[CR]1953 L.Guerra test ride part 1

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme:2007)

From: "swampmtn" <swampmtn@siscom.net>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2003 22:25:24 -0400
Subject: [CR]1953 L.Guerra test ride part 1

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Jan Heine's story about the first ride on his Learco Guerra with cambio Corsa shifters. I thought perhaps a few of you would enjoy an other perspective.

A Ride Into The Pits (part 1)

1953 Learco Guerra with Campagnolo Paris-Roubaix mechanism

Reading Jan Heine's story of his first ride on a 1940s Learco Guerra with cambio Corsa mechanism, I became fascinated by the idea of one day owning and ride a bike so-equipped.

Through a complicated series of confusing events and mistaken identities, involving an Italian family and various barnyard bicycle finds, I was offered an original bike with Paris-Roubaix.

I, like Jan, could not resist.

So. . . two months later and hundreds of Euros poorer, I received a box full of bikes and parts and top-quality Italian corrugated board, including a complete original 1953 Learco Guerra racing bike with P-R.

You might expect that this bike hadn't turned a wheel in decades, but truth is that, after it's racing days were over, it was converted to upright bars, rubber block pedals, big fat heavy big steel fat mudguards, steel rims and clincher tires. It then spent the next decades working to earn it's keep as a commuter bike, back and forth to work each day, it's owner now a knife maker.

As luck would have it the owner saved the old racing parts, so I received the complete bike.

This bike was originally painted in that gorgeous sand-metallic with white headtube and seat panel as Jan describes in his article, but whereas his bike is a beautiful restoration, mine has suffered the dings and scratches of outrageous misfortune. Almost all of the sand color is long gone, exposed to the elements for 50 years. What is left is the silver base coat, with worn patches of exposed tan primer here and there. The chrome is down to about 50%, with the fork blades and crown having suffered the most, but the entire bike is structurally sound, straight, and in good enough condition to enjoy as-is.

My bike has the same beautiful "globe" headtube badge as Jan's, but the downtube decals consist of a white panel with green/white/red stripes down either side, and broad blue/red/black/yellow/green world champion's stripes around down the center. Over this are superimposed black and white block letters reading LEARCO GUERRA. Well, they used to, anyway. One side is almost completely faded to " EARCO GUE " and the other side reads "LEA GUERRA". The seattube badge is deteriorated to a mere silver shadow.

When my neighbors saw the bike, they looked away or went back to mowing their lawns. This is not a bike to instill great lust or admiration from your LBS or cycling buddies.

Besides the P-R mechanism, the bike is equipped with steel Cinelli bars and stem similar to Jan's bike, Maiocchi Superleggera headset (Emilio Bozzi catalogue pg. 230, item 3113), Universal Extra brakeset, Magistroni crank and W.A. pedals. Even came with ancient REG toestraps to match the green lug lining on the headtube. The extremely-well-broken-in saddle appears to be an Italia with metal bag loops and the leather cut away from either side towards the back. Original Gaslo Tesa handlebar tape was white, but after wrapping it was painted medium silver-blue gloss. Cork in the bar ends is taped over too (no Gaslo plugs :::sigh:::)

The frame tubing is that dragonfly stuff also seen on Wilier Triestina bikes of the era. More on that when I find my notes.

(next time part 2 - Assemblation of the Chain-Bending Mechanistics)

Aldo Ross
Middletown, Ohio