art at the time. Maybe in comp with the quickrelease? quickrelease won?

unterhausen

now you're going to make me scan through "Golden Age..." for the bike that had hubs like that. I think the advantage was being able to overhaul your hubs as you waited for your order at the cafe.

On edit: the bike I was thinking of is on page 35 of the 2nd edition, an "Integral." It's very similar, but not exactly the same.

Fletch521

Or a dead end.

Italian's do strange stuff sometimes

petandbikes

from what i can see!, they must of have 4 chain pre-adjusted for each gears**********??? BECAUSE I think this bike was use for track back them. So 4 races and 4 chains**********?

petandbikes

Kalisse de tabarnac!!!!!!!!! where do you get these info************************************************************??? thank's kommisar

Mr. Fly

Interesting design. Looks like a combination of a Maverick Quickflip quick release mechanism and what appears to be an early implementation of outboard cartridge bearings for hubs!

Kommisar89

Some folks over on the CR list were able to provide a bit of information about these dropouts. Here's a summary of that conversation for those not following over there:

...I dont have the Data Book but I have copies of the drawings from Le Cycle done by an amateur here in the UK. The drawing of the dropouts is from January 1949 "Ala Mostra de Milan". The quote for the drawing reads "Le moyeu O.M.V. et ses roulements annulaires qui viendront s'encastrer dans les alveoles des pattes de fourche"...

...The dropouts and hubs are probably sold as units to frame builders. The quick release (blocage) is effected by the pivoting bearing holder with its tension bolts. The annular bearings are sealed by the 'alveoles' or sideplates on the dropouts.

Here's the drawing from the Data Book (thanks Stronglight):

Fletch521

The hub O.M.V. and its bearing ring which will be embedded in the cells of dropouts

petandbikes

May i ask, what is CR???? I have "studid" the wheel set: front wheel is original w/all parts xpect tire and back wheel has been re-lace w/ CCM spokes, only 4 spokes original. WELL this wheel set & drop-outs have got me facinated and freak out. There is 1 thing that ive seen about the bearing system. The collar of the bearings is being use everyday by diffrent sports. best exemple is skateboard and rollerblade bearings..It's the same system! Would u have any recomendationS for this newbie in restorations?

Merci,

bigbossman 

https://www.classicrendezvous.com/

luker

Not quite the same in operation, but clearly the same manufacture. I am always amazed at what the CR guys know. I think that petandbikes needs to post the rest of the pictures...I don't understand the gearing arrangement as described...four chains?

cudak888 

I'd wager that the front dropouts on that Bottecchia are identical to the photo - different Q/R design for each dropout.

-Kurt

petandbikes

Hey Kurt,

Both drop-out's on the Bottecchia ARE the same and yes you would of won you're wager!

T-Mar

What did I miss? I don't see four chains mentioned anywhere.

This is an ingenious design for the era. There's no need to remove the freewheel for bearing maintenance. Bearing removal and maintenance appears to accomplished with only a large, slotted screwdriver. There's no apparent cone adjustment. The hubs would be very simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Offhand, the only apparent drawback is the introduction of dirt during tire repair, and that's assuming there wasn't a rubber seal which has disappeared. And of course, it wouldn't be as quick as Camapgnolo's design for racing applications, which is probably why it didn't catch on.

Charles Wahl

There's a bike with dropout-mounted bearings in Jan Heine's Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles; I don't know if they're the same type -- will check when I get home. I believe that the advantage cited was ease of maintenance, as T-Mar said.

garage sale GT

If that's a track bike maybe they didn't want axles sticking out so there'd be less stuff to get tangled on somebody else's machine.

cudak888 

That would be the 1938/39 Intégral. The concept and the mechanics of the Q/R system are roughly the same, but the design is noticeably different.

-Kurt