1986 - Gios Professional - All's well that ends and ride well

It was quiet here for a long time; however, this should be about the story that started a long time ago with a Gios Professional frame I found and that was worth restoring - I´ve had reported about it here earlier but didn´t manage to come back to the story so far.

The frame went to Aldo and Marco and it was planned to get it repainted with them in first place; but unfortunately the top tube had to be replaced and the whole thing was delayed a bit. Furthermore I had to travel to Italy in order to pick it up.

Funny, but for a long time I had the idea to visit Gaiole and the Eroica without taking a racing bike with me but to buy or build/ maintain the bike down there and enjoy the ride through Tuscany hills afterwards.

In autumn 2018 it was finally done and today I´ll share it with you. But let´s start with teh parts list (as always):

Bottom Braket: Campagnolo Super Record
Headset: Campagnolo Super Record
Crankset: Campagnolo Super Record GIOS pantographed
Front Derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
Shift levers: NOS Campagnolo Super Record
Brake Lever: Campagnolo Super Record
Brakes: Campagnolo Super Record or Super Record Cobaltos
Wheelset: Campagnolo Super Record with MAVIC superlegere rims
Saddle: Cinelli Unicanitor
Seatpost: Campagnolo Nuovo Record GIOS pantographed
Stem: Cinelli GIOS pantographed
Handlebar: Cinelli wrapped in white leather
Pedals: Campagnolo Super Record

Frame tubing: Columbus SL
Fork tubing: Columbus SL

A couple of glasses of fine Chianti Classico, a barbeque, and a fun evening with friends later, it was almost completed

So it took about an hour in the morning to get things done

I´ve asked Aldo to sign the frame for me

How does it ride? Just amazing. Again many thanks to Aldo and Marco.

Is there an issue? Yes, you can't stand on one leg. ;-)

1986 - Olympia Competizione Superleggera

Founded in 1893 in Milan by Carlo Borghi, Olympia is the third oldest Italian bicycle manufacturer still making bikes today (Bianchi dates from 1885, Preziosi from 1892); in the beginning they made motorcycles also.

In 1925 Signore Borghi turned into racing together with Dunlop as a co-sponsor and Gilli Gianbattista beeing the first rider for Olympia followed by Bresciani, Dinale, Lazzaretti, Menegazzi, Pancera and Pucci in the following year or Pio Caimmi in 1929 as well as Luigi Marchisio and Karl Altenburger in 1933 and Vito Ortelli in 1948.

However, wearing those white with a black stripe Olympia jersey between 1939 and 1941 Enrico Mollo, reached second place in the Giro d’Italia (1940) and Pietro Chiappini wins the Milan-Turin race (1941).

In 1959 Antonio and Pasquale Fontana bought the company in order to compliment their other, less exalted marques Winter, Willes and San Remo nd moved production from Milan to to the Veneto region. Olympia gave them an opportunity to compete with the best bikes on the market back then.

Frame builder Augusto Daniele built their Competizione model, which was equipped with the top Campagnolo components. They featured carefully filed lugs, excellent torch work, short, upright geometry and a variety of bottom bracket cut-outs. Visually, it was distinguished by its long chromed, concave seat stay caps.

The three top models (Competizione Superleggera, Special Piuma and Sprint Junior) had an unusual, fragile pearlescent finish. Unlike modern finishes, it used natural pearlessence, as found in nail polish, instead of metal or mica flakes. These bikes were antique white through the early 70s, then other base colors were used under the pearl (yellow, copper, blue and possibly others).

By the late 70s, the hand painted head badge and natural pearlescent paint were gone, replaced by a decal and a more prosaic (and durable) top coat. Later on the head badge was changed to one that´s milled directly into the steering tube. The quality of those high performance frames remained very high until end of its production in the late 80´s. Thus all Competizione models were equipped solely with Campagnolo Nuovo oder Super Record.

