Mark- Wow, that is quite the impressive treatise on GPM. If nothing else, its the most detailed I have ever heard. Thank you very much. I do have one item that you didn't touch on, but wish you would. A couple of years ago, Grant Peterson sold a bunch of GPM braze-on front derailluers. I still have one. At the time, I was told that they were made by MAVIC, and for all intents and purposes, they look exactly like a Mavic SSC front derailluer. Question: Were these really made by Mavic and by who, if not? Did these come with a matching rear derailluer and if so, what did they look like? I haven't been able to get a decent answer, can you help? Cheers, Dave Anderson
In a message dated 10/30/00 6:17:28 PM PST, FiRUSA@aol.com writes:
> In a message dated 10/30/00 7:49:06 PM EST, sspielman@goeaston.net writes:
> > For what it is worth, Gipiemme got their start in the business as a
> > contract maker of parts for Campagnolo.....something that Campagnolo
> > vehemently denied...Hovever, back in the 80's, I got a Super Record
> > crankset, new in the box, that I believe never to have been touched by
> > non-Italian hands until mine, that had one chainring bolt labelled
> > "Gipiemme" instead of Campagnolo...you be the judge....
> > Steve Spielman
> >
> GPM (the original name, Gipiemme is actually how an Italian pronounces the
> letters GPM as a word like NATO is used here and became a trademarked name
> much later) Generali Meccanista Pappalardo is the words from which the
> initials GPM was taken, actually got their start earlier than as a
producer
> for Campagnolo. While they have produced parts for Campagnolo and Columbus
> (dropouts and frame fittings) they were a general machine shop with an
> interest (I believe 30% share) in a forging plant north of Milan that used
to
> make parts for pre war (First World War) Bianchi's used by the Italian
> Military amongst other things. I have a blueprint of a forged brake lever
> from 24-11-30 given to me as a momento by the manager of the factory that
was
> giving them to anyone that wanted them, he had piles of them sitting there
> and couldn't throw them out because of the chemicals used to produce such
> prints and the ecology laws now in place in Italy. That forging plant is
> still part owned by the Pappalardo family, who after selling GPM, later
> formed Tecnociclo, who produce dropouts and other frame parts under their
own
> name, plus other parts for companies like Deda. Gipiemme is now owned by
Isca
> spa, who are of course producers of Iscaselle saddles. While there are
still
> some parts available, the production now under the Gipiemme name (saddles,
> rims and wheels) has no resemblence to the groups used by teams like
Iproxan
> (who became Carrera) and riders of the stature of Giovanni Battaglin when
he
> won his tours. The hubs are no longer even made in house, being farmed out
to
> DT (who don't produce the hub components themselves) and Miche. Rims and
> saddles sold under the Gipiemme name are made in the factory in Loria, not
> far away from Selle San Marco, Modolo, Campagnolo and other suppliers of
> bicycle parts.
>
> The groups had Simplex made derailleurs, Modolo and Universal made brakes,
> Everest freewheels, and I believe every other part was made in house.
Mario
> Pappalardo (son of the founder of GPM) keeps on his desk at Tecnociclo a
> mounted machined crank from those days, and in keeping with the spirit of
his
> father will produce anything anyone wants fabricated, especially if it's a
> bicycle component.
>
> Mark Hoskin.
> US Representative, F.i.R srl
> Ph: 1 401 521 6916
> Fax: 1 401 521 6917
> Email: FiRUSA@aol.com
> http://www.FiR-USA.com
>
> FiR - As used by Kelme, individual and team winners of 2000 La Vuelta,
> mutiple Tour de France stage winners and the current World Cyclo Cross
> Champion Richard Groenendaal.
>
> "Ask about the 2001 FiR wheel range, now available, featuring lower priced
> Antara's, new lighter weight and stronger Scalatore', our new range of
wheels
> specifically built for Cyclo-Cross, wheel bags, and our new range of
seperate
> hubs, made in Italy by TEC with weights from 355gm/pr!"