Four and counting!

My information page, the Girardengo Barn has prompted many people who are seeking information on Girardengo bicycles to contact me, hoping to get more information on the marque. Occasionally some of those who come seeking knowledge on their intended project end up not following through with the plan to restore the bike and move on to something else. That is the case with this frame which was offered to me as a result. This is the Fourth Girardengo bicycle to find it’s way into my stable!

It’s not really hoarding if you ride it!

This one appears to be a 1960’ish model, which seems to have been the most prolific era of manufacture for Girardengo bicycles. It is an example of a lower tier model as indicated by the stamped drop-outs and generally poor quality overall of welds, brazed on fittings etc. A fender mounting stud on the brake bridge as well as threaded eyelets hint that this may have been a city bike originally, although some Girardengo racers were also fender ready. In any case, it was definitely not a “quality race bike!” I also suspect that it is an older repaint due to the lack of logo’s or stickers of any kind.

The rear derailleur cable housing is threaded into the down tube, through the bottom bracket and inside the drive side chain stay where it exits near the drop-out. This cable routing is also something not often seen on race bikes.

My current plan for number 4 is just to get it cleaned up and re-install the head-set and fork and then set it aside. Later on, when I decide on what I want this bike to be I can start to gather some parts for it before I continue.

It is stamped as frame number is 59678 which tells me very little at this point. As I get more information on other examples of Girardengo bicycles I may be able to conclude something about the code. Until then I will include myself as one of those who knows very little about Girardengo bicycles.

With my Girardengo Barn page I have tried to offer a resource, an image library of sorts for reference. Contributions to the information base are quite slim as most people who visit the page come with questions of their own instead offering information. I do have a couple of patrons who occasionally send me links to other Girardengo’s spotted in the wild, but most often I find things online, simply by cruising the web. It remains a work in progress!