That´s the parts list that´s planned to be used for the re-build and setup so far

Bottom Braket: Campagnolo Super Record
Headset: Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Crankset: Campagnolo Super Record Olympia pantographed
Front Derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
Shift Levers: Campagnolo Super Record
Brake Lever: Campagnolo Super Record Olympia pantographed
Brakes: Campagnolo Super Record
Wheelset: Campagnolo Super Record with NISI rims
Saddle: Cinelli Unicanitor
Seatpost: Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Stem: 3ttt Olympia pantographed
Handlebar: 3ttt
Pedals: Campagnolo Super Record

Frame tubing: Columbus SL
Fork tubing: Columbus SL

1986 - Gios Professional restauration

In 1948 Tolmino Gios, born in 1916, started the family business with a shop in province of Turin. At the start of the seventies they get specialized towards high end racing frames and became the supplier of several well known racing teams.

Many will remember the very successful years with Roger de Vlaeminck or Patrick Sercu at Brooklyn or team IJsboerke. De Vlaeminck won Paris - Roubaix three times, Mailand - San Remo, the Flanders tour and the tour of Lombardia riding a Gios Torino Super Record. Further on he became second in road world championship an several stages as well as two times the dotted jersey of the italian Giro. German stallion Didi Thurau rode on a GIOS Torino also.

It was back then, when the famous coblat blue color was created in order to match Brooklyns blue, white and red brand logos best. From now on one was able to order a Gios Torino frame at any color as long as it was painted cobalt blue.

Same with the predecessor of the model Super Record. When modell Professional was started it was available with original cobalt blue paint only. In 1984 the frame could be ordered in white color also, in 1985 black paint and a fully chromed modell were added. Finally in 1986 the Gios prooven special red color (Rosso GIOS) appeared to the market.

Model Super Record was produced in three slightly different generations. First and between 1973 and 1977/78  they served the Brooklyn team with frames and build with the folloing specifications:

• Roger de Vlaeminck Decal set with white lettering directly on the cobalt blue GIOS paint
• engraved "GT" fork crowns and bottom bracket shell
• Columbus SL tubing
• Campagnolo Record components

In 1978 some changes were made:

• The "GT" fork crowns were replaced with a the typical GIOS coin crown, which basically covered the air-holes used during the welding process of the forks. The coins were silver
• on bottom bracket shell the GT engraving was replaced by the GIOS writing
• the decal set changed to well known GIOS torino white stickers with black letterings on the seat tube, down and the top tube

In 1979 

• the famous GIOS torino coin crown was changed again, Due to the slightly different shape the coins were changed also, coins from now on in gold

In 1981/ 82 finally was changed

• fork crown and brake bridge changed to fit modern Campagnolo Record brakes with recessed bolts.

Modell Professional came with 

• Columbus SL tube set
• braze on for the front derailleur
• derailleur cable routing below the bottom bracket shell
• an internally-routed rear brake cable
• a fully-chromed fork with fully-sloping aero crown leading to a slightly changed geometry because of the difference in length of fork blades between a flat crown and a sloping crown also. 
• In addition there might be another reason for a slightly geometry change lying in the use of the newer microfussion sleeves. 

However I´m not quite sure if anybody who´s not a pro rider will recognize those little changes while pedaling with ease.

Time changes.

It´s not quite easily to get to know when and why family business get separated between the two brothers Aldo and Alfredo but in accordance with italian cycling journal the final cut between both brothers was done in 2009 with moving a brand called Gios by forming something like a joint venture with a japanese contractor and founding Gios Torino by Aldo and his son Marco in Volpiano.

Aldo and his son Marco continued to be committed to the old frame building traditions creating finest and highest quality steel frames as Tolmino did in the past. Thus you might get in touch with them on many historic cycling race events like the Eroica and their cycling jumble areas.

Thus I´ll met them this year in Gaiole. Until then I´ll be collecting some parts for a quick first set up in tuscany. But as it looks and with many thanks to Wolfgang from Venediger Au (appropriate wheel set, tubulars and front derailleur), to Alexander Strese of for-your-radl shop and others, all parts seems to be already together.

