Chuck wrote:
> Except that Bianchi's manufacturing bicycles predates it's manufacturing
> of motorcycles by decades. Bianchi started making bikes in 1885 and
> motorcycles (without going to the books) around the early 1910s?
>
> This was bike practice way before the development of motorcycles.
My Rudge from the late 70's, therefore pre-ball bearing headsets, has a simple brass conical bushing between frame and forks. However unlike later bikes, the frame fits inside the forks, rather than the forks inside the frame. Rudge was then quite advanced, with ball-bearing hubs. It would seem that once steering was changed from frame in fork to fork in frame, it became 'normal' to use press-in races and ball bearings in the place of the previously used conical bushings. An Italian friend of mine has a Bianchi from 1901, whihc goes to proves Chuck's statement of Bianchi bikes pre-dating their motorcycles and cars.
Steven Maasland Moorestown, NJ
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