The following ad from an April 1954 French magazine shows the Vittoria (Torino, Italy) line of brake hoods for many different brake manufacturers. It looks to me like Vittoria had the patent on the rubber hood. It also looks to me like rubber hoods were not in existence before the 1930s. And not even that common until after WWII?
Here is the ad:
http://www.velo-retro.com/
(I don't have the original ad just a photocopy so what you see on your monitors is about as good as the photocopy is. I can't quite read all the text.)
Listed: Tour de France "Bartali" -- (Upper left) Just a ribbed tube to slide over lever body. A very early rubber hood? Gino Bartali won the TdF in 1938 and 1948. Giro (Italy) Universal (Italy) Balilla (Italy) Constrictor (England) GB (England) Bowden (France) Weinmann (Switzerland) Gloria (Italy) Lam (France) Follis (France) Super Amortisseur -- (bottom, second from left) shown on a Gino Bartali lever with finger rest Amortisseur -- (bottom center) a small hood for lever body top that predates the early MAFAC of the same style. This might be Vittoria's first gum hood?
The Vittoria box shown mentions "34 Championati del Mondo" as of April 1954.
Anyone on the list want to discuss or have additional info on rubber hoods?
Chuck Schmidt SoPas, SoCal
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