For those planing a GIOS Torino restauration or already started a restauration project of a classic GIOS Torino and beeing on the hunt for color support beeing said, that the genuine cobalt blue paint is gone for ever since real cobalt can´t be used as a part of the paint mixture anymore. Recepies for the genuine GIOS Torino Rosso are gone as well for ever. Even Aldo can´t help with the correct recepies.

But Aldo and Marco do have a solution for the famous GIOS cobalt blue in hands and will restore your frame to it´s original glory if asked to.

Just be smart and ask those who know best.

Onother word to all the guessing about color codes and paint recepies. As long as Aldo told me that there was one single recipe for the cobalt blue in the past and there is one single recipe for the new GIOS Torino (cobalt) blue today all your guessing about multiple changes in the paints recepies seems to be misleading. There was one single change in painting color that´s directly linked to the mentioned environmental regulation only. But I missed to ask Marco or Aldo when the ingredience cobalt and its usage was forbidden and they had to change their paints recipe.

That´s the partslist that´s planned to be used of the set up in tuscany

Bottom Braket: Campagnolo Super Record
Headset: Campagnolo Super Record
Crankset: Campagnolo Super Record GIOS pantographed
Front Derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
Shift levers: NOS Campagnolo Super Record
Brake Lever: Campagnolo Super Record
Brakes: Campagnolo Super Record or Super Record Cobaltos
Wheelset: Campagnolo Super Record with MAVIC superlegere rims
Saddle: Cinelli Unicanitor
Seatpost: Campagnolo Nuovo Record GIOS pantographed
Stem: Cinelli
Handlebar: Cinelli wrapped in white leather
Pedals: Campagnolo Super Record

Frame tubing: Columbus SL
Fork tubing: Columbus SL

More to come in autumn. Stay tuned

1986 - Fausto Coppi, Carlo Drali, his son Beppino and the Pokerissima

To get answers to the question who build the frames for which professionista seems to be easy. But reality talks different.

Thus common understanding for Fausto Coppi is that his frames were build by Bianchi Reparto Course and Gilardi for instance. But there are some hints which gives rise to doubt.

Carlo Drali started building frames in his shop in Mailand in 1925 and in parallel joined the Bianchi Reparto Course factory sometimes within the 30th. His son Guiseppe, born in 1928, joined forces with his father in 1947 at the Reparto Course and stayed until this factory was closed in about 1969. Thus both worked together with Valsassina and Gilardi and get in touch with Fausto Coppi and other riders of that time.

Looking at the 1949 Bianchi track bike ridden by Coppi some details are obviously different to all other Bianchi frames made by Valsassina or Gilardi. The drivers initials were filed into the lower steering lug and the other lugs on this frame show the poker signs.

However, these details are found on no other Bianchi but on a Drali Pokerissima with a single restriction. Those intitials in the lower steering lug can only be found on Pokerissimas, which Carlo and Beppino made for special drivers like his personal friend Fausto Coppi for instance.

As you can see the frame shows initials BM in the lower steering lug. After a while of searching it might be possible that this frame was build for Battista Monti. Battista born in 1944 in Imola was an amateur rider with some good results in 1965. He joined the professional peleton at about 1966 with Salvarin and moved to Germanvox - Wega in 1967.

Besides all of this Drali belongs to the very short list of italian frame builders that are well known for best quality and a very stiff connection to the regional racing scene. Some famous drivers were racing for industrially sponsored teams with big brands in the background but insisted on riding with those special products made by out out of those special framebuilders made frames. Eddy Merckx connection to Alberto Masi, Ugo De Rosa and Ernesto Colnago or the other famous milanese framebuilder Francesco Galmozzi might be mentioned in this context also.

