1968 - the milan unsung champion - the Galmozzi Super

Unfortunately there´s not much known about Galmozzi outside of italy. But round milan and if perfoamcne, speed and quality was the right measure for a racing bicycle up to the seventies riders spoke about Cinelli, Galmozzi, Masi and Pogliaghi only.

Nevertheless, when Giovanni Gerbi and Alfredo Focesi founded Cicli Gloria Milano in 1922 Francesco Galmozzi became the technical director. He designed the Gloria "Garibaldina". The Garibaldina was the bicycle that won the 1923 world championship with Liberio Ferrario. In 1932, Attilio Pavesi won two gold medals, time trial and team, at the Los Angeles Olympics on a Galmozzi-Magri bicycle, as did many riders at the Montlhery world championship the following year.

It was up to Francesco Galmozzi to start in 1938 production under the families name in the shop of Via Melchiorre Gioia in Milan, where they stayed until its closure in 1986. 

Due to Signore Paolo Sterpi and since Francesco was a close friend of Gino Bartali the bicyclces used by Gino when he rode for Legnano were made by Galmozzi.

Beside the funny brands badge (becoming a decal later) with a rooster staying on a bicycle hub, there are other genuine characteristics that indicate a frame to be made by Galmozzi. Slotted steering tube sleeves and slots with a centered drilling an each side of the fork crown are indicating the frames origin.

Since Francesco Galmozzi served many brands with his creations and was guided by building frames with highest quality and performance the output branded with his own name was very limited. Thus I´m very lucky to geet a younger brother for my late 40th, early 50th cambio corsa frame.; actually it´s build up with a mix of early bronze and early Nuovo Gran Sport parts.


Bottom Braket: Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport
Headset: Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Crankset: Campagnolo Nuovo Grand Sport
Front Derailleur: Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport
Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo Gran Sport
Shift levers: Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Brake Lever: Universal Super 68
Brakes:  Universal Super 68
Wheelset: Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Saddle: Brooks Professional
Seatpost: alloy
Stem: Cinelli
Handlebar: Cinelli
Pedals: Campagnolo Record

Frame tubing: Columbus
Fork tubing: Columbus

1978 - One for the show, one for Dittelbrunn Sachs, SKF and Hercules - Hespelein

Back in the seventies and early eighties Dittelbrunn in Franconia/ Bavaria had a good reputation in the national cycling sports. Ludwig Geyer, Otto Schenk, Günther Ziegler, Otto Karrlein, Andreas Ziegler, Bernd Jänicke, Dieter Burkhardt who rode for RSG Franken Katzwang (later renamed to RSG Nuremberg (Rennsportgemeinschaft Nürnberg e.V.)) and Hercules, Philipp Ziegler, Hans Markert, Erich Hespelein and Remig Stumpf.

First attention to Dieter Burkhard was given, when he was a very young man and rode for SG Dittelbrunn. For my knowledge Erich Hespelein was a generation older and founded his bicycle shop in Dittelbrunn in the early seventies already. He started with selling bicycles and making repairs; later he started to solder frames by himself, which are very well known in the local area and in sports. 

Those Hercules Ajaccio made exclusively for RSG Nuremberg have been made by Hespelein in the early years; later that kind of pro gear should have been soldered by Nöll from Fulda.

Let´s have a closer look at this lovely Erich Hespelein Frame I was lucky to aquire:

Please stay tuned for next steps with more information about RSG history as well as pictures of the upcoming Hespelein re-build.