Follis by djk762, on Flickr

Follis by djk762, on Flickr

Follis by djk762, on Flickr

Follis by djk762, on Flickr

Follis by djk762, on Flickr

Follis by djk762, on Flickr

Follis by djk762, on Flickr

Seller stated that this frame came to him with all Campagnolo. Any information on year or model would be appreciated. Thanks.

-D

Beautiful elegant bike!
I can't provide much help except that the lug work and paint are more intricate (and I would guess older)than the Follis bikes that we sold in the shop where I worked in the mid seventies.
Brent

Great frame, colour, lugs, head badge, etc. If you tire of it let me know. Very nice photos. Looking forward to the build. Cheers.

Brad

That looks just like mine! I posted up some pictures of it last week here.

I think your bike is 1975. Also, I think the model is either a 572 or a 672 a not a 762. The bike used "Red" label Reynolds 531 tubing which was a very lightweight tube set. Equipment was full Campy Nuovo Record. Wheels were tubular using Mavic Oro10 rims (weighed 310 grams each). I sold Follis In My store and rode the same bike as yours. Really nice stuff. Have fun.

Thanks all for the information. The frame does feel strangely light. I will weight it before it is built up. Nuovo Record then. I will probably fudge on period correctness regarding the rims as I have become addicted to wider clincher tires.

-D

Really beautiful frame. The lug lining is amazing - sure and elegant without being fussy or perfect. Looking forward to the finished build.

.
...way cool. Building this one up should maintain your level of poverty.

I have an Italian that is too big for me. I think I will make it an organ donor. Then I will trade the frame for one that fits. Then I will need another group. Damn.

-D

I bought a Follis 472 in 1974. It looked just like yours but had Nervex lugs. Follis changed to Prugnat (?) lugs the next year.
They probably ride the same ... which for a Follis of that period, was great (good acceleration, good cornering, solid climbing, fast descents).
472s had fender eyelets while most 572s and no 672s did not.
So yours is probably a 472. That's a good thing as the 572 and 672 had shorter wheelbases and a harsher ride.
A friend of mine, back in the day, had a 572 and the difference in ride was noticeable ... butt he was a sprinter.

Enjoy your bike. Great find.

Amir

Thanks Amir. There is little information out there re:Follis.
I am definitely not a sprinter. Just getting a set of Tipo's laced up for the build and recently acquired an Italian French bottom bracket for her. On the road
with Campagnolo components soon.

-D

Lovely frame. The colors are fantastic. Looking forward to seeing it built up.

Take a look at FOLLIS - Joseph FOLLIS - Marcel FOLLIS - ANCIENS VELOS LYONNAIS
If you don't speak French, Google Translate will help.

There's also a French classic bike forum at Forum Tonton Vélo ? Page d?index
but not much on Follis. It was a very small company.

Amir

nice pics, dj.

Great find -- I have always liked Follis, ever since I worked at a small used bicycle shop and we sold one with FOLLIS cut into the head lugs and a rare nested same-side double Simplex lever set on the downtube. Keep us posted as your rebuild progresses.

Not to sidetrack, but please elaborate on "nested same-side double Simplex lever set". I've never heard of it, but will search.

Envision a traditional Simplex downtube shift lever for the rear derailleur, with a shorter version mounted outboard of it on the same boss. The short outer lever controls the front derailleur, for one-hand shifting. I can't find a picture of one right now, but some of the very early rear derailleurs had used a similar control, with the long lever for standard lateral movement/shifting and the short one for chain tensioning. After single-cable rear derailleur control became the norm, someone evidently thought this would be an interesting dual lever adaptation.

As I noted, this is very rare.

A buddy of mine had one in high school around 73 or 74. A white #172 model if I recall.I had a Raleigh Super Course and his was the first bike I rode that had tubulars.The bike seemed to disappear underneath me. Totally different ride then my bike. After that my Super Course seemed like a Varsity. Mostly attributed to the wheels. He had the metal Simplex Prestige rear dr. Mafac Racer brakes, Nisi rims and a Unicinitor (?) saddle.

Like this

I just joined the forum, specifically because I have a vintage Follis that I'm going to try to restore with help from work. In 1976 I bought the Follis from John's Bike Shop in Burbank with the goal of going cross country on one of the various bicentennial trips taking place that summer. I had done some research at the library and for whatever reason the Follis was the brand I had decided to purchase. I had recently graduated high school and wanted to do this trip before starting college. The bike took most of my saving and I think cost about $250 or so. I knew it had the Reynolds 531 tubing and John's Bike shop was the closest bike shop as I lived in Glendale,Ca. 38 years later I have dragged this bike with me everywhere I have gone. Only the frame is left. I now work for an Electric Bike company called Currie Technologies which will be merging with Raleigh North America in a few months. I told my story to one of the engineers here, and he asked to look at the frame. I cleaned it as best I could and showed him the frame. He thinks it would make a great project so here I am. Should I start a whole new thread, or post my pictures here?

Start a new thread. I would love to see pics.

By all means start a thread with lots of pics.

-D

Just in time for fall rides...very happy with this one.

Follis by djk762, on Flickr

Follis by djk762, on Flickr

-D

Love the lug work!

Well done [MENTION=202770]djkashuba[/MENTION]. Looks terrific. Enjoy the ride.

Brad