When I’m conducting
searches on the web for new cycling projects, the Italian master builders such
as Colnago, Pinarello and Bianchi are always at the top of my list of brands to
look out for. De Rosa and Ciöcc bicycles would be up there too, except they
seem to demand top dollar in any condition and are hard to come by. There are a
handful of Italian manufacturers that are often secondary in the thoughts of
collectors here in the States, yet produce wonderful bicycles, and I was able
to recently acquire a couple of these excellent bicycles.
For me, the initial
draw to these bikes is usually a nice color or interesting paint scheme that is
hopefully in great condition. Sometimes the bike will be ready-to-ride, except
for a bit of touch-up, decals, or perhaps replacing one or two components that
are mismatched or that need some upgrading. Occasionally I’ll come across a
bicycle that has some significance to me personally or has some pro racing
history.
This 1989
Bottecchia bicycle is a replica of those used by the ADR team, which was led by
Greg Lemond. Experts will point out that during his legendary nine second
victory in that year’s Tour de France, the American legend actually used his
own TVT carbon frame “badged up” as a Bottecchia, since they were the team
sponsor. Visually the difference is very subtle, since it was only the top and head tubes, but his
bike is also used black instead of purple in its scheme. Anyway, good luck
finding one of those – and if you do, you will likely be spending big bucks!
I do have photographic
evidence (left) that Greg rode the steel frame Bottecchia at some point during
the season, so this is a neat piece of cycling history. The bike is also in
wonderful condition for a nearly 30-year-old machine, as I suspect the person
who owned it was a fan more than a serious cyclist, and this bike didn’t see
too many miles. It will need a serious cleaning, but what I really want to do
is complete what is mostly a Campagnolo Victory groupset on the bike, as it has
a set of SunTour shift levers and a rear derailleur included.
SunTour was a
highly-respected Japanese company of the period and were renowned for its
innovation – they developed the first slant parallelogram rear derailleur in
1964 and the first indexed shifting in 1969! SunTour was eventually pushed out
of the market by Shimano and went bankrupt in the late ‘80s. Often when Euro
framesets were imported during this time period, buyers would piece together
what they could find or afford and throw in parts that they preferred because
of look or performance. The original owner must have been a “SunTour guy”.
In only his second
year competing at the Tour de France, Ottavio Bottecchia (right) won the first title by
an Italian rider, and became the first yellow jersey holder from start to
finish! Teodore Carnielli began producing bikes in 1926 under the Bottecchia
name, one year after the legend won his second Tour de France in a row.
On June 3, 1927, in
preparation for that year’s Tour, Ottavio went out on a training ride alone and
never returned. His body was found lying by the roadside near his hometown. His
bike was entirely undamaged, but his skull was cracked and other bones were
broken. Because it was well known that he was an anti-fascist, it is believed
supporters of Mussolini were behind the murder. The fact that the local police
commander, a fascist, abruptly called off the investigation seemed to support
the claim.
Carnielli continued
to produce Bottecchia bicycles, which began to make their mark in the pro
peloton, with Gianni Motta winning the 1966 Giro d’Italia on one, as well as
Rudi Altig claiming the World Road Race later in the year aboard a Bottecchia.
Certainly better known for his association with Colnago, legend Giuseppe
Saronni actually won his first Giro riding a Bottecchia bicycle!
The late ‘80s Olmo
bicycle that was shipped to me from Italy will require a bit more work, as some
touch-up is needed, and the parts are all over the place, with different brands
from different countries – not an acceptable situation for me! The Ofmega
Vantage crankset and Saccon Altex brakes, both Italian products, are certainly
appropriate, but the Sachs-Huret Aris Classic 2500 (think I just ran out of breath
with that name) shifters and derailleurs are French.
I got an
outstanding deal on the bike and hesitate to pour a ton of money into it, but
if I can find an inexpensive Campagnolo group to replace everything, that would
be fantastic! I’m certainly in no hurry, and with a decent stock
of bikes still hanging in my shop, I can be as patient as possible until
something “deep discount” shows up on eBay.
Giuseppe “Gepin”
Olmo (left) was an Olympic gold medalist at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics in the team
trial and went on to an outstanding pro career. Over the years he won twenty
stages at the Giro and claimed two Milan-San Remo victories. He also set a
prestigious world hour record on the track in October 1935.
As his career was
winding down, Gepin joined his three brothers to form Olmo Cicli in their
hometown of Celle Ligure. Their reputation for producing quality, durable
racing machines grew, and the backing of top-tier pro teams boosted their
company’s status. The true golden age for Olmo bicycles was the 1970-80s, with
the sponsorship of the Magnaflex, GIS and Alfa-Lum teams, which brought a
multitude of titles. At the end of the century, the company supplied bikes to
the Spanish Vitalicio Seguros team, a connection that delivered a 1999 World
Road Race title via Oscar Friere and four stage victories during the following
season’s Giro d’Italia.
