Okay, my impression is that FB is/was an Italian company. Here's why:
The company name is F.B. and stands for Fratelli Brivio (Brivio Brothers in Italian).
The hubs are stamped "Made in Italy" (even the Simplex-branded hubs are stamped that way; there was Simplex Italy in the early 1950s making Simplex derailleurs in Italy, and Fausto Coppi won the '49 TdF on a Bianchi with Simplex derailleurs).
Tullio Campagnolo bought the rods for his Cambio Corsa from F.B. in the 1930s.
F.B. supplied branded hubs to many Italian bike and parts manufacturers (Bianchi, Legnano, Maino, Campagnolo, Simplex Italy, etc.)
F.B. was still in business in the 1960s and selling hubs under their own name after Campagnolo came out with their one piece aluminum alloy hub in 1958.
Tullio Campagnolo did not buy F.B. and continue making both brands.
Gnutti hubs are indeed different...
Does any of the above make it sound like F.B. is a french company.
Now the REAL question: Chevrolet... French or American!?!?!?
Chuck "thought I was American, but hell, maybe I'm French" Schmidt SoPas, SoCal http://www.velo-retro.com (reprints, Campagnolo Timeline and T-shirts)
.
nelson miller wrote:
>
> Group---- I was under the impression (read: I don't KNOW!) that FB was a French company. I heard that they made the early 3-piece Campag hubs, and eventually, Campag bought them out, continuing to make both brands. I also have a set of "Simplex" marked hubs that are exactly like the three piece FB's and Campag's of the era......so I have always assumed that they made hubs for anybody? Are the Gnutti hubs any different, or did FB make them also? Who really knows? Cheers --- Nelson Miller--- Seattle
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Chuck Schmidt
> Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2002 11:14 PM
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: Re: [CR]French builders we don't know and FB Italian or French?
>
> Jan Heine wrote:
> >
> > To get the first thing out of the way: I thought FB was a French
> > company founded by an Italian expatriate. Chuck, do you have any info
> > to the contrary?
>
> Huh???? Gosh, I guess anything is possible. A French company founded
> by an Italian expatriate with their factory in Italy?
>
> Who knew...
>
> Chuck Schmidt
> SoPas, SoCal