Mid 60’s Girardengo, completed

Bicicletta classica per tutte le strade

I’m trying to find the right category to classify this bike as and I haven’t quite got it yet. Retro Italian gravel bike, vintage all roads rider, old school adventure bike, Strada Bianca speciale? All of these come close but in the end it is probably just a Franken-bike.

 

Off season and off topic, in the Veneto

This post isn’t really going to be about cycling. In fact, the best I’ll be able to do is to sneak a couple of bicycle related images and locations into this brief account of our off season trip to the Veneto. The trip for our family is about a little mid-pandemic relief and trying to reclaim something of a normal life during this not-so-normal holiday season.

Early December evening, Piazza San Marco

 

1954 Urago Debutante

Urago Bicycles was a French manufacturer which was founded in 1935 in Nice by brothers Joseph and Francois. They were known for the high quality of their handmade frames, many of which were built by artisan frame builder Anicet Cattanéo who continued working through the early 70’s. Francois Urago was a track racer in the 1920s -1930s and his likeness was on the head badge for many years. Outside of these scant few details there is limited information readily available on the Urago marque other than the few bikes that are out there to observe.

 

The Mystery bike is finished!

 Cicli – R.Daniele – Ivrea

 

Late 1950’s or early 60’s?

 

Bianchi L’Eroica bike

My 2015 Bianchi L’Eroica

I originally discussed this bike in a post last year after I first heard about it, Preview of the Bianchi L’Eroica. I determined that I wanted to get one as soon as they became available and put my local bike shop onto the job of tracking one down. After a few months of phone calls and inquiries my Bianchi arrived in January of 2016. It appears to be the 17th bike in production based on the serial number, and is certainly among the first to arrive in the US.

 

Saving the Girardengo, Part 1

Trying to straighten the frame

This is the problem that I am going to try and fix. The frame is upside down in the work stand and so the down tube shows as the upper in the picture. There is clearly some deformation visible on the underside of the down tube. The top tube is also damaged in the similar location but is not quite so severe.