Bottom Braket: Campagnolo Super Record
Headset: Campagnolo Super Record
Crankset: Campagnolo Super Record

Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo Super Record
Brake Lever: Campagnolo Nuovo Record Drali pantographed
Brakes: Campagnolo Super Record
Wheelset: Campagnolo Super Record
Chain: Regina
Saddle: Selle Italia Turbo
Seatpost: Campagnolo Super Record
Stem: 3ttt  Drali pantographed
Handlebar: 3ttt

Frame tubing: Columbus SL
Fork tubing: Columbus SL

1986 - Rossin Ghibli

The “R” in the Rossin logo was adopted from Rossignol skis, and the pentagon represents the five founding members of the company. In 1975, the bikes made their debut at the Milan Cycle Fair. In 1976, Vittorio Algeri of the Itla team won the Italian First and Second Series Championships, as well as the amateur Settimana Lombarda on a Rossin. In 1977, Rossin signed an agreement to supply bikes to the GBC team which was renamed GBC Itla. During the late 70’s, Rossin began to experiment with mountain bike building. They also became the first company to install a computer, a transistor radio sized gizmo, on a bike. It was used by Alessandro Paganessi, leader of the Novartiplasti amateur team, at the mountain time trial at the Settimana Lombarda at San Fermo. In 1980, the Soviet track team rode Rossins at the Moscow Olympics.

Rossin continued their tradition of innovation with some radical monocoque “Space” time trial frames with sloping top tubes and aero bars. In 1983, Garbelli invented the disc wheel which was used by Francesco Moser to set the one hour record in Mexico. Also in 1983, The Soviet and American track teams were riding Rossins. A new, larger factory was set up in Cavenago, Brianza and was soon producing 30 frames a day. The company experimented with some interesting design elements such as Columbus tubing that was crimped along its length to add stiffness and the model Ghibli was born.

Bottom Braket: Campagnolo 1st Gen. C-Record
Headset: Campagnolo 1st Gen. C-Record
Crankset: Campagnolo 1st Gen. C-Record
Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo 1st Gen. C-Record
Brake Lever: Campagnolo 1st Gen. C-Record
Brakes: Campagnolo Cobalto
Wheelset: Campagnolo 1st Gen. C-Record
Saddle:
Seatpost: Campagnolo 1st Gen. C-Record
Stem: Cinelli
Handlebar: Cinelli

Frame tubing: Columbus SLX
Fork tubing: Columbus SLX

1986 - De Rosa Professional Ariostea Team Replica

Ugo De Rosa, born on January 27, 1934 in Milan, Italy, get to know all aspects of bicycle racing as an amateur racer. His passion for racing led him study mechanics and engineering at a technical college before he started his first bicylce shop in the early 50´s.

In 1958 he was asked by the famous cyclist Raphael Geminiani to build him a bike for the upcoming Giro d'Italia. Following on from this initial interest, De Rosa bikes became a fixture in the professional peloton of the 1960s. The Faema team was the first team to ride De Rosa frames. Other De Rosa teams of the decade included Tbac (1964) and Max Majer (1967), Gianni Motta (1969), Eddy Merckx and Molteni (1973-1978) and Francesco Moser and Filotex (1974), team Sammontana (1982 - 1984) led by Moreno Argentin and Giovanbattista Baronchelli or team Ariostea (1986 - 1990).

On lightweights build by Ugo De Rosa many of the major European races including the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, Milan–San Remo and the World Championship were won in that period.

Luckily I was able to source a 1986 De Rosa Professional with perfect original Ariostea team replica paint job.

Bottom Braket: Campagnolo

Headset: Campagnolo

Crankset: Campagnolo Croce d´Aune

Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo Chorus 8s with medium cage

Brake Lever: Campagnolo De Rosa pantographed

Brakes: Campagnolo C-Record Delta

Wheelset: Campagnolo C-Record with Mavic Sup clintcher rims
Saddle: Cinelli
Seatpost: Campagnolo
Stem: 3ttt De Rosa pantographed

Frame tubing: Columbus SLX
Fork tubing: Columbus SLX